Two Phil’s, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, will skip the Preakness, his trainer Larry Rivelli said Tuesday. The news was first reported by Jim O’Donnell in the (Chicago) Daily Herald. Rivelli said Tuesday the two-week turnaround from the Derby to the Preakness was “way too soon.” “He came back great, but it’s 11 days from today,” Rivelli said Tuesday morning by phone from Hawthorne. “He just got home, he settled in, looks great, but it’s way too soon. There’s no pressure to do it. I might not have run even if he won, which would have been a bigger deal.” Rich Strike, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, skipped the Preakness to run in the Belmont Stakes where he finished sixth. :: Get ready to bet the Preakness! Join DRF Bets and score a $250 Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet + Free PPs - Promo code: WINNING Kentucky Derby runner-ups have not had great success in the Preakness. The last three Derby second-place finishers to win the Preakness were Exaggerator (2016), Prairie Bayou (1993), and Summer Squall (1990). The defection of Two Phil’s, as of Tuesday morning, leaves only three runners from the Kentucky Derby under consideration to run in the Preakness – Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Disarm (fourth) and Confidence Game (10th). The list of newcomers to the race includes Blazing Sevens, Chase the Chaos, First Mission, National Treasure, Perform, and Red Route One. :: DRF's Preakness Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more Rivelli said the Belmont Stakes on June 10 “is a possibility for sure” as is the Grade 3, $400,000 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs on June 11. If Two Phil’s needs more time, Rivelli said there are plenty of other options, including races like the Jim Dandy and Travers this summer at Saratoga. In the Derby, Rivelli said jockey Jareth Loveberry told him he made the lead sooner than he would have liked, but overall Rivelli was happy with the trip Two Phil’s got in the race. Rivelli said Loveberry told him that Verifying, who was dueling on the lead, “stopped way faster than we thought he would. It was either take back and go around two horses that lapped him or fire into the spot on the rail before it closed. He said ‘the horse was taking me there, I didn’t have to push the button.’ It couldn’t have worked out any better for an [18-horse] field for us.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.