Taj Mahal romps in Federico Tesio, earns Preakness berth

Taj Mahal made the Federico Tesio look like a mismatch, sprinting away from a 10-horse field by 8 1/4 lengths and locking up an automatic berth into the 151st Preakness Stakes. The undefeated colt did it in 1:52.92 for 1 1/8 miles on a fast track at Laurel Park, a performance that looked less like a local prep and more like a colt announcing himself to the broader classic picture.

The race answered the first question his team needed answered: whether Taj Mahal could stretch his speed over nine furlongs and handle traffic from an outside draw. Breaking from post 10, Sheldon Russell got him to the rail before the clubhouse turn was half over, and Taj Mahal was already in charge after an opening quarter in 23.93 seconds. From there, he kept widening the gap and never gave the field a chance to close. The Federico Tesio has long been one of Maryland’s most useful Preakness springboards, and this year’s renewal fit that pattern again.

What it did not answer, at least not completely, is how Taj Mahal stacks up when the pace is sharper and the quality climbs again on May 16, when Laurel hosts the Preakness for the first time. His Laurel resume is spotless, with the Tesio following a narrow victory in the Miracle Wood Stakes, but he had only two starts before Saturday and had skipped an intended trip to Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial after Brittany Russell described a minor setback. That makes him an intriguing contender, but still a colt with limited exposure against the kind of pressure that comes with Triple Crown racing.

Russell did not hide her confidence after the race. “This is our horse. He was awesome today. The jockey did a good job,” she said. Sheldon Russell said the outside post was a concern, but Taj Mahal’s early speed let him get to the rail quickly and turn the race into a procession.

Bred in Florida by Vegso Racing Stable, Taj Mahal is by Nyquist out of Oola Gal and is owned by a broad partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. Crupper, after winning the Bathhouse Row Stakes, remains under Preakness consideration, but Taj Mahal has already done the one thing every contender wants from a prep: he left no doubt. The remaining question is whether that Laurel dominance travels from a home-track stage to the much harsher spotlight of the Preakness itself.