The American Triple Crown wraps up with the 145th Preakness stakes at Old Hilltop, Pimlico, in Baltimore today.
Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law is not here – he awaits the Breeders’ Cup Classic – but Kentucky Derby winner AUTHENTIC is back to meet 10 rivals at 1 3/16 miles.
Snippets from Pimlico media interviews:
BOB BAFFERT – (AUTHENTIC) “He would have been ready to roll in two weeks. I feel pressure now because I never lost a Preakness with a horse I won the Derby with,” Baffert said. “Now the pressure’s on me.
“The reason I’ve won it so many times is I’ve always had the best horse. That’s why I won. I’ve won the Derby with the best horse and I’ve lost the Derby with the best horse. The losses bother me. I think about the losses more – the ones that got away from me,” Baffert said. “The Preaknesses have never gotten away when I’m here with the best horse.
ART COLLECTOR:
Bruce Lunsford’s Art Collector, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby in the days leading up to the race due to a minor foot injury, is scheduled to join the Triple Crown fray Saturday.
“We were going to miss a few days of training and that’s just not the way you want to go into the Kentucky Derby. I’ve been waiting for 30 years for this horse to come into my life. I’m sure not going to do anything to jeopardize his future for just one race,” trainer Tommy Drury said. “It certainly stung a little bit, but having this race right behind it, you kind of had to turn the page pretty quickly and start thinking about the next one.”
SWISS SKYDIVER: Peter Callahan’s Swiss Skydiver, who is rated at 6-1 in the morning line, is scheduled to clash with the boys for a second time in her career. The multiple graded-stakes winning daughter of Daredevil finished second as the favorite behind Art Collector in the Blue Grass. She will make a bid to join a group of five fillies who have captured the Preakness: Rachel Alexandra (2009), Nellie Morse (1924), Rhine Maiden (1915), Whimsical (1906), and Flocarline (1903).
“I don’t know if we have to differentiate genders. In Europe, fillies run against colts all the time. I don’t think Enable has run straight fillies [more than a few times] in several years,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “Here it seems to be more of a big deal, but for the most part when you bring a good one into the game, it doesn’t matter.”
MAX PLAYER: Max Player is the only horse entered in all three Triple Crown races this year. The son of Honor Code, who finished a non-threatening third in the Belmont for trainer Linda Rice, was never able to get into the race in his first start for Asmussen in the Derby, in which he finished fifth after breaking from the rail post.
“Obviously, I was a little bit disappointed in his race in the Derby but his post cost him considerably, just getting covered up early and being way too far back to be effective,” Asmussen said.
ANALYSIS:
Handicappers look at a race using class, speed of a horse (using figures of some type), recent races and trips and race set-up.
I like to first look at race set-up, which means you are often handicapping jockeys.
Speed wins more races than any other style, but what if there are possibly several horses who want to be on the pace?
AUTHENTIC cycled up to a 105 Beyer Figure and led all the way to win the Kentucky Derby going fast on the front end. He may be simply the best in the field but what if Art Collector and/or Thousand Words (with blinkers on) pressure him early?
MAX PLAYER finished 5th in the Derby and before that, 3rd in the Travers. He really has not early speed at all and he simply gets too far back early in his races. But the 99 Beyer Figure from the Travers suggests he could be sitting on another new top effort, if he gets moving. Paco Lopez is riding him for the first time and perhaps he can keep Max in closer tough early.
ART COLLECTOR does not need the lead to win and he is fresh and could sit right behind Authentic and pounce. He seems to be the buzz horse and he has won 4 straight races. He is currently 4 to 5 so he would have to go up to 2 to 1 to be interesting.
AUTHENTIC is just so good he is tough to leave out of trifectas and at 16 to 1 the tough filly SWISS SKYDIVER second to Art Collector in the Blue Grass should be included.
1 – MAX PLAYER 2 – ART COLLECTORS 3- AUTHENTIC 4- SWISS SKYDIVER
Early Betting on 145th Preakness (from Friday Oct. 2)
PP Horse Odds
1 Excession 80-1
2 Mr. Big News 18-1
3 Art Collector 4-5
4 Swiss Skydiver 16-1
5 Thousand Words 5-1
6 Jesus’ Team 30-1
7 Ny Traffic 35-1
8 Max Player 25-1
9 Authentic 5-1
10 Pneumatic 17-1
11 Liveyourbeastlife 50-1
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