The Preakness: Second leg of Triple Crown today
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By JIM MOORE
The Preakness Stakes - the second jewel in Horse Racing's "Triple Crown" will be run this Saturday at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore.
By any kind of Logic at all, The Preakness should be won by "Super Saver", the horse that won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. He will break from the number eight pole position and is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite.
No matter how you handicap your horse races - breeding, color, horoscope,
Ouija board, whatever - your needle should be pointing at "Super Saver" when
it comes time to bet. However...
This is not only America but it is substantially Appalachia-America where there is still enough Scotch/Irish/German in the hemoglobin to dearly love betting against The Sure Thing. And "Super Saver" being piloted by Super-Jockey Calvin Borel is so close to being that "Sure Thing" that I simply must risk my money and imaginary credibility on a different horse.
All of the most viable contenders in the Preakness are breaking from near mid-field, post position seven is "Lookin at Lucky" (at 3-to-1), position eight is "Super Saver, position nine is "Caracortado" (at 10-to-1), and position ten is Paddy O'Prado (at 9-to1). All four of those horses are tremendous athletes, as fast as the wind and ridden by jockeys that are at the top of their generation. These are the four tigers of the field and "Super Saver" is THE Tiger. So which of these lightning streaks will upset "Super Saver" ?
"Lookin at Lucky" will no doubt challenge "Super Saver" for the short trip in the inside lane and that means "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado" will have some early pace to maintain on a longer journey. I just don't think I see "Lookin at Lucky" staying with "Super Saver" though and that means the upset will have to come from out in the fourth or fifth lanes. Both "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado" will have the chance to do that - but can they? I don't know because beating "Super Saver" under Calvin on the rail is one TALL order.
No matter how one compares "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado", they come out so close - and so phenomenal - that you might as well flip a coin and go for "best 101 out of 200". But my pick for the upset win is "Paddy O'Prado" for two reasons. He has raced well on the somewhat more stingent tracks of the UK and he looks like my own horse, "Shiloh". Now there is some science for you. And let's nevermind that he will have to beat "Caracortado" from the outside too.
I THINK the order of finish will be "Super Saver", "Paddy O'Prado, and then "Caracortado" and that will mean "Super Saver" has a chance to be the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. But I still HOPE "Paddy O'Prado" pulls off the upset.[[In-content Ad]]
The Preakness Stakes - the second jewel in Horse Racing's "Triple Crown" will be run this Saturday at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore.
By any kind of Logic at all, The Preakness should be won by "Super Saver", the horse that won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. He will break from the number eight pole position and is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite.
No matter how you handicap your horse races - breeding, color, horoscope,
Ouija board, whatever - your needle should be pointing at "Super Saver" when
it comes time to bet. However...
This is not only America but it is substantially Appalachia-America where there is still enough Scotch/Irish/German in the hemoglobin to dearly love betting against The Sure Thing. And "Super Saver" being piloted by Super-Jockey Calvin Borel is so close to being that "Sure Thing" that I simply must risk my money and imaginary credibility on a different horse.
All of the most viable contenders in the Preakness are breaking from near mid-field, post position seven is "Lookin at Lucky" (at 3-to-1), position eight is "Super Saver, position nine is "Caracortado" (at 10-to-1), and position ten is Paddy O'Prado (at 9-to1). All four of those horses are tremendous athletes, as fast as the wind and ridden by jockeys that are at the top of their generation. These are the four tigers of the field and "Super Saver" is THE Tiger. So which of these lightning streaks will upset "Super Saver" ?
"Lookin at Lucky" will no doubt challenge "Super Saver" for the short trip in the inside lane and that means "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado" will have some early pace to maintain on a longer journey. I just don't think I see "Lookin at Lucky" staying with "Super Saver" though and that means the upset will have to come from out in the fourth or fifth lanes. Both "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado" will have the chance to do that - but can they? I don't know because beating "Super Saver" under Calvin on the rail is one TALL order.
No matter how one compares "Caracortado" and "Paddy O'Prado", they come out so close - and so phenomenal - that you might as well flip a coin and go for "best 101 out of 200". But my pick for the upset win is "Paddy O'Prado" for two reasons. He has raced well on the somewhat more stingent tracks of the UK and he looks like my own horse, "Shiloh". Now there is some science for you. And let's nevermind that he will have to beat "Caracortado" from the outside too.
I THINK the order of finish will be "Super Saver", "Paddy O'Prado, and then "Caracortado" and that will mean "Super Saver" has a chance to be the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. But I still HOPE "Paddy O'Prado" pulls off the upset.[[In-content Ad]]