When favorites win the Kentucky Derby, they invariably become even bigger favorites in the Preakness. When a longshot such as Charismatic (30-1), Giacomo (50-1), or Mine That Bird (50-1) wins the Derby, racing fans are not nearly as quick to jump on the bandwagon. As the 136th Preakness approaches, it should be interesting to see how much credence fans give the 20-1 Derby victory by Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom ruled over 18 other 3-year-olds in the Kentucky Derby here Saturday, and it looks like he’ll face another large field in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 21. But the composition of the two fields will be in stark contrast as no more than four of the 18 horses Animal Kingdom defeated in the 137th Derby are likely to come back for the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Nehro, the runner-up to Animal Kingdom in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, will likely skip the Preakness and point to the Belmont Stakes, owner Ahmed Zayat said Sunday morning.
Dialed In, who finished eighth as the favorite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, will come right back in two weeks for the Preakness Stakes, a situation that would mean a victory in that race would be worth far more to him than to the Derby winner, Animal Kingdom.Dialed In won both the Holy Bull Stakes and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park earlier this year. That made him eligible for a $5.5 million bonus from MI Developments, the parent company of both Gulfstream and Pimlico, if he were to also win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 21.
Though admittedly “shocked” that he won America’s most-famous race, trainer Graham Motion, a British expatriate, on Sunday morning had recovered enough to start focusing on the May 21 Preakness Stakes, which he said would be the next start for Animal Kingdom, the upset winner of Saturday’s 137th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Ruler On Ice, a fast-closing third in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby, and locally based Concealed Identity, a decisive winner the first time he streched out to 1 1/16 miles, head a group of seven 3-year-olds in the $75,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico.
