Mugatu, who entered the Kentucky Derby but failed to draw in from the also-eligible list, will make his next start in the $2 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 18, trainer Jeff Engler said Tuesday afternoon. Joe Bravo will ride. Mugatu is only 1 for 12 but he has faced some top horses in his three most recent starts. On April 6, he finished fifth, 7 1/2 lengths behind Sierra Leone, in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. Sierra Leone came back to run second, beaten a nose by Mystik Dan, in the Kentucky Derby. Sierra Leone is skipping the Preakness to point to the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 8. On March 23, Mugatu finished eighth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Trikari, in the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park. Trikari came back to win Saturday’s Grade 2 American Turf at odds of 47-1. Three starts back, Mugatu finished fourth behind Encino, who has since come back to win the Lexington Stakes. Encino was entered in the Kentucky Derby but scratched due to an injury. When Mugatu didn’t get into the Derby, Engler thought about running him this weekend in either the Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct or the Long Branch at Monmouth Park. But based on how Mugatu is training and a field that is very much in flux, Engler and his owners decided to try the Preakness. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “I feel like this is the right move,” Engler said. “He’s training through the bridle right now. He’s never been this good, he’s getting better every day. I talked to all the owners and said if we’re ever going to do it, we’re going to do it now. He’s really, really good.” Engler noted that Mugatu’s best speed figure was earned in the Blue Grass, one of just three starts he has made on dirt. On Sunday, Engler shipped Mugatu to Belterra Park. He said the horse would have a workout Saturday morning. “He got his best number on the dirt and from what I’ve seen this week so far training him at Belterra that’s what he prefers,” said Engler, who trains Mugatu for Average Joe Racing Stables and Dan Wells. Bravo rode Mugatu, a son of Blofeld, to his lone victory, a 3 1/4-length score over Gulfstream Park’s synthetic surface last November. Bravo has ridden in the Preakness five times, most recently in 2020 when he guided Pneumatic to a 10th-place finish. In 2012, Bravo finished fifth on Teeth of the Dog. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.