Preakness Predictions 2012: Horses Capable of Upsetting I'll Have Another

With Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another and runner-up Bodemeister installed as co-favorites for the Preakness Stakes, there hasn't been much talk about the other horses in the field. Compared to the big race at Churchill Downs, the main attraction at Pimlico Race Course isn't nearly as stacked, but there are still plenty of threats.

All eyes will be on I'll Have Another as race fans as a whole would love to see the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. It seems like pretty much any horse is capable of winning a big race in horse racing today, though, so there are certainly other horses worth taking a look at.

Here are three colts that have a real chance of playing spoiler in the Preakness by upsetting I'll Have Another as he tries to win the second leg of the Triple Crown and upsetting Bodemeister in the process as well.

Went The Day Well

Despite having just three races of experience heading into the Kentucky Derby and having virtually no hype surrounding him, Went The Day Well turned in an impressive performance as he finished just outside the money in fourth. In one respect, the Kentucky Derby's 20-horse field lends itself to some fluky finishes, but Went The Day Well entered the Derby on a two-race winning streak, so perhaps he was for real all along.

Jockey John Velazquez took Went The Day Well on a great trip in the Kentucky Derby and since he'll be saddling him again on Saturday, I believe that the underdog has a real shot. Went The Day Well's odds to win the Preakness are much more favorable than they were in the Kentucky Derby, but he still isn't getting much respect. Went The Day Well has never finished worse than fourth, though, so he'll be in the mix.

Creative Cause

Although bettors were a bit down on Creative Cause in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he still got quite a bit of play and ran well as he finished fifth. Creative Cause was among the most experienced horses heading into the race and he had never finished worse than third before the Derby. Expectations were pretty high for Creative Cause, so a fifth-place finish could be considered a disappointment, but it is encouraging at the same time.

Creative Cause has been ridden by Joel Rosario for his past several races and they appear to have a pretty good rapport with one another. Rosario knows what Creative Cause is and isn't capable of and that familiarity shouldn't be understated. The Preakness tends to produce some surprising winners and while Creative Cause wouldn't be a shock, he's a solid enough horse to get the job done.

Cozzetti

It isn't uncommon for a horse who didn't run in the Kentucky Derby to come from out of nowhere and win the Preakness, so it's certainly worth putting one such horse on this list. It may be tough to distinguish one of those horses from the others, but the one that I am most impressed with is Cozzetti. He only has one career victory and hasn't finished better than third in his past three, but Cozzetti has the closing speed to be a factor.

Cozzetti has been a factor in his past couple races with Jose Lezcano on board and that will be the case once again on Saturday. In a lot of ways, betting on important horse races has become a crap shoot of sorts as the favorites rarely come out on top. I'll Have Another was a perfect example of that in the Kentucky Derby, but now that the roles are reversed, a horse like Cozzetti has a good shot.

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