Preakness: a Three-Horse Race
by T.O. Whenham
Though it's certainly possible that it won't end up to be true, it sure is tempting to view the Preakness as a three-horse race. The top three finishers from the Derby - Street Sense, Hard Spun and Curlin - are all heading to Baltimore for the second leg of the Triple Crown. More importantly, all have come out of the Derby well, and all look to have efforts good enough to win in them. The plot got muddied a little bit by the news that Todd Pletcher would likely run back Circular Quay in the Preakness, but it still is a sound argument that the Preakness winner will come from among the top three in the Derby. The trick, of course, is figuring out which one it will be.
Street Sense will likely be the solid favorite in the field and, by any measure he deserves to be. Twice he has won the biggest race of the year for horses his age - the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall, and the Derby two weeks ago. He has a knack for finding perfect trips despite facing large fields. His only loss in his last four outings was by a nose to Dominican in the Blue Grass Stakes, and that was run on Polytrack, so the surface makes the result less reliable. He's unquestionably faced the best competition of any three year old running this year, and he has put them all in their place. There is really only one knock against this horse, and even that is a bit of a stretch. He won both of his big races at Churchill Downs. He has been phenomenal there, but not quite as outstanding outside of Louisville. The impact of that reality is lessened a bit by the fact that none of the other serious contenders in the Preakness have seen Pimlico before either, and none of them will have had a major work on the track before the race. The Preakness is, in every sense, Street Sense's race to lose.
Hard Spun would have had an impressive and dominating Derby win if it weren't for Street Sense. His works before the race showed that he was incredibly fit, and he used that fitness to get the lead and keep it right into the stretch. Trainer Larry Jones is telling everyone who will listen how good the performance was, and how much his horse will benefit from a shorter race - he'll have less time to hold everyone off. Though that's sound in theory, the questions are whether he is still as fit as he was before or if the Derby took something out of him, and if he is going to be able to get free on the lead again. A lesser hose may be tempted to make a run for the front in a bid for immortality. There are reasons to question Hard Spun, but reasons were plentiful before the Derby, too, and he showed that he more than belonged there.
I had a love affair with Curlin going into the Derby, and the love hasn't waned since despite my lighter wallet. The more I watch the replay of the Derby, the more impressed I am by the move that this inexperienced horse made late in the race given the trouble he found himself in early. I firmly believe that Street Sense is the best horse in the class right now, but Curlin has a freakish talent that is so captivating. No other horse comes close to him in pure power and potential. If he has intelligence even remotely approaching his physical tools then he could learn from the Derby experience and come back with a sound performance in Baltimore. The distance clearly won't be a problem, and he will have the room to move that he lacked early on in Louisville. I'll be cheering for Street Sense in hopes of a Triple Crown, but a huge performance by Curlin wouldn't entirely break my heart.
Though some of the circumstances are very different, the way the 2007 Preakness is setting up is reminiscent of the 1997 version. That epic race, part of what is definitely my favorite Triple Crown season, saw a rematch of the top three finishers from the Derby - Silver Charm, Captain Bodgit and Free House. In both cases, the returning threesome included the two favorites from the Derby and a well regarded but somewhat undervalued 10/1 shot. The biggest difference is that in 1997 Silver Charm and Free House already had a well established rivalry - Silver Charm had finished second to Free House in both the San Felipe Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby. In 1997 the Preakness was truly a battle, with Silver Charm narrowly beating Free House, and Captain Bodgit following close behind. Free House had been third by a fair distance in the Derby, but bounced back nicely, just as Curlin's connections will be hoping for here. If this year's Preakness is anything like it was 10 years ago then we are in for a real treat.
There's an interesting stat that has been popping up all over the place recently that might give us a possible hint into the outcome of this three-horse race. Since 1989, horses that have been among the first eight in the early stages of the race and ended up winning the Derby have gone on to win seven Preaknesses in 11 tries (and one of the failed attempts was Barbaro). Over the same time period, horses that have won from further back are 0-7 in the Preakness. That doesn't bode well for Street Sense, who exploded from 19th place. Of course, it would only take one win to reverse that trend. No one said that handicapping this Preakness was going to be easy.
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Rivalries Make for Great Triple Crown Races
by Greg Melikov
Check out our 2007 Preakness Stakes coverage including live Preakness Stakes Odds as well as winning Preakness Stakes Picks
Rivalries have added thrills galore to racing throughout the years, especially during the Triple Crown season.
Affirmed and Alydar battling in the 1978 Triple Crown season was especially electrifying as Affirmed edged Alydar in all three races to become the 11th and last TC champion.
In '89, Easy Goer and Sunday Silence clashed three times. The runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness thwarted Sunday Silence's bid for a sweep by taking the Belmont Stakes.
The next year, Unbridled and Summer Squall went at it twice. Trainer Carl Nafzger prevailed in the Kentucky Derby over Summer Squall, but the bridesmaid turned the tables in the Preakness.
Nafzger aims to avoid history repeating itself in the 132nd Preakness when he saddles impressive Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense on Saturday.
Trainer Larry Jones, however, is confident his Hard Spun can avenge his second place finish in Louisville and capture the 1 3/16 mile contest at Pimlico.
"We may have to do something different here if we are going to spoil his Triple Crown," Jones said. "I like Carl a lot, but I don't intend for him to have the Triple Crown."
There are similarities between Hard Spun and Summer Squall:
In '90, Unbridled came from well off the pace to gain the lead in the Derby by a length with a furlong to go and drew off by 3 ½ lengths. This year, Street Sense came from far back to lead by a length with a furlong to go and drew clear by 2 ¼ lengths.
In '90, Summer Squall was second with a furlong to go in the Derby and ran second. Earlier that year, he won the Jim Beam Stakes, now known as the Lane's End, at Turfway Park. This year, Hard Spun was second a furlong from the Churchill Downs wire and finished second. Earlier, he won the Lane's End.
In '90, Summer Squall defeated Unbridled in the Preakness. Can Hard Spun duplicate that feat?
Maybe, but the odds favor Street Sense for several reasons. First, eight of the last 20 Derby winners prevailed in the Preakness. In the 21st Century, two scored with the greatest of ease: Smarty Jones by 11 ½ lengths in '04 and Funny Cide the previous year by 9 ¾ lengths.
Secondly, the only Derby runner-up to take the Preakness since Summer Squall was Prairie Bayou in '93.
So I like Street Sense to win the $1 million Preakness.
Calvin Borel will keep the son of Street Cry closer to the pace and there are at least 10 fewer foes than on May 5.
Check out Street Sense's six races at a mile or longer: He was on the lead in the stretch for half of them, but no farther behind than three-quarters of a length.
The horses I believe will give him the most trouble and hit the board are:
Curlin: This lightly raced colt was steadied early after breaking from Post 2 in the Derby, encounter tight quarters between horses along the backstretch, advanced to eighth through traffic after a mile and rallied to run third.
In all three previous outings, the improving son of Smart Strike grabbed a comfortable lead in the stretch and cruised home averaging 9 ½ lengths ahead at the wire.
King of the Roxy: The Santa Anita Derby runner-up, one of a half-dozen horses in the expected nine-horse field that skipped America's Race, has been working well at regular intervals since April 22. On Saturday, he breezed 1:14 2/5 for six furlongs on the Belmont Park training track.
The son of Littleexpectations, with John Velazquez climbing aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher, possesses the favorable stalking style needed to win at Pimlico.
There will be no lack of speed with three starters likely contesting the lead: Hard Sun, runner-up in the Derby; Flying First Class, winner of the Derby Trial; and Xchanger, victorious in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico.
However, stalking is the better running style at Pimlico. While one may hit the board, I don't expect any to visit the winner's circle.
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Street Sense work 'perfect'
By MARTY McGEE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The game plan that Carl Nafzger used in getting Street Sense to win the Kentucky Derby apparently has an addendum.
By breezing five furlongs at Churchill Downs in 1:00 on Tuesday, the day before he was to be flown to Baltimore for the 132nd Preakness, Street Sense added another flawless chapter to his trainer's script. "Perfect," is how Nafzger described the work, just as he had unfailingly described the manner in which Street Sense had approached the May 5 Derby, which the colt won by 2 1/4 lengths in brilliant fashion.
"This is a good time for us," Nafzger told a crowd of media assembled outside his Barn 26 headquarters on the Churchill backstretch. "We're on a great roll right now. We're having fun. I just hope it keeps going."
With regular rider Calvin Borel aboard, Street Sense stepped onto the fast Churchill strip at the five-furlong gap at 7:28 a.m., then wasted little time jogging around the wrong way to midstretch. He then galloped over to the backstretch, and by the five-furlong pole he appeared to be going only a little faster than a two-minute lick.
"He was always relaxed, never charging the bit," said Nafzger.
Street Sense then proceeded through fractions of 12.60 seconds, 25, 37, 48.60, and 1:00, with a six-furlong gallop-out time of 1:12.60. Nine minutes after first entering the track, Borel and Street Sense exited at the same gap, this time with the jockey grinning from ear to ear.
"He worked super good," Borel said later.
Nafzger said he worked Street Sense five furlongs, as opposed to a shorter distance, "because I didn't think he'd get to hit his stride the way he likes to."
"He likes to just stride along," Nafzger said.
Nafzger said he believes the colt "wanted to go faster than he did, but he listened to Calvin."
"He might have gone a touch faster than I'd thought they would, but it doesn't really matter," he said. "I thought they did it just right."
Street Sense, bred and owned by Jim Tafel, will be a solid favorite in what appeared Tuesday would be a field of nine 3-year-olds when the Preakness is run Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. The colt was scheduled to be aboard a charter flight from Louisville on Wednesday, with arrival time at Baltimore-Washington International Airport scheduled for about 1:45 p.m. Eastern.
Circular Quay definitely in
The prospective field for the Preakness grew by one Tuesday when trainer Todd Pletcher, who already had planned to run the speedy King of the Roxy, confirmed that he would have a second entry - Circular Quay, the stretch-running colt who finished sixth in the Derby.
"I didn't really plan right after the Derby that the horse was going to run back in two weeks," said Pletcher. "The horse has trained very well in between. The race sets up well on paper for a closer."
Pletcher had not finalized riding assignments as of Tuesday. John Velazquez, who rode Circular Quay in the Derby, was going to ride King of the Roxy in the Preakness, but that was before Circular Quay entered the picture. If Velazquez moves back to Circular Quay, then Garrett Gomez will ride King of the Roxy.
When Circular Quay's name was mentioned to Nafzger at Churchill, the veteran trainer replied, "He'll definitely be a formidable foe. We've run against him a few times already. He's tough."
This will be the fourth time the two have raced against each other. Prior to the Derby, they met twice at 2, with Circular Quay nipping Street Sense by a nose for second in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, then Street Sense winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile by 10 lengths over runner-up Circular Quay.
Entries for the Preakness were to be drawn late Wednesday afternoon at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. Instead of the convoluted draw process that has been used in recent years for both the Derby and Preakness, officials planned to revert to the traditional blind draw.
Lukas has high expectations for Flying First Class
About 90 minutes before Street Sense worked, Preakness longshot Flying First Class was out before dawn for his final prerace drill at Churchill, getting a half-mile in 49.80 under Stacy Prior.
A gate-to-wire winner of the 7 1/2-furlong Derby Trial on April 28, Flying First Class seems to ensure a solid pace in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, although trainer D. Wayne Lukas insisted he has no plan with the colt other than to try to win.
"We're not going for the crab cakes," said Lukas, a five-time winner of the Preakness. "We're going over there with high expectations. I think we're going to raise hell, I really do."
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Hard Spun Completes Preakness Preparations
by Steve Haskin
Hard Spun completed his preparations for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) with a quarter-mile blowout under jockey Mario Pino May 16 at Delaware Park.
With Pino up, the Rick Porter-owned Hard Spun went the distance in :24 2/5.
He was scheduled to van from his Delaware Park base to Pimlico Race Course at noon.
Trainer Larry Jones, who had been on the horse galloping this past week, was not going to work him originally, but felt his Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) second-place finisher was losing a bit of focus and needed to be sharpened up to get his mind back on business.
During the blowout, the son of Danzig changed leads on cue, going along easily with his ears up. Passing the eighth pole he started to get into the work, pinned his ears and began pulling Pino, before stretching out in the final eighth where the rider had to take a firm hold of the reins and then just let him gallop out slowly.
"He was starting to get into it in the last part and I had to go 'Whoo' and he kind of came back to me," Pino said. "He was getting his juices flowing coming to the wire and felt really strong. He felt just like he did going into the Derby. He didn't get much out of the gallop out because we didn't want him to do too much because there was a lot of traffic out there.
"It was a good idea to blow him out. Larry wanted to change his mind a little and stretch him out a notch, and he felt happy doing it."
When talk turned to Preakness strategy, Pino said his position in the race would depend on instinct. "You can't predict anything or expect anything," the rider said. "Sometimes, you may have to go when you think you want to wait and you might have to wait when you think you want to go. It isn't cut and dry.
"In the Derby, we were able to steal away a little, and I felt it was a winning move and then all of a sudden here came Street Sense on the outside," Pino continued. "It is all going to depend on how the race sets up. In the Derby, I really didn't know that I was going to be on the lead, I just knew I was going to be close, but that is the way it set up."
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Street Sense the easy Preakness favorite
May 16, 2007
Associated Press
BALTIMORE -- Street Sense has already defied long odds by winning the Kentucky Derby. The colt will be a short price in Saturday's Preakness Stakes.
"I'm not a gambler and I'm the world's worst handicapper, but this is what I know," Street Sense trainer Carl Nafzger said. "One thing gets you to the winner's circle -- the horse is what gets you there."
Street Sense was made the 7-5 favorite Wednesday, and a victory would set up a Triple Crown shot in the Belmont Stakes on June 9.
A field of nine 3-year-olds was entered for the 1 3-16th mile Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. Street Sense drew the No. 8 post, one spot farther out than Derby runner-up Hard Spun, the 5-2 second choice. In the Derby, their posts were reversed.
"I've always liked the eight post," Nafzger said. "It's outside. You get a good look at the field and you've got a straight run to the first turn."
Preakness favorites have won five of the last six times.
Street Sense is coming off a 2 1/4-length win in the Derby two weeks ago thanks to jockey Calvin Borel's brilliant, rail-hugging trip against 19 rivals.
There won't be as much traffic to navigate this time. Should Street Sense win, a Triple Crown bid might be the perfect remedy for racing a year after Derby winner Barbaro's ill-fated breakdown in the Preakness.
Two other Derby horses will try again -- third-place finisher Curlin and sixth-place finisher Circular Quay. Also entered were C P West, Flying First Class, Mint Slewlep, Xchanger and King of the Roxy.
Hard Spun will be ridden by Maryland's leading jockey Mario Pino, and leave from the No. 7 post.
"It was a good number for the Derby, so hopefully it will work for the Preakness," Hard Spun trainer Larry Jones said.
Curlin, beaten for the first time in the Derby after three overpowering victories, was the third choice at 7-2, and drew the No. 4 post. Circular Quay, the Louisiana Derby winner, leaves from the No. 3 post at 8-1 odds.
Pimlico oddsmaker Frank Carulli had an easy time handicapping the field.
"Unlike a lot of races, there is a good one-race gauge and, of course, it is the Kentucky Derby itself," he said. "With the favorites living up to expectations in the Derby, it made the line a lot easier."
Street Sense arrived at Pimlico on Wednesday, a day after his final tuneup at Churchill Downs.
"He's here and he's doing good," Nafzger said of his colt, who has four wins in eight starts and earnings of $2,958,200.
With his Derby win, Street Sense became the first winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, first run in 1984, to take the run for the roses. He also was the first 2-year-old champion since Spectacular Bid in 1979 to win, and the first winner off only two preps since Sunny's Halo in 1983
Now he will give it a go at trying to end the longest stretch between Triple Crown champions -- it's been 29 years since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown. Previously, the longest stretch was 25 years -- from Citation in 1948 to Secretariat in 1973.
"I think it's like the Derby," Street Sense owner James Tafel said of a Triple try. "It's almost beyond description. It's the aspiration of every horseman."
Todd Pletcher, who trains Circular Quay and King of the Roxy, is 0-for-26 in Triple Crown races. The three-time Eclipse Award winner sent out a record-tying five starters in the Derby, with Circular Quay his best finisher. Pletcher is 0-for-19 in the Derby, but just 0-for-1 in the Preakness -- Impeachment was third in 2000.
"Clearly, Street Sense is the horse to beat," Pletcher said. "I think what we all have to hope for, those of us who are running against him, is that he's not as good away from Churchill as he is at Churchill Downs."
Street Sense has excelled at Churchill, winning the Derby and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile there. Can he take to the tight turns at Pimlico, and then the 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont?
"A good race horse, and he's a good race horse, should be able to handle Pimlico and Belmont," Tafel said. "I don't see any reason why not."
The field, from the rail out:
Mint Slewlep (Alan Garcia, 30-1)
Xchanger (Ramon Dominguez, 15-1)
Circular Quay (John Velazquez, 8-1)
Curlin (Robby Albarado, 7-2)
King of the Roxy (Garrett Gomez, 12-1)
Flying First Class (Mark Guidry, 20-1)
Hard Spun (Pino, 5-2)
Street Sense (Borel, 7-5)
C P West (Edgar Prado, 20-1)
The one to beat in Preakness is again Hard Spun
May 17th, 2007
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Round two of the new rivalry between Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and runner-up Hard Spun takes place Saturday afternoon at Pimlico Race Course in the Preakness Stakes. Along with these two colts six other three-year-olds will attempt to pull off a big upset.
With only nine horses entered in the second leg of the Triple Crown series, traffic problems should not be a factor during the 1 3/16 mile race. Two weeks ago traffic problems had no effect on Street Sense who miraculously encountered no impediments.
The top two horses will once again be next to each other in the starting gate. They switched spots from the ones each had in the Run for the Roses. There is no significance in this occurrence unless you bet according to number.
"Its good. I got a nice post position," commented trainer Carl Nafzger. "Were very happy with it. I like the 8. You can sit there and read everybody, whether the pace is going or not. If the pace is not going, you get going."
Along with Street Sense and Hard Spun, Curlin and Circular Quay return from the Kentucky Derby. Curlin was third at Churchill Downs and Circular Quay finished sixth. Circular Quay will break from post 3 and Curlin is next in post 4.
"In a nine-horse field, there is no huge advantage in post positions," said trainer Todd Pletcher who has Circular Quay and King of the Roxy entered. "I like that Circular Quay is on the inside, so he can save some ground."
When handicapping the Preakness Stakes do not worry about any tighter turns than the ones at Churchill Downs, they don't exist. The slightly shorter distance is not a major factor either.
Health and physical condition are the most important things to worry about. The four horses who raced two weeks ago appear to be healthy and physically ready to give their best.
Hard Spun has demonstrated his ability to not only set the pace and win, but also to sit off the pace and then take control. He did just that in capturing the Lane's End Stakes.
"This horse doesnt have to do anything to commit himself." said trainer Larry Jones about Hard Spun. "Hes sat off of them in the Lanes End and hes been in front in several races. Well just let (jockey) Mario (Pino) play the game as it happens. Its a long run to the first turn. Weve got plenty of time to let them sort themselves out."
Tactical speed, the ability to be positioned anywhere on the track, is Hard Spun's major asset. Unless the pace is too slow for Pino, look for Hard Spun to sit just off the pace up the backstretch. Another advantage for Hard Spun is jockey Mario Pino. No one has won more races in Maryland than Pino.
Positioned just behind Hard Spun will be Curlin with Circular Quay and Street Sense further back. Flying First Class is expected to set the early pace and Xchanger should also be near or on the pace.
Hard Spun will draw even with the leaders heading into the final turn, dragging Curlin along with him. Street Sense and Circular Quay will begin their respective moves coming off the backstretch.
At the top of the stretch Hard Spun takes the lead followed by Curlin. With a furlong to run Hard Spun eases away from Curlin as Circular Quay and Street Sense gain.
Curlin fades in deep stretch as Hard Spun goes on to win the Preakness Stakes by two lengths. Circular Quay noses out Street Sense for second.
Let's have a good/clean race with all participants coming out of it in good shape.
Looking for a Preakness Longshot
by T.O. Whenham
Conventional wisdom would indicate that the Preakness winner is likely to be one of the top three finishers from the Derby - Street Sense, Hard Spun or Curlin - given their clear class advantage over the rest of the starters. Though I tend to believe that to be true, conventional wisdom is no way to get rich quickly in this case. To do that you are going to have to find a longshot you like, and then get really lucky. That's easier said than done. Here's my best attempt at making a case for the longshots in the 2007 Preakness field.
Circular Quay (8/1) - It's hard to call a horse a longshot at 8/1, but he fits the bill in the sense that he has a lot to overcome to win here. On the negative side, his race in Kentucky clearly wasn't good enough to contend, and he hasn't put up speed figures at any point in his career that would lead you to believe that he is at the same level as the top horses. He's also burdened by being a deep closer in a race that historically hasn't treated such horses particularly kindly. On the other hand, though, he was well viewed by some going into the Derby, and he was obviously working well enough since that race to warrant a late entry here. More importantly, he is trained by Todd Pletcher. Though his Triple Crown record is almost comically bad, we can't forget that he is still the best trainer in the country by a large margin, and has made virtually every notable race outside of the three Triple Crown tilts his personal playground for the last few years. He has the deepest stable around, and he is good enough to make a decent horse good. Circular Quay deserves more attention than if he were trained by Joe Schmoe.
King of the Roxy (12/1) - On the surface it is hard to get behind this horse. He was a fading second to Tiago in the Santa Anita Derby, and that half-brother of Giacomo was only good enough to end up a non-threatening seventh in the Derby. That was only his second race of the year, though, and the first time he had gone around two turns. He'll have learned a lot from that effort, and he has had six weeks to mature. He'll need to be much better than he has been before to win, but it's not entirely impossible that he could be. He also has the same Todd Pletcher factor going for him that Circular Quay does, and Pletcher is an absolute master (outside of the Triple Crown) at having horses ready to win off a layoff. When he won the Hutcheson against a solid field earlier in the year he did it by stalking and pouncing, and that is the style shared by most Preakness winners. A win here is far from a foregone conclusion, but it could happen.
Xchanger (15/1) - This is the kind of longshot horse that can make things interesting. Though the running style is different. he's somewhat reminiscent of Magic Weisner, the Maryland-based gelding that came from essentially nowhere to finish a solid second to War Emblem in the 2002 Preakness. Like that horse, Xchanger hasn't done a lot against tough competition, but he has won over the Pimlico track (no other horse in the field has even seen the track), and he improved greatly in that race after a disappointing seventh in Curlin's Rebel. His biggest knock, besides obvious class issues, is that he likes the lead, and he will be pressed at the front by Hard Spun. If he fights to hard to be in front early then there is no way that he will be there late. If all goes well, though, the horse could certainly provide a juicy price in the lower part of the exotics.
CP West (20/1) - On the plus side, this horse is well trained by Nick Zito, and he has a ton of potential talent. The problem is that his talent hasn't been realized. He's made just two starts this year - an allowance and a weak Withers - and he was only good enough for second in each. His speed figures don't measure up, he's never won a stakes race, the only time he ran further than a mile it didn't go well and he's very green. I'm supposed to be positive here, though, so let's give him some credit. He has rallied nicely in his last two races, and he is well ridden by Edgar Prado. If anyone deserves a break at Pimlico, it's the jockey of Barbaro.
Flying First Class (20/1) - I learned long ago that you should never count a D. Wayne Lukas horse out of the Triple Crown trail. Before the Derby his Charismatic looked like a total pretender, not a horse that would come within a late fractured leg of a Triple Crown. That being said, I feel safe in my assertion that Flying First Class is no Charismatic. There are signs of promise, though. He faced a mediocre field last time out in the Derby Trial, but he made it look easy. More impressive was his maiden breaking effort in February at Oaklawn. He won by a commanding eight lengths, and posted a mind-boggling 107 Beyer. He's never even come close to replicating that performance, and he has struggled in races of any distance. However, the fact remains that a huge race is inside the horse if he chooses to find it. Jockey Mark Guidry got more than was expected out of Imawildandcrazyguy in the Derby, and he's one of racing's good guys.
Mint Slewlep (30/1) - I could try for a month and I couldn't come up with anything nice to say about this horse in this spot. He's only won crappy races against crappy competition at second-rate tracks, and there is no way that he belongs here. If he wins I'll eat my hat, and then I'll probably never write about the Preakness again. The nicest thing I can say about this horse is that his grandsire is Seattle Slew, and that horse had a pretty decent showing at the Preakness in his day.
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The 2007 Triple Crown: Preakness Stakes
By: Matt Fargo
The race for the 2007 Triple Crown resumes for Street Sense this Saturday, as he takes on a new batch of challengers (and a few familiar ones) in the 132nd running of the Preakness Stakes.
For those who don?t know, the Preakness differs slightly from the 2007 Kentucky Derby in that it is a shorter horse race. The Derby is 1 1/4 miles long, while the Preakness comes in at only 1 3/16 miles. Not a whole lot of difference, but enough to make it a whole different kind of horse racing.
The favorite heading into the 2007 Preakness is of course the Derby champion, Street Sense. The three-year-old colt put on a masterful performance in the Derby, charging from 19th spot at the quarter pole to chase down the leaders and win by 2 ½ lengths at the wire. Street Sense went against all the usual history of a Derby winner by becoming the first Derby champ that had also won the Breeders? Cup Juvenile, and despite only running two prep races earlier in the season. Since Street Sense has already shown a knack for going against the history books, might he break the long-standing string of Triple Crown losers and finally replace Affirmed as the most recent Triple Crown winner?
Standing in Street Sense?s way before he can make it two in a row are some of his Derby competitors, most notably Hard Spun, Curlin and Circular Quay.
Hard Spun stormed out to the lead at the Derby but could not hold off the charging Street Sense and had to settle for second place. Perhaps the shorter distance of the Preakness might be just what Hard Spun needs to get out in front of Street Sense and this time actually hold on to the lead.
Curlin suffered the first defeat of his career in the Derby after finishing third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun. Curlin was considered one of the favorites in the Derby, but his inexperience finally caught up with him. Prior to the Derby Curlin had only taken part in three horse races, however he had easily won all of them. It?s not overly surprising that Curlin lost the Derby when you consider the last horse with only three races under his belt to win the Derby was Apollo way back in 1882. Will having four races in the race can make much of a difference for Curlin at Pimlico?
Circular Quay was a late and somewhat surprising entry to the Preakness. Most experts expected his trainer, Todd Pletcher, to hold Circular Quay out of the Preakness and get him ready for the Belmont Stakes. Instead Circular Quay will try to make up for his disappointing sixth-place Derby finish in the Preakness. Circular Quay is the son of former Derby champion Thunder Gulch and even though he delivered an impressive win in the Louisiana Derby, he just didn?t have it at Churchill Downs.
The rest of the confirmed field at the Preakness includes CP West, King of the Roxy (Pletcher?s other entry), Xchanger, Flying First Class and Mint Slewlep. None of these horses took part in the Derby, but don?t forget that last year?s Preakness champ, Bernardini, also sat out the Derby before making his winning run at Pimlico.
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