Preakness 2012: Power Ranking Best Non-Derby Horses

The favorites at the Preakness are all horses who ran at the Kentucky Derby, but that shouldn't be the case.

Some of the favorites such as I'll Have Another and Bodemeister certainly deserve it, but others are being hyped up for the wrong reasons.

I'll admit, I'm guilty of the same thing. I have hyped a horse like Daddy Nose Best—even though he was fairly bad at Churchill—just because he was in the Kentucky Derby and is fresh on my mind. But that's not the right way to go about previewing the big race at Pimlico.

So, here's a look at the best newbies, and whether or not you should be trusting them on Saturday. 

1. Teeth of the Dog

Michael Matz's horse has been steadily improving over his past three races, and he eventually topped it off with an impressive third-place finish at the Grade-1 Wood Memorial. 

And the two horses that Teeth of the Dog lost to on that day? Two eventual Kentucky Derby favorites, Gemologist and Alpha.

Of course, those two eventually disappointed at the Kentucky Derby, so that takes away a bit of the luster, but it's still good to know this horse can compete with the top colts. 

2. Zetterholm

While Zetterholm, a New York-bred horse who has only raced against in-state breeds, is far from having Preakness-like experience, he has won his last three races.

His last one was a mile long, so it's clear that he has the early sprinting speed necessary to make some noise. If the pace at the Preakness quickens, Zetterholm will surprise a lot of people.

Sure, everything has to go right, but for a 20-1 to even have the chance is something you want to pay attention to. 

3. Cozzetti

After the first two horses, things get a little murky.

Cozzetti, who has raced at the Grade-1 Arkansas and Grade-2 Tampa Bay, certainly has big-time experience, but he finished third and fourth in those races. It's unclear whether he will hang with the big boys at Pimlico.

Nonetheless, he's trained by Hall of Famer Dale Romans and has the outside position so he can let things materialize and then make his move. 

I don't expect Cozzetti to win, but he's an interesting choice to surprise some people and crack the Top 3. 

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