Hard Spun wants another crack at Street Sense after watching the latter buzz by him at the sixteenth pole to win the Kentucky Derby. So does third-place Curlin, a frontrunner who blew the Derby’s start.
The 132nd Preakness Stakes on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course will have more than an overflowing infield. The starting gate should be filled with second-guessers seeking second chances against Street Sense.
Why take on the Derby champ after a convincing 2 1/4-length victory on Saturday when rallying from 19th to run down Hard Spun in the stretch? Because anything can happen. Who knew 2006 Derby winner Barbaro would break his ankle in the opening yards of the Preakness?
The Triple Crown offers different challenges at each stop. The Derby is a cavalry charge of 20 horses over 1 1/4 miles. The Belmont Stakes is an endurance run of 1 1/2 miles. The Preakness is a tactical race of 1 3/16 miles with tighter turns that favors the best rider and front-running horses more than the other two legs.
Everyone should respect Street Sense after a commanding Derby run, but history says don’t fear him. That’s why at least 11 horses should come to the Preakness with room for three more.
Hard Spun owner Larry Jones said Street Sense jockey Calvin Borel’s home track edge at Churchill Downs now switches to Mario Pino at Pimlico where he’s Maryland’s career leading jockey with 5,891 wins.
“[Churchill] is Calvin Borel’s track and he’s hard to beat here,” Jones said. “But we are going to Pino country and hopefully the Preakness will be a different story.”
Everyone has an angle. Derby losers Curlin, Sedgefield (fifth) and Teuflesberg (17th) figure to reach Baltimore. Trainer King Leatherburg’s Xchanger off his Federico Tesio Stakes victory heads six Triple Crown newcomers. Slew’s Tizzy, King of the Roxy, Chelokee, C P West may enter.D. Wayne Lukas seeks his sixth Preakness win with either Flying First Class or Starbase.
Street Sense will be a strong favorite and rightfully so. Probably 8-5. Hard Spun gets local backing for 5-2 with Curlin 3-1 because many believe a good start on a speed-favoring track will benefit him. The rest of the field is chasing this trio, though the Preakness tends to have long shots finish second.
This isn’t trainer Carl Nafzger’s first rodeo, though. The former bullrider won his second Derby in three tries because he’s an old-school conditioner who only comes with real contenders. His 1990 Derby winner Unbridled finished second in the Preakness.
The Triple Crown isn’t deep this year, but it has enough to entertain. Not that the 100,000 at Pimlico need help finding amusement, but it’s nice to see contenders instead of pretenders at Old Hilltop.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
