Icabad Crane bounced back from his first career defeat with a gritty head victory over a stubborn Mint Lane in Saturday’s $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico. It was three lengths back to Deputyville.

The Tesio is Pimlico’s prep for the May 17 Preakness Stakes, but it remains to be seen if Icabad Crane, a New York-bred son of Jump Start, will point to the $1 million second leg of the Triple Crown, also run at Pimlico.

“We hadn’t really discussed it at all, it’s definitely something we will discuss now,” Graham Motion, who trains Icabad Crane for owner Earle Macke, said from Kentucky where he is preparing Adriano for a Kentucky Derby start.

“He’s 3 for 3 on dirt, and I thought ran a courageous race, the kind of race you have to run in the big races. You got to be game and he was very game, I thought.”

The Tesio victory capped a huge day for jockey Jeremy Rose, who won two other stakes on the program and finished second in another.

Icabad Crane won his first two starts at Aqueduct before finishing third in the Rushaway Stakes, run over Turfway Park’s Polytrack. Motion felt his horse was too close to the pace in the Rushaway and was hoping Rose would be able to get him back in the Tesio.

While Rose accomplished that objective, Icabad Crane did not have the easiest of trips. He got bumped by Wonder Mon coming out of the gate and again entering the first turn. After racing in sixth position outside of Deputyville down the backside, Icabad Crane found himself between horses entering the far turn. Meanwhile, New York shipper Mint Lane was loose on the lead through fractions of 23.91 seconds, 48.49, and 1:13.32.

Turning for home, Icabad Crane brushed with Fast Talking then set sail after Mint Lane. The two hooked up inside the eighth pole and were head and head through the lane before Icabad Crane edged clear late. Icabad Crane covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.83 and returned $5.80 as the favorite.

“I was impressed how game he was,” Rose said. “We were in a couple of tight spots.”
(Source: ESPN)