by Ed DeRosa

Although most of the lead up to the Preakness Stakes (G1) has focused on the breakdown of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) runner-up Eight Belles and not the actual race winner, Big Brown, the Maryland Jockey Club has received more requests from media outlets wanting to cover Big Brown than it has received requests related to Eight Belles.

Mike Gathagan, vice president of communications for the Maryland Jockey Club, said that the bulk of credential applications he received after the Derby were from New York media outlets wanting to cover Big Brown. The Derby-winning Boundary colt is owned and trained by New York residents.

Gathagan did add that a Los Angeles Times columnist, an extra Sports Illustrated writer, and a Fox News crew have requested credentials on the heels of Eight Belles’s breakdown.

Both networks that provide Preakness week coverage, ESPN and NBC, have planned features on the issues surrounding the Eight Belles breakdown, and National Thoroughbred Racing Association President Alex Waldrop will be on both networks.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has planned a protest, and the Maryland Jockey Club has addressed possible issues with its security force, but expectations are that there will not be any problems.

Racing Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who will saddle Robert LaPenta’s Stevil in the Preakness, said Wednesday that racing does not get enough credit for the work it puts into making the sport safe. He especially praised the work of Larry Bramlage, D.V.M.

“This game is bigger than any one person, and the horse is the game,” Zito said. “We need to make it safe for the horse, and now we’re under a microscope. The lights and cameras are on us. We can show the positive about racing.”

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times