It's really hard to write about the Preakness
Pre-Race: A lesson learned
I turn outs the Preakness Stake, the second jewel of North America's Horse Racing Triple Crown is a really tough thing to write about.
First of all the Preakness, which is run on the third Saturday in May over the Pimlico Downs racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland proceed the grand daddy of them all the Kentucky Derby.
If the Kentucky Derby is your grandfather classic waltz complete with mint julep and the official singing of my old Kentucky home? Then the Preakness is a kegger complete with rock-bands and jell-o shooters not exactly a family outing or a mainstream historical attraction.
The Belmont Stake, which is the third leg of Horse Racings Triple Crown also hold a distinct advantage over it predecessor the Preakness. The Belmont is the final leg of the elusive triple-crown and therefor almost always inherits a story line, a Triple Crown attempt (Big Brown 2008), a fresh face (Rags to Riches 2008) or a hotly anticipated homecoming (Funny Cide 2003)
So what is there to write about this years Preakness Stake?
Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel will jump-off Derby winner Mine That Bird in favour of Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra. Rachel Alexandra from all accounts is truely the class of this years three year old crop however former trainer Hal Wiggins refused to race Rachel agaisnt the boys citing a long held beleif that female horse (Fillies) don't belong racing against the boys (colts). Rachel has since been sold to the connections of Stonestreet Stables, Harold T. McCormick and trainer Steve Asmussen (a scrupulous Texan who occasionaly wears a large hat and no objection to racing a filly against the boys)
Post Race: Moses take Zipporah to the top of the mountain
As expected super filly Rachel Alexandra dominated this years Preakness Stakes in an alomst effortless romp. The win certainly was not as spectacular as Alexandra`s 20 lenghts victory in the Kentucky Oaks but the filly was racing boys for the first time in her carrer on Saturday, which may explain why she was less then her spectacular self well fending off a hard charging Mine That Bird at the wire to snap a 85 year filly-Preakness drought.
The eighty-five year drought wasn`t the really story to come out of the Preakness and neither was the good as gold status Jockey Calvin Borel had claimed over the past two week. No the real story on Preakness Day was the increadibale effort trotted out by Kentucky Derby winning long-shot Mine That Bird. Many belived that the Bird`s victory on Derby Day was a fluke, a one hit wonder, a stastical anomally but the Bird proved them all wrong baring down on the previously unchallenged super filly and subsequent Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra. Many of those experts who belived the Bird to be a one hit wonder also firmly belived that Rachel Alexandra was by far the cream of this years three-year old crop, filly staus or not. Imagine the crush when those same "wisguys" had to hold on for dear life as the Bird lauched his bid for the lead on the far outside (nearest the grandstand) baring down on their super-filly and almost doing away with her super status.
Friendly Wagering Advice
In three week time it off to Elmont, New York for the third and fianl leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.
Trust me when I say no matter how impressed you've been thus far with Rachel Alexandra (Zipporah) and Calvin Borel (Moses) there is no way this amazing filly tackles a mile and a half and still comes out ahead of the boys.
Zoltan Black
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