The big question is, can Animal Kingdom do what he did at Churchill in what is his trainers adopted home state? Lets take a look at this year's Preakness field.
Pimlico - May 21, 2011
Race 12 - 6:18 PM EXACTA, TRIFECTA & 10 CENT SUPERFECTA / DAILY DOUBLE (RACES 12 & 13 ) $1 SUPER HIGH 5 / 2nd HALF OF BLACK-EYED SUSAN / PREAKNESS DOUBLE
STAKES
Preakness S. (Grade I)
Purse $1,000,000. For Three-Year-Olds, $10,000 To Pass The Entry Box, Starters To Pay $10,000 Additional. 60% of the purse to the winner, 20% to second, 11% to third, 6% to fourth and 3% to fifth. Weight 126 pounds for Colts and Geldings, 121 pounds for Fillies. A replica of the Woodlawn Vase will be presented to the winning owner to remain his or her personal property. First closing January 22, 2011 Second closing March 26, 2011. One And Three Sixteenth Miles.
P# PP Horse A/S Med Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1 Astrology (KY) 3/C LA M E Smith 126 S M Asmussen 15/1
2 2 Norman Asbjornson (PA) 3/C LA J Pimentel 126 C W Grove 30/1
3 3 King Congie (KY) 3/C LA R Albarado 126 T Albertrani 20/1
4 4 Flashpoint (FL) 3/C L C H Velasquez 126 W A Ward 20/1
5 5 Shackleford (KY) 3/C LA J L Castanon 126 D L Romans 12/1
6 6 Sway Away (KY) 3/C LA G K Gomez 126 J Bonde 15/1
7 7 Midnight Interlude (KY) 3/C LA M Garcia 126 B Baffert 15/1
8 8 Dance City (VA) 3/C LA R A Dominguez 126 T A Pletcher 12/1
9 9 Mucho Macho Man (FL) 3/C LA R Maragh 126 K Ritvo 6/1
10 10 Dialed In (KY) 3/C LA J R Leparoux 126 N P Zito 9/2
11 11 Animal Kingdom (KY) 3/C LA J R Velazquez 126 H G Motion 2/1
12 12 Isn't He Perfect (KY) 3/C LA E S Prado 126 D Shivmangal 30/1
13 13 Concealed Identity (MD) 3/G LA S Russell 126 E D Gaudet 30/1
14 14 Mr. Commons (KY) 3/C LA V Espinoza 126 J A Shirreffs 20/1
Astrology has a trainer that won the race in 2009 and 2007, as well as a jockey who won the race in 1993. Norman Asbjornson's trainer trained Silmaril who outside of Cigar and recent HOF inductee Safely Kept is the one of the most accomplished MD breds. King Congie's trainer won the race in 2006, his jockey won it the next year. However, he is invoking to memory of an employee of his owners (who named him after himself). Flashpoint will be part of the speed. However, his trainer is known for his two year olds. Shackleford suprised people in the FL Derby and followed it up with a 4th place finish in the Derby. He is one of 2 horse eligible for a bonus. Sway Away just missed the Derby and is one of 4 horses whose sires won at Pimlico. Midnight Interlude gets a key jockey change, last year Lookin at Lucky won this race with the same rider. Dance City was third in the AR Derby and defeated a 1/2 brother to Bluegrass Cat in an allowance race. Mucho Macho Man will be starting from the same spot that my all time favorite horse won his Preakness from in 2003. Dialed In could be in for the biggest payday since Visa offered $5 million for a TC winner. Should he win, his owner will get 5 million dollars for winning the Preakness. Of course Animal Kingdom is the champ and he has a trainer who is based in Maryland. Isn't He Perfect is well... not perfect. His jockey is former local, but he also has had heartache in this race back in 2006. Concealed Identity is the local, he won the Tesio before his run here. And you think Rosie Napravnik and Jinks Fires had a big age diffence. The youngest jockey and oldest trainer in this year's Derby have nothing on CI's jockey and trainer. Much like Sway Away and Norman (who I forgot to mention before in his preview), his dad won this race (SW it was in 2005, CI 2004 and Norman 1998 I think you can figure out who they are). Mr. Commons gets the 2002 Preakness winning jockey and 2005 3rd place trainer, he also is trying to follow in his sire's footsteps (dad defeated AK's dad in the BC Mile).
So who gets it done? History is not on the new shooters side. Since 2000, there have been five TC spoilers in the Preakness, 3 of them (Red Bullet, Bernardini and Rachel Alexandra) did not race in the Derby (the other two of course where Afleet Alex and Lookin at Lucky). With that being said, I don't buy Animal Kingdom. I think he was a horse who had things go his way in the Derby. No offence to his trainer or jockey, but his main owner irks many people and rubbed me the wrong way. I want a Deputed Testamony, which is why I'm going with Concealed Identity. He would be a popular win, since his trainer Eddie Gaudet has been in Maryland for a long time and it could send his jockey Sheldon Russell into the stradosphere. The thirteen post isn't ideal, but a horse has recently won from that post (see Rachel). Plus fans of possibly the second most popular Preakness winner this century would be extreamly happy since this would be his first G1 winner as a sire (of course I'm talking about Smarty Jones). It's a step up in class for him though, so the likelyhood of this actually happing is sadly slim to none :(. kMucho Macho Man for second and King Congee to suprise people for third.
Oh speaking of Smarty and Rachel, Versus is showing their Preakness highlights along with Alex's famous bump and run today at 3pm EDT just before Black Eyed Susan coverage begins.
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