2012 Preakness Stakes Picks
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
The 2012 Preakness Stakes is just around the corner. It’s time for me to make my picks on which horses will win, place and show at the second leg of the Triple Crown. I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby with a late charge to oust Bodemeister at the finish line. To no surprise, he and Bodemeister are the favorites to win the Preakness Stakes at 3/1.
While I’ll Have Another has a great shot at winning this Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, there have only been seven horses in the last 15 years who have won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The last time it happened was in 2008 by Big Brown. Last year, Animal Kingdom won the Kentucky Derby, but he was edged out by Shackleford and had to settle for second at the Middle Jewel.
Picking the winner of these Triple Crown races isn’t an easy task. Just six of the 12 horses scheduled to race this Saturday participated in the Kentucky Derby, so don’t expect to see the same race we saw at the Derby. Another thing that you have to keep in mind is the Preakness Stakes is 1/16 of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby. This race generally favors the speed horses rather than the closers.
1st Place (Win): Bodemeister (3/1) - This horse was extremely impressive in the Kentucky Derby. Bodemeister posted amazing fractions out of the gate and really set the tone for the race. He still finished second after setting such a ridiculous pace, but was passed over the final sixteenth of a mile by I’ll Have Another.
I believe the Preakness is the perfect distance for Bodemeister. It’s a 1 3/16-mile race instead of the 1 1/4 distance ran at the Derby. He ran the 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in 1:48 3/5 to win by 9 1/2 lengths, and I believe you’ll see a similar effort from him as he dominates the Preakness from start to finish as well.
2nd Place (Place): Went the Day Well (8/1) - This horse is the biggest threat to knock off both Bodemeister and I’ll Have Another. Went the Day Well managed to finish an impressive 4th in the Kentucky Derby, just 2 1/2 lengths back of the winner. What was most impressive about his run is that he struggled out of the gate and found himself 18 lengths back of the race leader in the early going.
The reason I like Went the Day Well to be able to finish second in the Preakness is his versatility. He has improved with each race, and he has shown he has the ability to contend from either a closing or a stalking position. In his victory at the Grade 3 Spriral Stakes, Went the Day Well was able to stalk the pace in the early stages.
3rd Place (Show): I’ll Have Another (3/1) – It would be foolish not to have the Kentucky Derby winner in the top three come Saturday. I’ll Have Another remained perfect in 2012 with his Derby victory, which was his third win in as many tries this year. I was one of the few who had him picked to win simply because I thought it was the perfect distance for him, and his closing ability would prevail in the end.
However, I’m not going to pick him to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. That’s because this race is a sixteenth of a mile shorter, and I don’t believe he’s going to be able to keep up with the pure speed of Bodemeister this time around. I’ll Have Another should be in all of your exotics as this is certainly a top three horse in this rather weak field.
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