A filly is going to run in the Preakness Stakes for the first time since 2009, when Rachel Alexandra won the second leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.
Ria Antonia will be ridden by Calvin Borel, who guided Rachel Alexandra to victory.Ria Antonia is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, where she has been training.Trainer Tom Amoss says the idea to run the filly against the boys came from her owners. He says she has passed all the tests to take on the challenge.Amoss says he sees the Preakness as Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome versus everyone else.He says if California Chrome runs his kind of race in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness then he will win, but if not, it opens up opportunities for other horses, including Ria Antonia.She’s scheduled to arrive in Baltimore from Louisville on Wednesday. The 139th Preakness is Saturday.
