Preakness 2012 Horses: Which Pedigree Does the Best in This Race?

Many elements go into the makeup of a Triple Crown race-winning thoroughbred.

Speed, endurance, the riding skills of the jockey, preparation skills by the trainer and pedigree all decide if a horse has what it takes to win the biggest races.

Let's examine the pedigree of each horse and how the favorites' pedigrees stand out in the 137th annual Preakness Stakes.

*Sires and dams courtesy of PedigreeQuery.com

Colt	Sire	Dam
Tiger Walk	Tale of the Cat	Majestic Trail
Teeth of the Dog	Bluegrass Cat	Deputy Reality
Pretension	Bluegrass Cat	Main Streetin'
Zetterholm	Silver Train	Holy Wish
Went the Day Well	Proud Citizen	Tiz Maie's Day
Creative Cause	Giants Causeway	Dream of Summer
Bodemeister	Empire Maker	Untouched Talent
Daddy Nose Best	Scat Daddy	Follow Your Bliss
I'll Have Another	Flower Alley	Arch's Gal Edith
Optimizer	English Channel	Indy Pick
Cozzetti	Cozzenne	Lemon Drop Cello

Now, let's see which pedigrees are the best out of this year's participants.

I'll Have Another

I'll Have Another's sire, Flower Alley, is a noted distance runner.

Flower Alley won the Jim Dandy and Travers during his career. He also finished second in the Arkansas Derby. He even won the Salvador Mile when he was four years old.

Mr. Prospector and Distorted Humor can also be traced through Flower Alley's side of I'll Have Another's family tree.

I'll Have Another gets his sprinting ability from his dam, Arch's Gal Edith. She produced Archarcharch and Blame. Both were notable racers during their careers.

I'll Have Another has a blend of endurance and speed throughout his family tree. He has one of the oldest and most successful maternal lines in the United States, dating back to the 1830s.

Bodemeister

Bodemeister's sire Empire Maker was bred by 1990 Kentucky Derby champion Unbridled. He also comes from former Broodmare of the Year Toussaud.

Bodemeister's esteemed family line does not just run on his sire's side.

His dam, Untouched Talent, comes from one of the most successful sires in horse racing history, Storm Cat.

Storm Cat can be traced through fellow Preakness competitors Creative Cause and Daddy Nose Best. He also sired 1994 Preakness winner Tabasco Cat.

Bodemeister's line can be traced through success after success.

He will try and add to that success. His blue-blood pedigree increases his chances dramatically.