always dreaming had a problem free trip, although with a fast pace.
the main competition and IMHO the best horses, classic empire and
mccraken, were severely compromised at the start.
in addition classic empire traveled 75 more feet than the winner.
mccraken went 59 feet longer. the second place finisher, looking
at lee, actually went 14 feet less than the winner. with smaller
fields more likely in future races, the winner is more likely to
be the best horse, NOT THE HORSE WITH THE BEST TRIP.
the main competition and IMHO the best horses, classic empire and
mccraken, were severely compromised at the start.
in addition classic empire traveled 75 more feet than the winner.
mccraken went 59 feet longer. the second place finisher, looking
at lee, actually went 14 feet less than the winner. with smaller
fields more likely in future races, the winner is more likely to
be the best horse, NOT THE HORSE WITH THE BEST TRIP.
I pray he wins the Preakness as he is a throwout for the Belmont which is where we could see some nice prices in the exotics again.
Classic Empire was a victim of a brutal trip & still was the only horse making up ground in the end. His long sustained move is exactly what I like to see in a Belmont horse. Hopefully he skips the Preakness & waits for the Belmont.
Classic Empire was a victim of a brutal trip & still was the only horse making up ground in the end. His long sustained move is exactly what I like to see in a Belmont horse. Hopefully he skips the Preakness & waits for the Belmont.
Just be patient, guys.
We'll see bombs again. The 2nd and 3rd place horses weren't exactly gimmes. As for no cheap speed, Always Dreaming ran a length and a half off of 22 3/5; 46 2/5. That's pretty quick hor a 1 1/8 mi. Give the horse his due. He was much the best yesterday. But Lookin' at Lee was much the best foe second too at 33-1. The bombs will win again. Heck that was a $336.00 exacta and a $16,000 tri with the favorite on top. The Derby is still the best opportunity in all of betting to make a nice score.
We'll see bombs again. The 2nd and 3rd place horses weren't exactly gimmes. As for no cheap speed, Always Dreaming ran a length and a half off of 22 3/5; 46 2/5. That's pretty quick hor a 1 1/8 mi. Give the horse his due. He was much the best yesterday. But Lookin' at Lee was much the best foe second too at 33-1. The bombs will win again. Heck that was a $336.00 exacta and a $16,000 tri with the favorite on top. The Derby is still the best opportunity in all of betting to make a nice score.
I don't consider a $336 exacta or $16,000 trifecta bombs. 5 years in a row we have had the favorite win & a lot of that can be attributed to the points system being in place. It prevents us from getting the types of rabbits like a Spanish Chestnut who went 45 1/5. I miss having clear rabbits & potential speed stealing longshots that got overlooked. The points system will keep having the most logical horses being standouts in the derby & probably winning in the foreseeable future. I want to see prices like these again
$2 EXACTA 10-18 PAID $9,814.80 $2 TRIFECTA 10-18-12 PAID $133,134.80
$1 SUPERFECTA 10-18-12-17 PAID $864,253.50
Derby winner Always Dreaming, rival Classic Empire to start side-by-side at Preakness.
BALTIMORE -- The two best horses in the Preakness will be eyeball to eyeball coming out of the starting gate. There's no avoiding each other for Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and rival Classic Empire.
Always Dreaming is the early 4-5 favorite for the race Saturday at Pimlico, where he'll break from the No. 4 post. Classic Empire is the 3-1 second choice and will be right next door in the No. 5 hole.
"Hopefully, they both have good trips, break good and it could be interesting," said Mark Casse, who trains Classic Empire. "They could go at it right from the start."
Four of Always Dreaming's rivals are back to take him on in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Altogether, he'll face nine other horses in the 1 3/16-mile race worth $1.5 million.
Thirteen winners have started from the No. 4 post, most recently Curlin in 2007.
"It's fine," said Todd Pletcher, noting that Always Dreaming had the No. 4 post in the Florida Derby and No. 5 in the Kentucky Derby, two of his four victories this year. "He's usually a very good horse coming away from the gate."
Post positions were drawn Wednesday on a steamy, unseasonable 92-degree day.
If Always Dreaming and jockey John Velazquez win Saturday, next up would be the Belmont Stakes on June 10. American Pharoah swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont two years ago, ending a 37-year Triple Crown drought.
Classic Empire finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby after getting bounced around and having a rough early trip two weeks ago.
"We just want a fair shot at it," said Casse, who believes his horse didn't get to show his best effort after getting slammed coming out of the starting gate on a sloppy track that day.
Classic Empire won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year, when he was voted 2-year-old male champion. Casse insists the Preakness isn't about revenge, although he likened his horse to Rocky Balboa.
"The champ's been knocked down and he's going to come back and try to take back the crown," Casse said. "It's got nothing to do with revenge because Always Dreaming did nothing wrong. He's the champ and we're just going to go after him."
Casse likes the neighboring posts.
"We want people to watch," he said. "If we can't win, I want Always Dreaming to win because this sport is so important to me. It's always nice to have a horse going for the Triple Crown. If we can't win, I hope he does."
Always Dreaming and Classic Empire are the only two horses with single-digit odds in the field.
Lookin At Lee, the second-place finisher in the Derby, is the 10-1 third choice. He drew the No. 9 post.
Cloud Computing, one of five new shooters in the Preakness, is the 12-1 fourth choice. He will break from the No. 2 hole.
There's a pair of 15-1 shots: Gunnevera (seventh in the Derby) and Conquest Mo Money, whose owners paid $150,000 to supplement their horse.
Hence, the 11th-place finisher in the Derby, is listed at 20-1 on the morning line.
The field is rounded out by a trio of 30-1 shots: Multiplier, Senior Investment and Term of Art.
Calumet Farm is bringing back Hence for another try at Always Dreaming. The storied Kentucky stable also has Term of Art, trained by 2012 Preakness winner Doug O'Neill.
Trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle two starters: Lookin At Lee and Hence.
The field, from the pole, with jockeys: Multiplier (Joel Rosario), Cloud Computing (Javier Castellano), Hence (Florent Geroux), Always Dreaming (Velazquez), Classic Empire (Julien Leparoux), Gunnevera (Mike Smith), Term of Art (Jose Ortiz), Senior Investment (Channing Hill), Lookin At Lee (Corey Lanerie), Conquest Mo Money (Jorge Carreno).
BALTIMORE -- The two best horses in the Preakness will be eyeball to eyeball coming out of the starting gate. There's no avoiding each other for Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and rival Classic Empire.
Always Dreaming is the early 4-5 favorite for the race Saturday at Pimlico, where he'll break from the No. 4 post. Classic Empire is the 3-1 second choice and will be right next door in the No. 5 hole.
"Hopefully, they both have good trips, break good and it could be interesting," said Mark Casse, who trains Classic Empire. "They could go at it right from the start."
Four of Always Dreaming's rivals are back to take him on in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Altogether, he'll face nine other horses in the 1 3/16-mile race worth $1.5 million.
Thirteen winners have started from the No. 4 post, most recently Curlin in 2007.
"It's fine," said Todd Pletcher, noting that Always Dreaming had the No. 4 post in the Florida Derby and No. 5 in the Kentucky Derby, two of his four victories this year. "He's usually a very good horse coming away from the gate."
Post positions were drawn Wednesday on a steamy, unseasonable 92-degree day.
If Always Dreaming and jockey John Velazquez win Saturday, next up would be the Belmont Stakes on June 10. American Pharoah swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont two years ago, ending a 37-year Triple Crown drought.
Classic Empire finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby after getting bounced around and having a rough early trip two weeks ago.
"We just want a fair shot at it," said Casse, who believes his horse didn't get to show his best effort after getting slammed coming out of the starting gate on a sloppy track that day.
Classic Empire won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year, when he was voted 2-year-old male champion. Casse insists the Preakness isn't about revenge, although he likened his horse to Rocky Balboa.
"The champ's been knocked down and he's going to come back and try to take back the crown," Casse said. "It's got nothing to do with revenge because Always Dreaming did nothing wrong. He's the champ and we're just going to go after him."
Casse likes the neighboring posts.
"We want people to watch," he said. "If we can't win, I want Always Dreaming to win because this sport is so important to me. It's always nice to have a horse going for the Triple Crown. If we can't win, I hope he does."
Always Dreaming and Classic Empire are the only two horses with single-digit odds in the field.
Lookin At Lee, the second-place finisher in the Derby, is the 10-1 third choice. He drew the No. 9 post.
Cloud Computing, one of five new shooters in the Preakness, is the 12-1 fourth choice. He will break from the No. 2 hole.
There's a pair of 15-1 shots: Gunnevera (seventh in the Derby) and Conquest Mo Money, whose owners paid $150,000 to supplement their horse.
Hence, the 11th-place finisher in the Derby, is listed at 20-1 on the morning line.
The field is rounded out by a trio of 30-1 shots: Multiplier, Senior Investment and Term of Art.
Calumet Farm is bringing back Hence for another try at Always Dreaming. The storied Kentucky stable also has Term of Art, trained by 2012 Preakness winner Doug O'Neill.
Trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle two starters: Lookin At Lee and Hence.
The field, from the pole, with jockeys: Multiplier (Joel Rosario), Cloud Computing (Javier Castellano), Hence (Florent Geroux), Always Dreaming (Velazquez), Classic Empire (Julien Leparoux), Gunnevera (Mike Smith), Term of Art (Jose Ortiz), Senior Investment (Channing Hill), Lookin At Lee (Corey Lanerie), Conquest Mo Money (Jorge Carreno).
Gunnevera
