Preakness 2012 Contenders: Long Shots with Best Shot at Finishing in the Money

The 2012 Preakness is custom made for long shots. The only two horses with odds anywhere near low enough to be considered favorites are Bodemeister and I'll Have Another, and it is easy enough to find holes in both horses that suggest they won't win. 

And even if they both do run strong and finish in the money, that still leaves one spot open for the rest of the horses. 

With all of that in mind, here are three long shots that are worth a look. 

*All odds according to Allhorseracing.com

Creative Cause, 10-1

At 10-1, Creative Cause is certainly not the longest of long shots, but I love this horse in this race. 

Cause came in fifth at the Derby, but it was an impressive fifth. This colt's biggest problem at the Derby was that he got locked in traffic, and he couldn't navigate that traffic successfully enough to get higher than fifth. 

This is not going to be nearly as big of a problem at the Preakness. This field is going to be much smaller than the field at the Derby. There will be a lot more room for him to operate and he has the speed to make some noise. 

While trying to wind in and out of traffic, Cause ended up running a much longer race than other horses and he was still able to maintain his speed throughout. 

Pretension, 25-1

This colt did not run in the Kentucky Derby, and it will be interesting to see how he handles this field. He certainly has the potential to make a run at the win, and this local horse should be calmed by the familiarity of his surroundings. 

Pretension is a horse just starting to find his groove. Owned by Irving Kidwell and trained by Chris Grove, Pretension had not lived up to his promise. 

He had a string of disappointing performances, but then everything seemed to fall into place. His last time out he was very impressive and won the Canonero II Stakes. 

Honestly, this is a high risk/reward bet. This horse could be overwhelmed, or he could just be finding his stride and explode onto the scene with a great run here. 

Teeth of the Dog, 20-1

This lightly raced horse is bursting with potential. He has just four starts, but has placed in the money in all four starts. 

This includes a victory in a mile and one-eighth race in an MSW race at Gulfstream and an impressive third place behind Gemologist and Alpha his last time on the track. 

Both of those horses raced in the Kentucky Derby. 

This horse has been gearing up for this race. It is still early in his career, but he obviously has the speed and drive to finish with the leaders.