Preakness 2012 Post Positions: Field Announced for 2nd Leg of Triple Crown
It's right around the corner! The Preakness Stakes. The Empire Strikes Back of Triple Crown horse races.
Too bad Luke Skywalker and Yoda won't be partaking in the 137th edition of Pimlico's biggest event, though there will still be plenty of Jedi Master-sized jockeys riding for glory in Baltimore on Saturday.
All eyes will be on I'll Have Another, who's looking to parlay a surprising win at the Kentucky Derby into another payday at the Preakness.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
And, of course, to keep alive the hopes of horse racing's first treble since Affirmed in 1978.
If nothing else, I'll Have Another wouldn't mind knocking Big Brown off his perch as the latest colt to claim the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
From which post will I'll Have Another start at Pimlico? And which ones will be occupied by his most dangerous challengers (i.e. Bodemeister, Went the Day Well, Creative Cause)?
Odds taken from the Associated Press.
A full list of post positions can be found at the official Preakness Stakes website.
| 1. | Tiger Walk | K. Desormeaux | 30-1 |
| 2. | Teeth of the Dog | J. Bravo | 15-1 |
| 3. | Pretension | J. Santiago | 30-1 |
| 4. | Zetterholm | J. Alvarado | 20-1 |
| 5. | Went the Day Well | J. Velazquez | 6-1 |
| 6. | Creative Cause | J. Rosario | 6-1 |
| 7. | Bodemeister | M. Smith | 8-5 |
| 8. | Daddy Nose Best | J. Leparoux | 12-1 |
| 9. | I'll Have Another | M. Guitierrez | 5-2 |
| 10. | Optimizer | C. Nakatani | 30-1 |
| 11. | Cozzetti | J. Lezcano | 30-1 |
Contenders
I'll Have Another showed some serious mettle at Churchill Downs and, as a result, should be taken seriously as a threat to extend his Triple Crown run.
His toughest challenge, though, is bound to come from Bodemeister in Post No. 7.
The Bob Baffert-trained beauty led for most of the Kentucky Derby, but finished in second place when heavy legs dragged him from three lengths ahead to a length-and-a-half behind down the stretch.
A shorter run at the Preakness, then, should bode well for the talented-but-previously-inexperienced Bodemeister.
Long Shots
Daddy Nose Best struggled to a 10th-place finish at the Kentucky Derby but should fare better at the Preakness, if only because there are only 10 other horses running.
The real intrigue in the long shots, though, comes from those colts who didn't run at Churchill Downs earlier this month.
Teeth of the Dog looks like the best of this particular bunch, thanks to a maiden win and a third-place finish at the Wood Memorial. Cozzetti and Tiger Walk both sport the sort of blazing speed to make things interesting, at the very least.
If past experience is any indication, then Pretension gets the nod after winning the Canonero II at Pimlico on Derby Day. If streaks matter, then the spotlight belongs to Zetterholm, who's won each of his last three races, albeit against lower-caliber, New York-bred competition.
Prediction
The six carryovers from the Kentucky Derby, in Posts 5-10, will come out in a mass of speed and horse hair, with Bodemeister emerging from the pack.
He's shown an ability to pull ahead from a central post, as he did at Churchill Downs from Post No. 6, and, as such, should be well-suited to a start from Post No. 7.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
