Before he arrived at Pimlico Race Course on Thursday morning, the most immediate threat to Abiding Star's Preakness hopes was not Nyquist or the weather or a bad post position.
It was an equine herpesvirus quarantine that, until lifted Tuesday afternoon, had kept the son of Uncle Mo at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., since April 1.
"That's always a tough thing to live through," trainer Ned Allard said Thursday. "It was lifted only a day and a half ago, so it's great to be here."
The 30-1 morning-line long shot, winless in his first six career races, has won five straight since, including a May 7 victory in the Parx Derby.
Allard, 70, has more than 2,600 career victories but has not won a Grade 1 race since Mom's Command took the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in 1985.
Abiding Star, which will start from the No. 9 post Saturday, has been "very competitive and seems to be getting a lot better with every start, but he hasn't met the Muhammad Alis of the game as of yet," Allard said. "He will on Saturday, and I hope he just doesn't know they're as good as they are."