Preakness 2015: Materiality, Carpe Diem Among Todd Pletcher Horses Not in Race

Todd Pletcher officially announced his decision on Tuesday to keep his stable of three-year-old contenders out of the 2015 Preakness Stakes. It's a group that includes Materiality and Carpe Diem, who both ran in the Kentucky Derby.

Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal passed along comments from the longtime trainer about the decision to keep Materiality, the most likely Preakness choice, sidelined this weekend.

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"We were considering it very seriously. Basically, it came down to we just felt two weeks was a little bit risky," Pletcher said. "We felt five weeks to the Belmont would be an advantage for him. He's been at Belmont since two days after the Derby and has been training well. He's by a Belmont-winning sire. If you come back in two weeks and you turn out to be wrong, not only could you not run well in the Preakness, it could compromise your chances in the Belmont as well."   

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Materiality finished sixth in the Derby, which American Pharoah won. Carpe Diem, who entered the first leg of the Triple Crown as the oddsmakers' third choice, per Odds Shark, finished 10th.

Their absence at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday is a definite boost to Pharoah's chances. He's looking to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. Firing Line (second in Derby) and Dortmund (third) are both expected to run.

Competitive Edge and Stanford, who was originally in the Derby field before becoming a late scratch, were the other Pletcher horses under consideration, according to the report.

Looking ahead, it sounds like Pletcher might be gearing up to send a highly competitive group to the Belmont Stakes. If Pharoah does win on Saturday, he may have to face well-rested versions of Materiality and Carpe Diem three weeks later.   

Pletcher clearly felt his best chance was sitting out the Preakness. It's all part of the jockeying that takes place during the Triple Crown schedule.