Only four of the 13 horses in Saturday's Preakness at Pimlico competed in the Kentucky Derby, and none of them was the Derby's first horse under the wire, or the one who was made the official winner. I note the fact that less than one-third of this Preakness field is composed of Derby participants because I feel it is interesting from a handicapping perspective.
The young classic sire Bodemeister will be represented in Saturday's Preakness Stakes by Bodexpress, looking to become the first maiden to win the second jewel of the Triple Crown since 1888. But regardless of the result, Bodemeister's ties to a century-plus of racing history already run deep. The young stallion was bred by Audley Farm of Berryville, Va., less than 100 miles from Pimlico, and the former home of 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton.
For as much success as he's had in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert has made an even bigger mark on the Preakness Stakes.
A surprise 13th horse for the Preakness was revealed Wednesday morning at Pimlico when trainer Dale Romans entered Everfast in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Michael McMahon and Jamie Hill were destined to keep the Tapit colt who eventually became Preakness contender Bourbon War.
Mark Casse said all winter that people would be talking about the colt he trains, War of Will, after the Kentucky Derby. Casse was right, but not in way he meant and hoped.
It was tough, but for most of the muddy mile and a quarter of the 145th Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs, Mike Smith tried hard not to think about how much Omaha Beach would have enjoyed the day. The son of War Front won a maiden race by nine lengths in the slop at Santa Anita, then added the Arkansas Derby under similar conditions.
This Saturday, television viewers of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will see something not often, if ever, seen at the track on the day of its biggest race, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Nearly half of the grandstand at Pimlico will be empty.
Market King arrived at Pimlico Race Course at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday for his intended start in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, accompanied by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, his staff, and Lukas’s pony.
The weather forecast for Preakness Day calls for temperatures in the mid-70s under cloudy skies, which should translate to a fast track. That scenario is just fine for jockey Julian Pimentel and trainer Mike Trombetta, who will team up with Win Win Win, the 10th-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby over a sloppy track that he didn’t relish.
