The Preakness Stakes offers redemption. Maybe Bodemeister won’t get caught in the stretch again by Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another. Perhaps Creative Cause won’t suffer another poor Derby trip early. Optimizer might not get caught on the rail to lose any chance in Louisville.
It’s a fresh race complete with sharper turns and a shorter distance that transforms jockeys into rocket scientists for two minutes. Saturday’s second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course will either confirm I’ll Have Another is his generation’s best or prove a Derby loser or new shooter is the better 3-year-old colt.
Indeed, Bodemeister will be the favorite should trainer Bob Baffert enter him on Wednesday. No matter I’ll Have Another ran by Bodemeister in the Churchill Downs stretch. And no matter that it’s a shorter race because the final push simply starts earlier.
Preakness bettors have long tossed aside Derby winners trying to find a more profitable option. That means fans will probably back Bodemeister to avenge his runner-up loss. Even I’ll Have Another trainer Doug O’Neill concedes the public isn’t convinced his colt is better.
“I can see that,” O’Neill said. “Bodemeister did run a huge race and coming [to Pimlico,] the distance is going to be shorter. I could see where the handicappers would give him an edge.
“The great thing about our colt is that he’s got enough natural speed. Bodemeister won’t get an easy lead. If he’s the only speed in there, I’ll Have Another just won’t be that far behind him. … I have all the confidence in my colt that he can bring that same race back here to Baltimore [Saturday].”
The Preakness traditionally favors front-runners, but Creative Cause should be in strong position entering the stretch after finishing fifth in the Derby. The California-based colt regularly waits until the final quarter mile to rally so bettors will use him in exactas and triples.
Then there’s Tiger Walk with one-time Maryland phenom jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard. Pimlico bettors remember Desormeaux dominating the Maryland circuit in the 1980s so plenty of money will back the rider who was left without a Preakness mount when Dullahan’s owners opted to wait for the Belmont Stakes after a disappointing Derby. Normally, Tiger Walk would be 50-to-1 after just two fourth-place stakes finishes, but locals have seen Desormeaux work his magic before so 20-to-1 seems more likely.
Derby runners Went the Day Well (fourth) and Optimizer (11th) could certainly run better. Went the Day Well was a promising runner in England last year with a pair of seconds and later won a moderate Derby prep race. He’s definitely in the wise guys’ bets. Optimizer is trained by five-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas, but he’s the only reason to consider the colt.
Then again, that’s what the Preakness is — a re-evaluation of potential. Someone will prove invaluable by winning the Triple Crown’s middle jewel.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
