by Ed DeRosa

Twenty-four hours after arriving at Pimlico Race Course following an 18-hour van ride from Calder Race Course, Bea Oxenberg’s Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner Hey Byrn jogged two miles on Wednesday on the Pimlico main track.

Frank Perez, assistant to trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., echoed the sentiments expressed by the connections of Kentucky Bear when he said Hey Byrn likely benefited from not qualifying for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) because of insufficient graded stakes earnings.

“He’s maturing and getting better and turning out to be a really nice horse,” Perez said. “Eddie [Plesa] says everything happens for a reason. We were thinking about shipping [to Pimlico] earlier but didn’t, and we would have had to work in the slop. Things are going well.”

Hey Byrn last raced on April 12 at Gulfstream Park, winning the Holy Bull by 2 1/4 lengths as the even-money favorite. The Holy Bull was at the Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles, making the Put It Back colt just one of two horses (along with Derby winner Big Brown) to win beyond 1 1/8 miles.

“He loved the distance,” Perez said. “A horse came at him at the sixteenth pole, and he opened back up to win by a clear margin.”

Hey Byrn began his three-year-old campaign with consecutive wins in allowance company by a combined 20 1/2 lengths. He then went into the Florida Derby (G1) and finished fourth to Big Brown by 15 3/4 lengths. He has won four of eight starts overall and has earned $266,000.

Hey Byrn went to the track without a Preakness saddle towel because the one his connections received was embroidered Hey Bryn.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times