Preakness Field Taking Shape

Monday, 10 May 2010 06:00

The Preakness Stakes is less than a week away, and horse race betting enthusiasts are still in the dark about which horses will run in the second leg of the Triple Crown. The field is developing in a similar fashion to the Kentucky Derby, with trainers and owners assessing their horses’ condition and form and deciding whether their best ‘career move’ is to participate in the 1 3/16 mile Grade 1 stakes event at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course or look elsewhere. The lineup for the Preakness is slowly beginning to take shape as the camps of several big name three year olds have made their plans known.

One horse that is certain to be in the lineup is Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, who is shipping from Churchill Downs to Pimlico this week. Super Saver will work out on Monday under the supervision of trainer Todd Pletcher and with jockey Calvin Borel aboard. Pletcher says that he likes Super Saver’s chances in the Preakness:

“Obviously, we won’t have 20 horses, but I think it gets lost in the shuffle a little bit that it’s still a mile and three sixteenths. Everyone acts like it’s backing way up. We’re still running farther than any of them had ever run before the Derby, so it’s still a mile and three sixteenths and you need the right kind of horse to do that.”

“I think he’s got a big chance to win at Pimlico. ... I wouldn’t trade places with anyone, especially going to Pimlico and backing up a little bit of distance. I think he’s got a tactical edge because he’s not relying on the trip like many of the rest of them. If it’s a slow pace, he’ll be there. If it’s a fast pace, he can settle like he did [in the Derby]. Something that was overlooked in the Derby is that everyone made it out to be that this horse didn’t get a great trip and that horse didn’t get a good trip. Super Saver was able to get a great trip because he was able to put himself in all the right spots, and every time Calvin needed him to do something, he did it.”

Another Pletcher trained horse will also be in the field—Derby Trial runner up Aikenite worked out alongside stable mate Megaholtz on Wednesday, and Pletcher was happy enough with his performance:

“He broke off a couple lengths behind Megaholtz and they finished on even terms. It was a good work, typical of how he works, and he had a solid gallop out. He will walk [Monday] and go back to the track Tuesday.”

Florida Derby runner-up and Derby Trial third-place finisher Pleasant Prince also worked out on Sunday, and will likely end up in the Preakness field.

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Preakness Field Taking Shape

Preakness Field Taking Shape

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