Preakness 2012: Breakdown of Saturday's Top Contenders

All of us want to see history. All of us want the first Triple Crown since 1978. All of us will hope that I'll Have Another can win the Preakness and set history at the Belmont Stakes.

However, while all of the above is certainly possible, it seems unlikely. Alongside I'll Have Another, this field has several horses capable of winning this race.

Let's go through a few of those horses, outlining why the Preakness could be a special afternoon for one of them.

Bodemeister 

Clearly, Bodemeister is the favorite in this race. Despite running out of steam late in the Kentucky Derby, Bodemeister was amazing for most of the race, maintaining blistering pace for most of the contest.

The fact that he held on to second after front-running for so long is a testament to his ability.

On the shorter track at Pimlico, it's hard to imagine another horse keeping up with Bodemeister if he runs his race. He may not have been able to go wire-to-wire in the lead at Churchill Downs, but he might just be able to pull off the feat at the Preakness.

I'll Have Another

He surprised most of us with his Kentucky Derby win, and he'll be in the spotlight at the Preakness. Let's not underestimate him—the Derby wasn't a fluke. I'll Have Another is a talented horse.

However, he's also a horse that had the perfect run at the Derby. He avoided the crowd from Post 19, settled just behind the pace-setters, maintained a perfect gallop for most of the race and had a clear path to kick things into high-gear down the stretch.

It's possible that I'll Have Another can put together another perfect run at the Preakness, especially with a smaller field. However, anything less and the Preakness could be a very disappointing race for our Derby champ.

Went the Day Well

Had Went the Day Well not been swallowed in early traffic and found himself in 17th place in the early going, we may be talking about him instead of I'll Have Another as the Kentucky Derby winner.

Went the Day Well rallied valiantly at the end, finishing fourth and running as strong a race down the stretch as Dullahan and I'll Have Another.

With a smaller field to contend with, Went the Day Well should have less of a crowd to overcome at the Preakness. Don't be surprised if you see him storming past the field down the stretch, nosing out the front-runners for an exciting victory.

Creative Cause

Creative Cause finished outside of the top three for the first time in his career at the Derby, fading at the end and finishing in fifth place.

This horse has the talent to win. However, as Jay Cronley of ESPN notes, a bad habit often stands in his way:

"

I thought Creative Cause had won the [Kentucky Derby]. Then it did what it always does, which is fan wide on the turn coming for home. In all its races to date, this horse has had to have lost 20 lengths trying the second corner.

"

If Creative Cause runs a tighter race, look out—this horse could surprise folks at the Preakness.

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