Danny Gargan shifts Talkin toward Preakness after Blue Grass effort
Talkin’s Blue Grass third left him with 30 Derby points, and Danny Gargan is already steering him to Laurel for the Preakness.
Danny Gargan did not sound like a trainer trying to squeeze Talkin into the Kentucky Derby picture. He sounded like a horseman making the cleaner, sharper move after a Blue Grass Stakes effort that left the colt with options, but not much margin.
Talkin ran third in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Blue Grass, beaten 11 lengths by runaway winner Further Ado, and picked up 25 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to push his career total to 30. That number leaves him on the fringe at best for Churchill Downs, where the Derby field usually demands far more. Gargan said afterward that Talkin “ran good,” but added that “the one hole is a tough place to overcome,” then steered the conversation toward Baltimore. “We’ll reevaluate and figure something out. Probably think more about the Preakness (G1), something like that. Hopefully he comes back good, give him plenty of time for the next one.”
That is the practical part of the decision. The Preakness Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, and for the first time it will be run at Laurel Park rather than Pimlico Race Course because Pimlico is under redevelopment. Laurel also hosts the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday, May 15. If Gargan points Talkin there, the colt gets what he needs most right now: recovery time, a steadier build, and a second chance at a classic without being rushed through the Derby squeeze.
The pedigree gives the plan some bite. Talkin is by Good Magic, the 2017 champion 2-year-old male who finished second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby and fourth in that year’s Preakness behind Justify. Gargan has already won a Triple Crown race with another Good Magic colt, Dornoch, who captured the 2024 Belmont Stakes before later adding the Haskell Stakes. That connection matters because it gives this move more than convenience. It suggests a trainer who recognizes the kind of horse that can improve with spacing, timing and the right distance.
Talkin’s resume already has enough substance to make the Preakness conversation real. He won his debut at Saratoga, was second in the Champagne Stakes and ninth in the Remsen Stakes before his spring reset. After the Blue Grass, Gargan is not waiting on Derby chaos to create an opening. He is choosing the race that fits the colt best, and that makes Talkin a live Preakness candidate, not a Derby leftover.
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