Preakness Stakes 2012: Underdogs to Watch out for

Even without the draw of the Kentucky Derby losers, the Preakness is still a race worth watching.

There are plenty of post-Derby speedsters entering the second leg of the Triple Crown, and most of them are worthy of a bet.

But when you think about it, I'll Have Another wasn't a horse a lot of people were talking about leading up to the Kentucky Derby, so maybe there's a no-name underdog lingering in the background at the Preakness, ready to sweep the victory right out from under Bodemeister or I'll Have Another.

Here are some of the less attention-grabbing underdogs to consider before placing your Preakness bets.

Cozzetti

The news that third-place Kentucky Derby finisher Dullahan wouldn't be running in the Preakness came as a surprise, but it opened the door for Cozzetti to enter the field. The horse is another charge of Dale Romans, who trained last year's Preakness winner, Shackleford.

Cozzetti may not have the impressive resume of Bodemeister or Creative Cause, but he's proven he can compete after showing at the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby and finishing fourth in the Arkansas Derby behind Bodemeister.

The colt has been hard at work training at Churchill Downs this week, and he ran five furlongs in 0.58.8 seconds on Monday—in the mud. As anyone who watched the Derby saw, that's no small feat. 

Overall, Cozzetti's work on Monday was some of the best of the day among a field of 10 horses. If Bodemeister sets the speed standard, it's not hard to believe Cozzetti could pull an I'll Have Another and finish right up there with him. 

Teeth of the Dog

This one is trained by Michael Matz, who also commandeered Union Rags, the second-favorite at the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, Union Rags didn't fare so well at Churchill Downs, but Matz—a three-time Olympian—has proven he's capable of working magic, as he did with Barbaro in 2006.

Hopefully, some of that magic will pay off with Teeth of the Dog, who finished third at this year's Grade I Wood Memorial. The horse hasn't yet shown up to the track yet, though, despite the fact that late arrivals have proven to hurt other hopefuls in the past.

Still, Matz was confident after what he saw from the horse last weekend at the Fair Hill Training Center, when he ran five furlongs in 1:01.

Matz told Brisnet.com, "He worked real well and galloped out real good. We're all set for next Saturday."

If anyone with long odds is going to emerge from this field to take the win, a Matz-trained horse would be a good bet. 

Tiger Walk

Tiger Walk is owned by the founder and owner of Under Armour, Kevin Plank. After he won a Breeder's Cup with 46-1 long shot Shared Account in 2010, he figures now is the time to enter a horse in the Preakness with the goal of working his way up to developing a Triple Crown winner, according to the Associated Press.

Tiger Walk is trained by Ignaco Correas and finished fourth in the Wood Memorial. One major thing he does have going for him is his jockey, two-time Preakness victor Kent Desormeaux.

Desormeaux definitely believes his horse has a chance but still has some improving to do. He told the AP: 

"

No doubt, he needs to step up. He will run a good race because he always does. But a good race could be a fourth, or a fifth or a sixth. We’re working on that. He’s giving us more, but it might not be enough. 

"

This one is bound to get more product placement than Rickie Fowler gave Puma at the Player's Championship. Hopefully, though, Tiger Walk's jockey will get nicer threads than the Maryland football team.