No shortage of new faces in this year's Preakness

BALTIMORE – Once was, a whole lot of Kentucky Derby runners would run back two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes. But with modern-day horsemen preferring more time between races, it has become increasingly common for just a handful of Derby starters – if not fewer – to resurface in the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.

Behind Medina Spirit, the controversial first-place finisher among 19 starters in the May 1 Derby at Churchill Downs, none of the next four finishers has moved on to Maryland, as only the connections of Midnight Bourbon (sixth) and Keepmeinmind (seventh) also have seen fit to run back their charge.

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Into the breach come the so-called “new shooters,” the 3-year-olds who, for one reason or another, did not contest the Derby. Since the concept of a Triple Crown was popularized in the 1930s, there have been several lengthy droughts wherein newcomers went winless in the Preakness, with the longest being a 17-year span between Deputed Testamony (1983) and Red Bullet (2000). But such Derby domination in the Preakness has waned, with fewer Derby runners making the quick turnaround.

Seven of the 10 starters in Preakness 146 on Saturday are newcomers to the Triple Crown trail. They’ll bid to join Bernardini (2006), Rachel Alexandra (2009), Cloud Computing (2017), and Swiss Skydiver (2020), all of whom won the Preakness after missing the Derby. That’s four of the last 15 Preaknesses.

Here’s a quick look at the 2021 new shooters (listed in order of morning-line odds):

Concert Tour (No. 10, 5-2)

Just a few weeks before the Derby, with Life Is Good having already been sidelined by a minor injury, Concert Tour was widely regarded as Bob Baffert’s top hope for the Triple Crown. But then the colt incurred his first career defeat, finishing third as the 3-10 favorite in the April 10 Arkansas Derby, and Baffert was so disappointed in the performance that Concert Tour didn’t even run in the Derby.

Since then, Baffert has praised the way Concert Tour has come alive again in his training, and with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith taking the mount, there’s little doubt the colt will be the second wagering choice behind his stablemate Medina Spirit.

Crowded Trade (No. 4, 10-1)

The past performances of Crowded Trade and Cloud Computing are nearly identical – a first-out maiden victory, followed by a second in the Gotham and a third in the Wood Memorial. Only the beaten-lengths margins are different.

Naturally, trainer Chad Brown is hoping the results of the Preakness are the same, too. Four years ago, Cloud Computing was up in the final jumps to win the Preakness in his fourth start, giving Brown his only win in a Triple Crown event. Brown also will saddle Risk Taking in this renewal, with both colts being owned by the Klaravich Stables of Seth Klarman.

“Both colts have trained really well into this,” said Brown.

Rombauer (No. 6, 12-1)

Owner-breeder John Fradkin thought better of spending tens of thousands running Rombauer in the Derby when he already had a free roll in the Preakness by virtue of the stretch-running colt winning the Feb. 13 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, which like Pimlico is owned by 1/ST. It was probably a prudent move, given the way come-from-behinders had no impact in the Derby.

Now, trainer Michael McCarthy is hoping the dynamics of the Preakness allow Rombauer to get involved in the final furlong.

“I just hope he gets some pace to run at,” said McCarthy.

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Unbridled Honor (No. 8, 15-1)

Todd Pletcher has never won the Preakness, which qualifies as man-bites-dog news. There are precious few major American races yet to elude the grasp of Pletcher, who earlier this month was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Unlike his two Derby winners, who were favored in the Preakness, Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017), Unbridled Honor figures as one of the longer prices in this renewal as a one-time winner from five career starts. As such, the odds favor his trainer’s Preakness record moving to 0 for 10.

Risk Taking (No. 9, 15-1)

The second Brown colt was something of a last-minute Preakness entry, having been scratched from the Peter Pan last Saturday at Belmont Park. He won the Feb. 6 Withers at Aqueduct but now seeks to rebound after finishing a dull seventh as the Wood favorite.

France Go de Ina (No. 7, 20-1)

A Kentucky-bred based in Japan, this colt is a wild card who will have to run much better than he did when sixth in the UAE Derby in his last start. The presence of the highly successful Joel Rosario in the saddle may be sufficient reason to consider him on your tickets.

Ram (No. 1, 30-1)

With a career-high 81 Beyer Speed Figure, far below the standard for a race like the Preakness, this son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah surely will be the longest shot in the field, even with his Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, having won six runnings of the Preakness.

A previous version of this article incorrectly included Oxbow among a group of horses who skipped the Kentucky Derby and won the Preakness. Oxbow ran sixth in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.