Iron Honor targets Preakness as Taj Mahal looms at Laurel Park

Taj Mahal did more than keep himself in the Preakness picture. He strengthened it. The undefeated colt sharpened for the 151st Preakness Stakes with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00 2/5 at Laurel Park, and in a field that could be short on proven depth, that kind of final move matters. With the race set for Saturday, May 16, at Laurel while Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt, the colt who already owns the home-track edge at Laurel now looks like the one horse whose recent work actually changed the way this race should be viewed.

That is because the Preakness is still in flux, with as many as 16 horses under consideration for a race capped at 14 starters. The last time the race had a full 14-horse gate was 2011, when Shackleford won. This year’s move to Laurel makes the event feel tighter and more tactical, and Taj Mahal already has the profile that can win in that setting: three wins in three starts at Laurel, including his April 18 Federico Tesio Stakes victory, which locked up his Preakness berth. Trainer Brittany Russell said the colt “felt great” and said she wanted to see that he had fun and did his thing in the work, and the drill backed up that confidence.

Iron Honor remains on target for the Preakness, and his most notable change is also the most interesting. He will race without blinkers for the first time in the 1 3/16-mile test, a move that suggests his connections want him to settle and finish cleaner as the pace scenario takes shape. In a compact field at a track where position can matter from the start, that equipment change is not cosmetic. It tells you the barn is still searching for a little more.

Chip Honcho also made a useful statement, even if his move was less flashy than Taj Mahal’s. The son of Connect worked a half-mile in :50.20 at Churchill Downs on May 10, finished his major prep, and is scheduled to van to Laurel Park Monday morning. He will be reunited with jockey Jose Ortiz for the race, which adds a familiar rider connection to a horse that still has room to move forward. Stablemate Ottinho is being pointed toward the Belmont Stakes in June, leaving Chip Honcho as one more live piece in a field where the board may end up telling the story better than the résumé. Black-Eyed Susan Day comes Friday, May 15, and the Preakness follows Saturday, but the real signal has already been sent: Taj Mahal has the best recent work, and in this stripped-down renewal, that is enough to move him to the front of the line.