Posted on
5/18/2007 8:02:02 PM
Preakness Odds - Nine at The Preakness
By Harry Manback
Sometimes, less is more.
You can say this much for Saturday’s running of the Preakness Stakes: no traffic jams. Wednesday night saw a field of nine horses entered for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, well under the 20 thoroughbreds that populated the Kentucky Derby.
Here’s a rundown of the Pimlico Nine and their odds to win on Saturday, in order of post position.
1. Mint Slewlep (+2800): Not a lot of redeeming qualities for this long shot. Has never won a stakes race, took four tries to break his maiden, and has yet to post a Beyer speed figure of over 85.
2. Xchanger (+1400): Skipped the Derby to focus on the Preakness – not a historically successful strategy. Won the Tesio Stakes in April, making him the only horse in the field with Pimlico experience. Will be ridden by Ramon Dominguez, who has yet to win the Preakness in five appearances.
3. Circular Quay (+700): Finished sixth at the Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher is winless in 26 Triple Crown attempts, but confirmed Circular Quay for the Preakness after judging the field to be suitable for this hard-charging closer.
4. Curlin (+300): The early favorite for the Derby (eventually passed on the odds list by Street Sense) finished a very respectable third. The best value of the three top favorites; runs the preferred stalking style for the Preakness, and has three wins in four career races. Excellent dosage profile. Odds could shorten as Saturday approaches.
5. King of the Roxy (+1200): Pletcher’s second horse in the field. Also gave the Derby a pass. Garret Gomez will ride the colt for the first time on Saturday. Has yet to win a race of longer than 7-1/2 furlongs.
6. Flying First Class (+1800): Broke his maiden with a blistering 107 Beyer figure. Worth consideration as a long shot despite having skipped the Derby; did win the Derby Trial.
7. Hard Spun (+200): Easily the most competitive of the three frontrunners at the Preakness. Posted a 107 Beyer to finish second at the Derby. A 40-percent chance of rain (as of press time) could spoil the party. Only two Derby runners-up have won the Preakness in the past 46 races.
8. Street Sense (+140): Clearly the horse to beat, according to Pletcher. Favorites have cashed in at a 51-percent clip in Preakness history, including five of the last six years. Ended the “Juvenile Jinx” by winning the Derby. Despite outside draw, trainer Carl Nafzger says he’s happy with the 8-hole; Street Sense is a tremendous closer and will have the field in his sights from the get-go.
9. C P West (+1800): Trained by Nick Zito. Only two races this year, including a second at the Withers. Not expected to figure in Saturday’s outcome.
Keep checking the Locker Room all through the Triple Crown season, as we will cover the trainers, horses and jockeys in each race. You can get your early Preakness Stakes odds at Pimlico Racetrack place your bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook in the Future / props section, under Horse Futures: 2007 Preakness Stakes.