There are 13 horses running in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Five of them you may remember from the Derby, but the other eight are new to the field. Here to preview all of them and help you "get your Preak on" is SB Nation's horse racing expert Matt Gardner, editor of And Down The Stretch They Come.
May 11, 2010 - Thirteen colts are expected to enter the starting gate at Pimlico this Saturday for the Preakness Stakes. The field includes five horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby and eight "new shooters" that will be thrown into the mix. Here's a high-level look at the field:
Aikenite: This Todd Pletcher trainee won the first race of his career last August and has since lost seven in a row. He finished second in the Derby Trial just a couple of weeks ago but you have to wonder whether this colt really wants to win against this level of competition.
Caracortado: This colt won five races in a row before finishing third and fourth in his last two races at Santa Anita Park. He likes to press the pace which should ensure that he's in a good position early on in the Preakness. His best races, however, have been on synthetic tracks so there is a bit of an unknown as to whether he will transfer that form to conventional dirt at Pimlico.
Dublin: He didn't run a horrible race in the Derby but still flattened out in the lane when it was time to really get going. It's been more than nine months since this horse has won, and he has yet to win a race running around two turns. His sire, Afleet Alex, could run all day; Dublin may be a horse that wants a little less ground.
First Dude: The second Dale Romans trainee in the field, First Dude finished 3rd in the Blue Grass and 5th in the Florida Derby earlier this spring. Like a lot of horses in this race, he's run fairly well on a number of occasions but he doesn't wow you. And he's never run big against top competition. He might be a little short on class in the Preakness.
Hurricane Ike: Won the Derby Trial under jockey Calvin Borel on a muddy track at Churchill Downs. Prior to that he was pretty much a sprinter and he's never won running around two turns. He's been a better horse since the connections got him off synthetics and onto dirt so it's possible he could take another step forward in the Preakness.
Jackson Bend: Nick Zito's colt made a big move in the middle stages of the Derby to pull within 2 3/4 lengths of the lead and then flattened out to finish almost 20 lengths back at the wire. That was the first time in his career that Jackson Bend didn't finish first or second, which certainly makes one think the colt has a better race in him.
Lookin At Lucky: The Derby favorite had the worst draw of all 20 horses two weeks ago and found a bunch of trouble all the way around the track. Trainer Bob Baffert waited until Monday to decide whether or not to enter Lucky this Saturday. That could have been gamesmanship on his part or he could have really been uncertain as to whether his colt needs a breather. If it's the latter, he could be a very bad bet on Saturday. Jockey Garrett Gomez will be replaced by Martin Garcia.
Northern Giant: This colt looked like he was progressing nicely until he finished last of nine horses in the Arkansas Derby back on April 10. He's only won once in his career and that was back on Feb.4 in this sixth try against maidens but he ran well against stakes horses in both the Risen Star and the Lanes End Stakes. Both of those races came up a little soft and he seems like an unlikely winner on Saturday.
Paddy O'Prado: Dale Romans' colt ran the race of his life in the Derby and was rewarded with third place money. He won't get away at 12/1 in the Preakness like he did in Kentucky, but he's an improving colt that figures to be in the mix at the end.
Pleasant Prince: This colt was narrowly defeated by Derby runner-up Ice Box in the Florida Derby back on March 20. He struggled mightily in the Blue Grass but that race was over the Polytrack at Keeneland and can probably be thrown out. He's a closer and will need quick fractions on the front end in order to have a big impact on the race.
Schoolyard Dreams: Missed the Derby after a fourth place finish in the Wood Memorial left him short on graded earnings. He'll get his shot in the Preakness and possesses a nice stalking style that should have him in a good spot early in the race. He could be a nice upset possibility if he's able to take that next step. This colt finished ahead of Derby winner Super Saver earlier this spring in the Tampa Bay Derby.
Super Saver: The Derby winner might find an even better race setup in the Preakness than he did in the Derby given his ability to sit just off the pace. With A Little Warm bypassing the race there won't be a ton of speed on the front end. When you throw in the smaller field and the 1/16th of a mile less to run, a stalker like Super Saver should be in great position to win when the field hits the top of the stretch. But, if he gets too keyed up early in the race and won't relax, there could be trouble.
Yawanna Twist: The Richard Dutrow horse has only run four races in his career, including two graded stakes, and he's held his own every time. He went off as the favorite in the Illinois Derby but could only muster a 2nd place finish behind American Lion. He'll likely be available at big odds on Saturday and it wouldn't be a shock to see him finish in the top four.
May 11, 2010 - Thirteen colts are expected to enter the starting gate at Pimlico this Saturday for the Preakness Stakes. The field includes five horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby and eight "new shooters" that will be thrown into the mix. Here's a high-level look at the field:
Aikenite: This Todd Pletcher trainee won the first race of his career last August and has since lost seven in a row. He finished second in the Derby Trial just a couple of weeks ago but you have to wonder whether this colt really wants to win against this level of competition.
Caracortado: This colt won five races in a row before finishing third and fourth in his last two races at Santa Anita Park. He likes to press the pace which should ensure that he's in a good position early on in the Preakness. His best races, however, have been on synthetic tracks so there is a bit of an unknown as to whether he will transfer that form to conventional dirt at Pimlico.
Dublin: He didn't run a horrible race in the Derby but still flattened out in the lane when it was time to really get going. It's been more than nine months since this horse has won, and he has yet to win a race running around two turns. His sire, Afleet Alex, could run all day; Dublin may be a horse that wants a little less ground.
First Dude: The second Dale Romans trainee in the field, First Dude finished 3rd in the Blue Grass and 5th in the Florida Derby earlier this spring. Like a lot of horses in this race, he's run fairly well on a number of occasions but he doesn't wow you. And he's never run big against top competition. He might be a little short on class in the Preakness.
Hurricane Ike: Won the Derby Trial under jockey Calvin Borel on a muddy track at Churchill Downs. Prior to that he was pretty much a sprinter and he's never won running around two turns. He's been a better horse since the connections got him off synthetics and onto dirt so it's possible he could take another step forward in the Preakness.
Jackson Bend: Nick Zito's colt made a big move in the middle stages of the Derby to pull within 2 3/4 lengths of the lead and then flattened out to finish almost 20 lengths back at the wire. That was the first time in his career that Jackson Bend didn't finish first or second, which certainly makes one think the colt has a better race in him.
Lookin At Lucky: The Derby favorite had the worst draw of all 20 horses two weeks ago and found a bunch of trouble all the way around the track. Trainer Bob Baffert waited until Monday to decide whether or not to enter Lucky this Saturday. That could have been gamesmanship on his part or he could have really been uncertain as to whether his colt needs a breather. If it's the latter, he could be a very bad bet on Saturday. Jockey Garrett Gomez will be replaced by Martin Garcia.
Northern Giant: This colt looked like he was progressing nicely until he finished last of nine horses in the Arkansas Derby back on April 10. He's only won once in his career and that was back on Feb.4 in this sixth try against maidens but he ran well against stakes horses in both the Risen Star and the Lanes End Stakes. Both of those races came up a little soft and he seems like an unlikely winner on Saturday.
Paddy O'Prado: Dale Romans' colt ran the race of his life in the Derby and was rewarded with third place money. He won't get away at 12/1 in the Preakness like he did in Kentucky, but he's an improving colt that figures to be in the mix at the end.
Pleasant Prince: This colt was narrowly defeated by Derby runner-up Ice Box in the Florida Derby back on March 20. He struggled mightily in the Blue Grass but that race was over the Polytrack at Keeneland and can probably be thrown out. He's a closer and will need quick fractions on the front end in order to have a big impact on the race.
Schoolyard Dreams: Missed the Derby after a fourth place finish in the Wood Memorial left him short on graded earnings. He'll get his shot in the Preakness and possesses a nice stalking style that should have him in a good spot early in the race. He could be a nice upset possibility if he's able to take that next step. This colt finished ahead of Derby winner Super Saver earlier this spring in the Tampa Bay Derby.
Super Saver: The Derby winner might find an even better race setup in the Preakness than he did in the Derby given his ability to sit just off the pace. With A Little Warm bypassing the race there won't be a ton of speed on the front end. When you throw in the smaller field and the 1/16th of a mile less to run, a stalker like Super Saver should be in great position to win when the field hits the top of the stretch. But, if he gets too keyed up early in the race and won't relax, there could be trouble.
Yawanna Twist: The Richard Dutrow horse has only run four races in his career, including two graded stakes, and he's held his own every time. He went off as the favorite in the Illinois Derby but could only muster a 2nd place finish behind American Lion. He'll likely be available at big odds on Saturday and it wouldn't be a shock to see him finish in the top four.