The Kentucky Derby champion caused a disappointing disappointment from Saturday's 150th Presness stock due to lack of sovereignty. His ownership and training team made it clear that they did not think the Triple Crown was a prize worth chasing, but were content to target Belmont’s bet in early June.
Fortunately, this year’s Preakness remains an attractive race, mixed with the derby’s numerous returnees and promising newcomers to become stars. The winning horse will likely win a sovereign rendezvous in Belmont and have a chance to seize the supreme chance in the three-year-old division.
This is what I watched before Saturday’s game from Baltimore.
Journalism is a favorite of Kentucky Derby, and once again became a favorite of Morningline in Preakness. He surpassed 17 of Derby's 18 competitors, but second only to sovereignty. On Saturday, journalism will face a much smaller field (eight horses) and a question mark.
But the problem with the bet is the reason why he constitutes value. He listed at 8-5 in the morning, which was probably a steal from a horse in his caliber. But will these odds really catch, or will the public be thinking about the same thing? The lower the odds, the greater the motivation elsewhere, especially when you consider horse history in the same location: this century’s nine-man defeated Derby favorite has turned around and competed for preakness, but only two of them have won.
Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas are the two most decorated coaches in the sport, and they both performed well in this game. Baffert's eight wins were the biggest in history, with Lukas following seven behind him. Between them, they won the last two versions and a third of all Preakness since 1980, which is nearly half a century of span.
Baffert will send its target this weekend. Only two career starts, neither of your typical Baffert entry in the betting game. However, there is obvious upward potential. Both games he competed in were goal-oriented and did have an early pace, which could be beneficial to Preakness. But this is a big improvement in the level of competition, and with such a weak resume, the unknown is abundant. With Baffert's name, he will likely cause a lot of bets, thus lowering the price. Baffert's victory in this game was not with such a horse, but maybe it just reflects his confidence in this arena?
Meanwhile, Lukas is fulfilling his American promise, completing the track for the last time at Derby. His jockey Nik Juarez tried to make a middle move in that match, but eventually squeezed tightly between the other two before scrambling out of the battle. There is a lot to consider for that performance, especially given that the only win promised by the United States is much less than that. His best argument in this game is probably Lucas himself, who has won the guns before, including grabbing the grey 9-1 last year.
Sandman bypassed the horses here after running in Derby. He was very popular with the gambling public that day, which was the second option, but never competed and ended his seventh good match. His team made a late and surprising decision. His style as a deep-close horse is usually not good on Preakness, so he either needs to change things and get closer to speed, or he will rely on the former runner to burn too fast. His metallic-style name and celebrity ownership figures once again attracted a lot of support from the windows.
It used to be almost automatic, because a horse that came out of the Kentucky Derby could win. From 1984 to 2016, 30 of the 33 winners were running for Louisville. But since then, we seem to have entered a new era.
Modern coaches are increasingly reluctant to run horses often. Trying to make a two-week turnaround between Louisville and Baltimore is unimaginable for many of them. This opened the door for Derby-Skippers, the horses sitting on the roses, aiming at preakness instead. They now win six of their last eight games.
Baffert’s goal is one of them, but the most praised person may be smart again, and he shines with signs of glory in his three professional games. In his recent Oaklawn Park, Arkansas, he scored a Bayer speed score of 101, making him the only horse in the press, which he proposed a triple-digit number.
The Thames River is also vaguely visible. Back in March, he fought against sovereignty in a betting match, but his neck was lost. He may also sit in a good position on Saturday, just outside the fastest horses and be ready to take over late. Somehow, his coach, Hall of Fame member Todd Pletcher, was 10-0 in this game, although he often circumvented it with his top horses. The more money the journalism, Sandman and the goal drive, the smarter the Thames may emerge as the value plays.
Other derby captains are worth the spear. Heart of Honor is after a protracted journey from the Middle East, where he finished second in the betting competition, admiring Daytona (who later died at the Derby). Billy won the victory at the Maryland Lower Track, where he competed in the race’s customary local seat. It has been 42 years since a horse won the Prekness victory. In the games he won, Gosger's time and speed scores were the games he won.
I went all out in Derby, chose the good story of Lukas and American Promise, and I got a dry bank account. Don't think I don't want to forgive the end of that 16th-place derby and shoot another shot with him here, who knows, maybe I'll delay myself from doing that. But, like the fool I was in the Triple Crown game for Lucas Horses, I did look at some other possibilities.
Together with the rest of the NBC team, I will tell you what I thought of before Saturday’s game. (Don't worry, if I choose a horse to curse your horse, please have plenty of time to cancel the bet.)