Preakness Picks 2012: Horses with No Chance to Win at Pimlico

Like any other sport, horse racing has its contenders and pretenders. The 2012 Preakness Stakes is no different.

The contenders for the 2012 Preakness are all familiar to anyone who watched the 138th Kentucky Derby. Creative Cause, Bodemeister and Went the Day Well will all contend for the Preakness crown. 2012 Kentucky Derby champion I'll Have Another will be in contention as well.

On the other side of these contenders are the hopeless pretenders. These horses do not have a chance of playing spoiler to a better horse's chances.

Guyana Star Dweej

This horse would be a finalist for "oddest horse name," but it will not contend for the 2012 Preakness.

Guyana Star Dweej has had a solid racing career thus far, but it has raced mostly on short courses. Of the six races it has started this year, Guyana Star Dweej has finished first in one, and second in four others.

Guyana Star Dweej does not have a notable pedigree. Eddington is his sire and Special Feeling is his dam. Neither had notable careers.

Guyana Star Dweej's jockey Eddie Castro has ridden Pimlico twice this year. This experience will help, but the horse still has to be fast.

Pedigree, previous experience and overall talent factor into triple crown champions. Guyana Star Dweej does not measure up in any of these categories.

Tiger Walk

Tiger Walk will not jump into relevance at this year's Preakness Stakes.

Tiger Walk has raced in three races this year. He has one third place finish to show for it. That third place finish came in the Grade III Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. Other than that, Tiger Walk was left on the outside looking in.

Tiger Walk did win the Allowance Optional Claiming at Laurel Park in 2011 and the Maiden Special Weight, also at Laurel Park that same year.

However, those are not the Preakness. The stage will be much larger and the competition will be fierce.

Don't expect Tiger Walk to challenge any favorites in this year's Preakness Stakes.

Brimstone Island

Brimstone Island is coming off a second-place finish at Pimlico this year. He took second in the Canonero II Stakes earlier this month.

Brimstone Island has had success this year overall. He has raced in seven races and taken first in three of them.

Again, though, the Preakness is an enormous stage against elite competition. The contenders for the Preakness are all experienced and coming off a 2012 Kentucky Derby performance. This puts them ahead of the competition in terms of conditioning and experience.

Brimstone Island's jockey Xavier Perez is also inexperienced. He has raced in 3,000-plus races in his young career, but none on this big stage.

Brimstone Island is a fine horse, but not of thoroughbred quality. Some horses enter Pimlico this year with hopes of spoiling I'll Have Another's triple crown chances.

Brimstone Island is not one of them.