The $1.5 million, Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico follows (in a normal year) the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby as the second leg of the Triple Crown series- taking place just two weeks after the fabled first jewel of the Triple Crown at Churchill Downs. But handicappers (should) know that they need a different approach to this race, just fourteen days removed from the Run For The Roses. The … Continue reading Preakness Tips & Trends
The Preakness Stakes, even with its 147 years of history, is a strangely modern event. Half elite day of horse racing, half festival, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown has evolved into a destination event for sports and music fans across the country. If you’re new to horse racing and/or the Preakness Stakes, here are the basics about Baltimore’s biggest party. WHO: Elite 3-Year-Olds…Male & Female. … Continue reading A Preakness Primer
As the racing community celebrates the 50th anniversary of the greatness that was SECRETARIAT in his Triple Crown Winning season, it would be remiss not to talk about the beginning of the G.O.A.T’s racing career. Most of the fans in attendance at Aqueduct on July 4, 1972 probably had no idea that they had just witnessed the debut of one of the greatest horses who ever raced. … Continue reading SECRETARIAT’s Humble Start
The New York State road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby moves on this Saturday, with the 143rd edition of the $250,000 Grade 3 Withers Stakes. Named after prominent 19th-century owner David Withers, the race was held for the first time in 1874 at Jerome Park. It has been held at several different tracks, but has been run at Aqueduct Park since 1997. Historically held in the spring, the Withers was … Continue reading The Withers Stakes
The 2023 Road To The Kentucky Derby heads back to the Louisiana portion of the path this Saturday, with the running of the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. The Lecomte will be run at its customary 1 1/16-mile distance and will have a purse of $200,000 dollars. The race will award 20 points to the Winner on the Road To The Kentucky Derby points schedule. The race is … Continue reading The Lecomte Stakes
The 2022 horse racing season is coming to a close. There is certainly much to look back on, but for the sake of brevity and attention span, we’ll limit our trip down memory lane to a four race sprint. THE KENTUCKY DERBY: A horse acquired for a claiming tag is not supposed to go on to Win the Kentucky Derby. In fact, no one had done … Continue reading 2022 Racing In Review
Monday we wrote about the racing rivals, today The rider. Over four decades (can that be right?) removed from his sensational jockey career, Steve Cauthen lives the life of a typical Thoroughbred insider in his hometown of Verona in Northern Kentucky. Best known for capturing the 1978 Triple Crown aboard AFFIRMED, Cauthen had established himself as a potential superstar in his first full year as a jockey in 1977. He was … Continue reading The Kid Is 62
There are lots of so-called rivalries in sports. But there are few whose status lives on and can stand up to the test of time. It is one small three letter word that is the barometer for these athletic battles that grow more legendary with each passing generation. That word? AND. It’s just that simple. Whenever you cannot name one participant without the reflexive action … Continue reading AFFIRMED & ALYDAR
Three take-a-ways from three of the major players in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. EARLY VOTING : Jockey Jose Ortiz has ridden the Preakness Stakes Winner in each of his four career starts, but his time with the horse extends well beyond that. When trainer Chad Brown needed Ortiz to work the horse in the morning, he always answered the call, something some accomplished jockeys are reluctant to do. “I’ve been … Continue reading Preakness In The Rear-View
There is no Triple Crown on the line in this year’s $1.65 million Preakness Stakes. But Kentucky Oaks Winner SECRET OATH will face the 2nd- and 4th-place finishers from the Derby. The Preakness is scheduled as race 13 on a card of 14, with a scheduled Post Time of 7:05. Here then is a look at the field. 1. SIMPLIFICATION [ML 6-1] Trainer: Antonio Sano. Jockey: John Velazquez. … Continue reading Creative Secret
