by Pohla Smith
 
The name Tres Borrachos, who is owned by brothers Beau and John Greely IV and their friend Phil Houchens, means “three drunks” in Spanish.

Any personification in the moniker of the morning-line 30-to-1 shot for the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course?

Sort of, Beau Greely explained on Thursday after the Ecton Park colt jogged a mile under exercise rider Andy Durnin. It was his first look at the Pimlico track following a delayed but otherwise uneventful flight from Louisville on Wednesday evening.

“We all went to college together—the University of Kentucky,” said Beau Greely, who also trains the colt.

They belonged to the same fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, but he said there was no more partying there than that of any other college. Rather, like many UK students, they spent a lot of time at neighboring Keeneland Race Course during its twice yearly live race meetings.

Being around the track and the horses came naturally to the Greelys, whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all were trainers. John Greely IV now manages the family’s Wintergreen Farm, and he and Beau co-own Wintergreen Stallion Station.

Houchens has been a partner with John Greely IV in breeding since 1995, currently standing ten mares. They bred Tres Borrachos with another friend, Robert Shapiro, and then ended up buying him back from a yearling sale for $7,000.

“They considered him a beer-money horse,” Beau Greely said. “They gave me half to train for free. He ended up being a little more than beer money. He turned out to be a nice little horse.”

Although he remains eligible for non-winners of two, he has been holding his own in stakes company. He enters the second leg of Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown off consecutive third-place finishes in the El Camino Real Derby (G3) at Bay Meadows and the Arkansas Derby (G2) and has earned $159,200.

There was not enough graded stakes money within that total to qualify for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), so the team turned its attention to the Preakness.

“[Five weeks between starts] doesn’t bother us,” Beau said. “We thought it was a track he would like, and there isn’t as much traffic.”
 
Tres Borrachos drew the second post in the starting gate—perfect for a horse who likes to be forwardly placed.

Beau Greely also noted that Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown will break from post seven—right in the middle of the 13-horse field. He wonders if the 1-to-2 favorite, who has only started four times, might find that a bit confounding after two starts from the outside.
 
“There’s more chance of his getting bumped around there,” he said. “Usually a little more seasoning would help a little bit. He was [unbeatable] in the Derby. That doesn’t mean he is Saturday.”

Pohla Smith is a Pennsylvania-based Thoroughbred Times contributing writer