The Preakness is coming up tomorrow, which means you’re probably already sick of hearing the phrase “tight turns”. The bad news is, I haven’t yet been able to reliably trace the origin of that horse racing myth.
The good news is, I found some funny invocations of that idea during that wild goose chase, and I wrote about them at Railbird Style.
This is Preakness Week, and over at Picks and Ponderings, I look at the big races!
Friday’s card is anchored by the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for three-year-old fillies. I preview that race horse-by-horse, and offer selections in the stakes races all day long. Saturday is the Preakness (G1), which I also delve into horse-by-horse, and present my stakes selections all day long.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Before each of the Triple Crown races Forbes.com publishes a betting guide, and tomorrow’s Preakness is no different. Teresa Genaro gathers a group of handicappers to discuss the race from multiple perspectives, and
Team TTE is well represented, as Barbara Bowley and I put our heads together for a section of it. Make sure to read it, and see what we have to say about making some money playing tomorrow’s Preakness!
The Preakness Stakes is coming up this Saturday. And, over at Picks and Ponderings, Paul Mazur and I have taken a deep dive into the ten horses who will vie for Classic glory in Baltimore.
In addition, both of us have handicapped all the stakes races on the loaded undercard. Take a look at who we like — and if you’ve got any questions, tweet us or post a comment, because we’d love to talk.
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read our preview of the Preakness and our Saturday stakes picks, and let us know your thoughts!
We head into Preakness Week. Entries for the second jewel of the Triple Crown will not be drawn until Wednesday, but we already know the contenders for Friday’s stakes-laden card at Pimlico. Over at Picks and Ponderings, I dive into the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, the feature. In addition, both Paul Mazur and I will share our selections for the stakes on Friday’s Pimlico card.
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of the Black-Eyed Susan, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
One of my favourite stories of the Triple Crown prep season ended up having very little to do with the Kentucky Derby: that of Conquest Mo Money. The son of Uncle Mo, an $8,500 Keeneland November bargain for owner Judge Lanier Racing, emerged as the top Sunland Park-based three-year-old this spring. He beat eventual Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Irap in the Mine That Bird Derby. He held his own in the Sunland Derby (G3), finishing second behind Hence after being closer to a blazing pace. Then, he shipped to Arkansas and proved he wasn’t just a Sunland wonder. Conquest Mo Money was right up on a contested pace in the Arkansas Derby (G1), and in a race that set up so nicely for off-pace types, he was just barely passed by Classic Empire. Still, second place was good enough to give him a shot in the Derby if he wanted it.
Instead, at a press conference after the Arkansas Derby, Tom McKenna of Judge Lanier Racing announced that Conquest Mo Money would bypass the Kentucky Derby and go to the Preakness instead. At first blush, it was a disappointment.
After a couple of nights to sleep on it, we still woke to find it still was not a dream: Exaggerator won the Preakness. Curlin himself accomplished that feat in 2007, and now he has a son who has done the same.
In four crops, Exaggerator is the second son of Curlin to see the starter in the Preakness. The first did well for himself, too. Ride On Curlin, coming back from a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, rallied for second behind a dominant California Chrome.
Beyond the facts that each made a solid but not quite winning Kentucky Derby try, and the fact that the Preakness was each horse’s fifth start at age three, Exaggerator’s path to Preakness glory hardly resembled his sire’s.
The Preakness Stakes was drawn today. Over at Picks and Ponderings, Paul Mazur and I delve into the race, analyse each horse, and present our selections.
Paul and I see the race setting up a little bit differently…though there are some horses in whom we both see the merit, there are others on whom we don’t quite see eye-to-eye.
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read our preview of the Preakness Stakes, and let us know in the comments what you think!
Set your clocks! This Thursday morning at 9:05am Central, I’ll be back on the Dane and Ben show on Sports Town Chicago to talk Preakness Stakes picks and analysis.
Sports Town Chicago broadcasts online, so you can tune in right here from your computer, anywhere in the world.
Thanks, Dane and Ben, for having me back on the show…looking forward to picking a winner!
eleven names have always hearkened back
to what the books of history have said
mute tones of sepia and white and black
accented with blue checks or devil’s red
illuminated manuscripts of old
bring illustrated tales of hero steeds
though yellowed leaves fall short of making bold
the full extent of witnessing those deeds
our generation clung to history
the only path to that elusive prize
resigned to think that we would never see
the pinnacle of sport through our own eyes
three days, five weeks have coloured the next page
a Pharoah for our place and for our age
Over at Picks and Ponderings, I took an in-depth look at the Preakness day race that boasts the deepest field of the card: the Grade II Dixie Stakes. The race drew fourteen runners plus two also eligible. Thanks to that deep field, there is plenty of value to find, and it should be one of the best betting races of the spring.
In addition, Paul Mazur and I will also post our selections for all of the stakes races on Preakness Stakes Day there. Our top stakes picks will appear at Hello Race Fans! too, but Picks and Ponderings will feature our top three plus our long shots to watch for each stakes race on the card. Don’t forget our horse-by-horse analysis of the Preakness as well.
Over at Picks and Ponderings, both Paul Mazur and I shared our selections for the stakes races on the Black-Eyed Susan day card. He wrote full analysis of the Black-Eyed Susan (GII), and then we have a grid with our top three selections and our longshot for each of the seven stakes. Since picks alone are a bit less useful than having the analysis behind those selections, I provide the thoughts behind each of my selections here.
All races discussed here will take place Friday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.
This Thursday morning at 9am Central, I will be on the Dane and Ben show on Sports Town Chicago, talking Preakness! I had a great time talking Derby with them two weeks ago, and I’m excited that they invited me back to talk about the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Sports Town Chicago streams online, so you can tune in Thursday morning at 9am CDT whether you’re here or farther afield.
Hope you can listen!
Blinkers Off 