Following the withdrawal of Golden Tempo, José Ortíz will ride Chip Honcho in the Preakness Stakes

The Puerto Rican rider will be in the irons of the son of Connect, whom he already knows well and who finished second to the Derby winner in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds

LAUREL, Maryland (Special to Turf Diario).— Without the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner on the immediate horizon, the Preakness Stakes (G1) has become a chessboard where pieces move with strategic precision. Following the decision by the connections of Golden Tempo (Curlin) to wait for the Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, jockey José Ortiz will seek to emulate Calvin Borel's 2009 feat: winning the first two gems of the crown with different horses. To do so, he will return to the starting gates at Laurel Park on the 16th of this month in the irons of Chip Honcho.

The Steve Asmussen trainee is no stranger to the talented Puerto Rican pilot. Ortiz was at the reins when the son of Connect broke his maiden at Churchill Downs and accompanied him during his rise at Fair Grounds. "José knows the horse well; he worked with him all winter," noted the Hall of Fame trainer. "It was his faith in Golden Tempo that proved true in the Derby, but now we are focused on this new challenge".

The relationship between Asmussen and Ortiz is going through a stellar moment, recently consolidated by their joint victory with Magnitude (Not This Time) in the multimillion-dollar Dubai World Cup (G1). Now, the goal is the second leg of the American Triple Crown, a race Asmussen considers "wide open" in the absence of the generation leader.

The decision to skip the Derby to point directly to Maryland had a tactical and environmental component. According to the trainer, Chip Honcho is a horse that is sometimes affected by the atmosphere of big afternoons. The capacity restrictions at Laurel Park (limited to 4,800 people due to construction at Pimlico) could be the key for the colt to remain calm and recover his best level.

"It's about the afternoon. He trains wonderfully in the mornings, but some afternoons he hasn't responded as we wanted," Asmussen admitted. "We believe the unique circumstances at Laurel this year will provide the ideal environment for him to demonstrate his true class".

Asmussen, who trained the legendary Curlin (Smart Strike), did not hide his pride in seeing the influence of his former pupil on the current generation, dubbing the last Derby as the "Curlin Derby". Chip Honcho also carries that imprint, being a son of Connect (a scion of Curlin himself who famously defeated Gun Runner in the Pennsylvania Derby).

Acquired for $210,000 at the Fasig-Tipton sales, the runner defending the interests of Lee Ackerley arrives at the Preakness with the credential of having closely shadowed Golden Tempo in the Risen Star Stakes (G2).

For Asmussen, past performances do not win races, but the physical and mental maturity the colt shows these days invites him to dream of a new classic impact on the historic Maryland dirt.