The Haiku Handicapper: 2016 Preakness Stakes

DRF sales editor Joe Nevills analyzes the Preakness Stakes field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku, a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Cherry Wine
Loves to split traffic
Could carve out a decent check
If he gets room late

Uncle Lino
Took the SoCal prep
First time he held position
In a two-turn race

Nyquist
The Derby winner
Haven’t seen quit in him yet
The same trip wins here

Awesome Speed
From the local prep
Will have to stare down Nyquist
To maintain the pace

Exaggerator
Dead aim on Nyquist
But did he empty the tank
Trying to catch him?

Lani
Handled with kid gloves
Surprised in splitting Derby
A true wild card

Collected
Second-tier prep king
Makes the jump to the big leagues
Live in the super

Laoban
Likely odds-on choice
In any maiden special
Let’s manage our goals

Abiding Star
Beat Parx quarantine
And all foes in his last five
Not as likely here

Fellowship
Pat Day audible
Couldn’t get him on the board
Begs for class relief

Stradivari
Hot allowance win
To a gate in the Preakness
Doesn’t often work

Prediction
Clean horse in the slop
Nyquist’s too much for this field
Chased by the one, five