Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro is looking increasingly likely to head to Baltimore for the May 21 Preakness and a rematch with Derby winner Animal Kingdom, the New York Post reported Thursday.
After initially saying Nehro would likely skip the Preakness and await the June 11 Belmont Stakes, the colt's owner, Ahmed Zayat, told the Post he is reconsidering.
"My heart says one thing, my mind says another," Zayat said. It's a tough decision, but a horse is only a 3-year-old once, and only gets one chance to run in the Derby and Preakness."
Nehro, stabled at Churchill Downs with two-time Preakness-winning trainer Steve Asmussen, "is thriving," said Zayat. "After each of his races, you'd think he would bounce and go backwards, but he's not showing any signs of wear and tear. He's all class."
Zayat said the extremely slow pace in the Derby was not conducive to Nehro's late-running style, yet he still turned in "a most explosive move" in the stretch. The Preakness, which is expected to have a swifter early pace, projects to set up better for Nehro's late run.
Zayat will fly to Louisville to watch Nehro work Monday morning and then decide whether to ship him to Baltimore.
Nehro's second-place finish Saturday came on the heels of runner-up finishes in the Louisiana and Arkansas Derbies.
