St. Elias Stable could send Iron Honor, Silent Tactic to Preakness

St. Elias Stable has a chance to change the shape of the 151st Preakness Stakes before the field is even set. Vinnie Viola’s operation still had Golden Tempo under consideration after the Kentucky Derby, and Iron Honor and Silent Tactic both remained live possibilities for the May 16 race at Laurel Park, where the Preakness will be run for the first time.

Iron Honor gives St. Elias a proven stakes colt with a real route back to the Triple Crown trail. The Nyquist colt won the Gotham Stakes, then finished seventh in the Wood Memorial after a rough trip and a minor physical setback. Monique Delk said the horse was not being hurried after getting banged up in that race, and Chad Brown had long viewed the Preakness as the target if Iron Honor stayed healthy. Brown’s record at the race adds weight to that plan, since he won the Preakness with Cloud Computing in 2017 and with Early Voting in 2022.

Silent Tactic brings a different kind of uncertainty. The Derby scratch had a bruise and a small separation in the hoof wall, and his Preakness status hinged on how he trained in the days after the report. Mark Casse said the colt was doing well, but he wanted to see a couple of days of training before making a final decision, with a midweek breeze still possible. If Silent Tactic comes back into the field, he would add another layer to a race already starting to take shape around several horses with very different paths to Laurel.

That matters because multiple St. Elias runners could alter the early complexion of the Preakness. If Golden Tempo joins Iron Honor, or if Silent Tactic also gets the green light, Viola’s team would have more than one tactical option in a field still being assembled. That can force other connections to account for more than one pace presence, which can make the first turn and the run to the backstretch more demanding for riders trying to sort position early.

Other names already in the mix show how open the race still is. Taj Mahal had won the Federico Tesio Stakes on April 18, earning an automatic berth, and was unbeaten in three starts, all at Laurel. The Hell We Did was second in the Lexington Stakes on April 11 at Keeneland in his two-turn debut after starting at four different tracks in four races. With Cherokee Nation, Chip Honcho, Crude Velocity, Crupper, Express Kid, Great White, Napoleon Solo, Ottinho, Pretty Boy Miah, Talkin and Talk to Me Jimmy also mentioned as possible starters, the Preakness field was still fluid, and St. Elias may have had more than one way to influence it.