The 137th Preakness Stakes

As a public service: this is the last day Belmont reserved seats are available only at Aqueduct or Belmont. They go on Ticketmaster, Monday, if my info is correct . . .

 

Then factor in the 6 that occurred over a 13 year period from 1935-48, and you've got 9 of the 11 Triple Crown winners in an 18 year timeframe. Which leaves a grand total of 2 others over the space of the other 120 years they've run these races--perhaps an illustration of how hard it is to pull this off.

Would love to see it, but have a feeling this will end like the last 11 who went to New York with the chance to grab it. Dullahan and Union Rags would be especially troublesome opponents. Can only hope maybe this horse has the heart and the magic to bring it home.

 

I didn't realize it happened so many times in such a short timespan, only for it to become something so rare. I hope I'll Have Another does it, but like y'all, I fear somebody will ruin it.

 

Count me surprised.

Of all the horses that have come down the pike in the last 10 years or so, I thought several were better: Funny Cide, Smarty Jones and Big Brown for starters. I'm really shocked it's been so long since anyone won the triple crown --- we're talking about three races here, not 8 or 10 --- but maybe that's just the nature of the sport.... too hard to dominate.

Still, I'm guessing someone else will win the Belmont.

 

But they're three very different races. It's like expecting a NASCAR driver to sweep Daytona, Martinsville and Phoenix in the same season. Horses are generally bred for speed, or distance, or some combination. Speed helps in the Preakness. Less so in the Belmont.

 

You're right. It goes from 1 1/4 in the Derby to 1 3/16 in the Preakness to 1 1/2 in the Belmont. Hard for the same horse to do all three. That's why you see horses mainly run in sprints or in route races, but not many at all are able to be successful in both.
Bodemeister was able to go to the lead and stay there (most of the way, at least) because he was a horse that (I think they said this before the Derby) had never gone longer than 7 furlongs before, so he was a shorter-race horse. Put him in the Belmont and he'd fade badly.
I want to hope I'll Have Another will have enough left in the gas tank to get the extra 3/16ths of a mile that The Belmont brings, but I just don't know.

 

That's OK. I know a poor effort when I see it and that's one of 'em.

If you want to tackle the ills of horse racing, I'm fine with that. Just do it right.

 

Have to agree with DoubleDown on this one. I thought the column was pretty good.

 

A poor effort? Seriously?

That's baffling.

 

I didn't enjoy it, but I'm biased.

 

I don't think the column was attempting to tackle the ills of horse racing. I think it was pointing out that this could be a glorious moment for a sport that is fading out of the American sporting landscape.

I thought it was well-written.

 

Sorry to hear . . . but have observed that the infield for the Derby and Preakness decreases in charm for every year past 30 . . .