BALTIMORE — In the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Japan-based Lani acted like a tourist on vacation.
The feisty gray colt displayed an amorous eye for passing fillies, often whinnied loudly upon exiting his stall and occasionally refusing to budge during workouts.
All of this would have been cause for concern for his handlers if the temperamental bad boy didn’t charge to a ninth-place finish in the Derby after being bumped at the outset.
Now, after a calming two weeks at Belmont Park in New York, Lani is poised to make a run at greatness in the Preakness on Saturday.
“Since he left Japan for this trip, I would say that he is in the best form right now,” said Keita Tanaka, the agent for owner Koji Maeda.
Lani earned the right to compete for the Triple Crown by winning the 1 3/16-mile U.A.E. Derby on March 26 in Dubai. The plan was to run Lani in the Kentucky Derby and skip the Preakness for the Belmont, but his showing in Lexington, Ky., caused trainer Mikio Matsunaga to change the itinerary.
“He didn’t want a long gap between races,” said Soshi Inoue, a spokesman for Matsunaga. “It was a good option to be here. (Matsunaga) feels we have a great chance.”
Lani’s behavior at Belmont Park — where there are fewer horses, a quieter atmosphere and a wider track — provided Matsunaga reason to believe his entrant has a shot at spoiling undefeated Nyquist’s bid for a Triple Crown.
“He likes the barn and the track since arriving here, so the training is on plan,” Tanaka said from New York. “He’s been better behaved since he’s been here.”
Inoue insisted that Lani’s excitable personality isn’t necessarily a 24/7 thing.
“He’s not always like that,” Inoue said. “But it’s his character. We are not concerned.”
Preakness draw
Weight: 126 pounds each. Distance: 1 3/16 miles. Purse: $1.5 million. Post time: 4:18 p.m. MDT on Saturday.
PP HorseTrainerJockeyOdds
1. Cherry Wine
Dale Romans
Corey Lanerie
20-1
2. Uncle Lino
Gary Sherlock
Fernando Perez
20-1
3. Nyquist
Doug O’Neill
Mario Gutierrez
3-5
4. Awesome Speed
Alan Goldberg
Jevian Toledo
30-1
5. Exaggerator
Kei. Desormeaux
Ken. Desormeaux
3-1
6. Lani
Mikio Matsunaga
Yukata Take
30-1
7. Collected
Bob Baffert
Javier Castellano
10-1
8. Laoban
Eric Guillot
Florent Geroux
30-1
9. Abiding Star
Ned Allard
J.D. Acosta
30-1
10. Fellowship
Mark Casse
Jose Lezcano
30-1
11. Stradivari
Todd Pletcher
John Velazquez
8-1
