2012 Preakness Stakes Contenders
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
This Saturday horse racing fans from all over will have their eyes on the 2012 Preakness Stakes. I’ll Have Another tries to back up his win at the Kentucky Derby and become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. There are 11 horses in the field for the Preakness Stakes, including four horses that finished in the top five at the Kentucky Derby. Six horses that raced at the Derby are scheduled to start in the Preakness Stakes.
There is a lot that has to go right for a horse to win any given race, and just the smallest mishap can lead to a poor finish. The Kentucky Derby also showed us that just because a horse comes in as one of the favorites, it doesn’t mean they are a lock to win or even finish in the top five. Union Rags went off as the favorite in the Derby at 5/1 and finished a disappointing 7th. To help you get a better feel for the favorites at the Preakness Stakes, here is look at the top four contenders in terms of their odds to win. There is a very good chance one of these horses takes home The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.
Bodemeister (8/5) – With two wins and three seconds in five career starts, Bodemeister is a worthy favorite. He led for the first 1 3/16 miles at the Kentucky Derby before getting past by I’ll Have Another over the final sixteenth. The good news for Bodemeister is that the Preakness is run at 1 3/16 miles, which is a distance that should suit him well. His sensational 9 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby was as impressive a race as any horse in this field has posted. He ran that 1 1/8 track at a blazing 1:48 3/5 seconds.
I’ll Have Another (5/2) - Despite being just 13/1 to win the Run for the Roses, I’ll Have Another showed off his brilliant closing speed to pass Bodemeister for an upset victory. However, this horse had been running very well coming in. I’ll Have Another’s victory in the Kentucky Derby was his third in as many tries in 2012. He now has four wins in six career starts, including the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby along with the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes.
Creative Cause (6/1) - The Kentucky Derby was the first race that Creative Cause didn’t place inside the top three in nine career starts. He was within striking distance down the stretch, but faded to a fifth place finish. Still, the gray son of Giant’s Causeway has shown well throughout his career with four wins to his name. He also ran second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, finishing just a nose short of race winner I’ll Have Another, which went one to win the Kentucky Derby.
Went the Day Well (6/1) – His impressive run at the Kentucky Derby makes Went the Day Well one of the favorites to win the Preakness this weekend. Though he finished in fourth, his path to the finish line was probably the most exciting of all the horses in the Run for the Roses. Went the Day Well came from 17th place, 18 lengths back at one point, to finish just 2 1/2 lengths behind I’ll Have Another. He has two wins to his credit in four career starts, including a victory at the Grade 3 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes. He showed what he’s capable of at Churchill Downs, and now he must get off to a better start.
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