Hovdey: Boland can see both sides of Derby DQ
The stewards were taking forever – 10 minutes, 15 minutes – while the clock kept ticking and the massive crowd grew dangerously restless.
Jay HovdeyMay 15, 2019
The stewards were taking forever – 10 minutes, 15 minutes – while the clock kept ticking and the massive crowd grew dangerously restless.
The small framed picture that hangs on the back wall of trainer Mark Hennig's Belmont Park office shows Personal Hope at the quarter pole of the 1993 Kentucky Derby with a clear lead and seemingly in hand under Gary Stevens.
Like trainer Mark Casse, I was hoping War of Will did not draw the rail again for the Preakness, although obviously not for the same reasons. The prevailing thought was that War of Will and IMPROBABLE are the two best horses in this field, with the former likely to offer a little more betting value and with a very legitimate chance of defeating the likely favorite – if he did not draw down inside again.
Despite being stuck inside for a second consecutive leg of the Triple Crown, WAR OF WILL should be viewed as one of the major threats, if not the most likely winner, of this year's Preakness Stakes. War of Will made his first start since a disastrous trip in the Louisiana Derby in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, breaking from the dreaded inside post. Once urged from the gate, he became difficult to rate, sitting the pocket trip before becoming involved in the Derby controversy, ultimately leading to a seventh-place finish via disqualification.
You can take trainer Blaine Wright out of the Pacific Northwest, but you can't take the Pacific Northwest out of Blaine Wright.
BOURBON WAR is positioned for a mild upset over Preakness favorite IMPROBABLE, who benefitted from an uneventful trip in finishing fifth (placed fourth) as the Kentucky Derby favorite. Improbable is good, but he inherits repeat favoritism partly by default. The original top four Derby finishers all skipped the Preakness.
Improbable drew post 4 and was installed as the favorite when a field of 13 was entered and posts drawn on Wednesday for the 144th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. But the big news was that War of Will, who landed the rail for his troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby, again drew the inside.
Trainer Kelly Rubley and jockey Daniel Centeno have worked long and hard to reach the Preakness Stakes. Alwaysmining, the Maryland-bred gelding with whom they will team, has taken a far easier path, which makes it difficult to determine how he will stack up in what will be the toughest race of his career.