Summer Applause bounced back from one bad effort earlier this year when she won the Grade 2 Top Flight at Aqueduct. Her connections hope she shows similar resilience in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Allaire DuPont Distaff at Pimlico.
The horse race called the Preakness Stakes has been run 137 times, dating back to 1873, only it’s tough to take the first couple dozen versions very seriously.
When Orb gave trainer Shug McGaughey his first Kentucky Derby win, it was also the first Derby for assistant Buzzy Tenney and a host of other employees in a stable that prides itself on consistency and longevity.
In the 138th Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, there is no question Orb is the horse is to beat. The target will be easy to spot, because he will be wearing saddle cloth No. 1.
After Orb scored his decisive victory in the Kentucky Derby and was hailed as a bright new star of racing, many handicappers had a reason for skepticism. They had seen this scenario before.
In many years, a Kentucky Derby winner who won the roses on a wet track with a modest Beyer Speed Figure of 104 would be only a tepid favorite for the second leg of the Triple Crown. On Saturday, however, Orb will be even money or less in the 138th Preakness Stakes – and it’s hard to argue with either his price or his prospects of victory.
Pimlico Race Course will have a deep and diverse wagering menu for its Friday and Saturday cards that are topped by the respective Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness. Advance wagering on the Preakness will open Friday.
Whether they play Pimlico regularly or not, many horseplayers across the country will make their biggest plays of the weekend on races there Friday and Saturday. And to get an edge in those races it helps to have an understanding of recent track trends.
Though they will both try to stop Orb’s Triple Crown bid in Saturday’s Preakness, fellow Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas were more than happy to welcome Shug McGaughey to the fraternity of Kentucky Derby-winning trainers.
Orb beat 18 rivals when he won the Kentucky Derby on May 4, and he did it so convincingly that only five of those runners are trying again in the 138th Preakness Stakes on Saturday here at Pimlico, along with three newcomers to the Triple Crown trail. Eight challengers, it seems, is enough.
