Even if you’re not planning to place little dough on the 134th running of the Preakness Stakes (Saturday, May 16), there are still plenty of intriguing storylines to follow. I’ve listed five below.
1. All eyes on Rachel Alexandra
The 3-year old will be only the fifth filly to run in the Preakness and she’ll try to be the first filly to win the race since Nellie Morse did so in 1924. Thanks in part to her amazing start in 2009, Rachel Alexandra is the favorite to win this year’s Preakness at 5/4 odds. She has won all four of her races this season and also finished first in her final race of 2008. But after pulling the 13 position at the draw on Wednesday, she’ll have her work cut out of her trying to come from the far-outside.
2. Mine That Bird gets dissed again
Mine That Bird can’t get any respect. The 3-year old colt won the Kentucky Derby a few weeks ago despite having 50/1 odds and even though he’s a contender for the Triple Crown, he doesn’t even have the best odds entering the Preakness. Mine That Bird is a mid-range favorite at 5/1, which follows Rachael Alexandra (5/4) and Kentucky Derby runner up Pioneerof The Nile (4/1). Mine That Bird wins the Kentucky Derby and doesn’t even get better odds than a filly and a horse he beat at Churchill Downs a few weeks ago. Where’s Kutcher, because Mine That Bird is getting punk’d.
3. Calvin Borel is set to ride
At Churchill Downs on May 2, the 42-year old became only the seventh jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby on the same weekend. Borel was forced to decide between Rachel Alexandra or Mine That Bird to ride at the Preakness and he chose the 3-year old filly over the horse he rode to victory at the Kentucky Derby. Borel then had to sit idle until Rachel Alexandra officially received a slot to run at the Preakness and now that he has a ride, can he provide more magic this weekend in Baltimore?
4. The Sleeper: Musket Man
Entering the Kentucky Derby, Musket Man was a 25/1 long shot, but finished third behind Mine That Bird and Pioneerof The Nile. If you look at his recent race history, you’ll see that he was quite the steal at 25/1. He had won six of his previous seven races entering the Kentucky Derby and had finished no worse than third in the only race he didn’t win. Considering he’s 10/1 to win the Preakness, is he another dark horse (pun definitely intended) candidate this weekend?
5. Total unpredictability
Unlike last year when everyone expected Big Brown to burn the field out of the gates, this year’s Preakness looks unpredictable. Even though Rachel Alexandra is a massive favorite at 5/4 odds, she has a tough post position at 13 and history isn’t on her side considering a filly hasn’t won the Preakness since 1924. Pioneerof The Nile, Mine That Bird, General Quarters, Papa Clem and Musket Man are all expected to give Rachael Alexandra a run for her money this Saturday.
To see the odds on this year’s Preakness, click here.
