BALTIMORE, Md. -- Multiple Grade 1 winner Muth, the original morning-line favorite for the Preakness Stakes before a temperature forced his scratch midweek, had improving bloodwork on Friday morning, trainer Bob Baffert told Pimlico. Muth arrived in Baltimore late Tuesday night after traveling from his California base. On Wednesday morning, he was declared out of the Preakness after spiking a 103-degree temperature. “He is sick, and he’s getting over it,” Baffert said. “It looks like every day he’s looking better and better. … The bloodwork definitely said he has an infection going on, but the bloodwork was better today, so he is going in the right direction.” Muth won last year's Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes before finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He has won both his outings this season - including a two-length score in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30, with subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in third. :: Get ready for the Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies! “We were very disappointed, because he was training so well, and we’d been pointing for this race,” Baffert said. “Disappointed for the owners, and the jockey, Juan Hernandez, this was gonna be a big race for him.” Mystik Dan, trained by Kenny McPeek, has now inherited the favorite's role for tomorrow's Preakness. Baffert is still represented by Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby runner-up Imagination as he seeks a record-extending ninth career Preakness victory. “He took the trip well,” Baffert said of Imagination. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.