With only three races under his belt, Tuscan Gold enters the Preakness Stakes as both the least experienced horse in the race and the horse with arguably the most upside. But will Saturday be the time for this $600,000 purchase to hit the jackpot or will he need more time to show off his considerable talent?
8 Tuscan Gold (8-1)
- Trainer Chad Brown
- Jockey Tyler Gaffalione
- Last race Third in the Louisiana Derby by 1¾ lengths
- Career record 3 starts: 1 win, 1 third
- Career earnings $147,100
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure 95 (2024 Louisiana Derby)
- Sire Medaglia d'Oro
What to know about Tuscan Gold
In November, Tuscan Gold made his career debut at Aqueduct. In that race he encountered a world of trouble, getting bumped at the start and going wide, and was beaten by a little more than three lengths by Sierra Leone, who would eventually win the Blue Grass Stakes and finish second in the Kentucky Derby.
Tuscan Gold didn't return to the races until Jan. 31, winning a maiden race at Gulfstream Park by more than six lengths. After that trainer Chad Brown, went straight to the Louisiana Derby, and the colt performed well, finishing a sneaky good third (behind Catching Freedom and Honor Marie) despite running wide around both turns. One of the horses he beat that day, Antiquarian, returned last weekend to win the Peter Pan Stakes.
Tuscan Gold has improved with every race, which is what you want to see in a 3-year-old entering the biggest race of his career. His Beyer Speed Figures have improved from 64 to 84 to 95. With another move forward, he certainly has the number power to be a contender.
He also figures, on paper, to get a terrific trip on Saturday. He doesn't have the speed to run early with Imagination, Seize the Grey or Just Steel, but Tuscan Gold should be right behind as those four battle it out early.
Brown has won the Preakness twice before with horses who did not compete in the Kentucky Derby with Cloud Computing in 2017 and Early Voting in 2022. And Brown said that Tuscan Gold's latest workout was the colt's "best work ever," suggesting that he's sitting on a big race on Saturday.
Post draw analysis
Tuscan Gold broke from post No. 10 of 11 in the Louisiana Derby, and it likely cost him several lengths as he was wide on both turns. For the Preakness, he again drew the second-most outside post, in No. 8. But this time, based on the horses inside him, he should not be forced to run wide on both turns. That alone can move him up multiple lengths from his Louisiana Derby effort, which would make him a major contender.
