Preakness 2012: Speed in Field Is Too Much for Went the Day Well to Overcome

Went the Day Well couldn't manage to overcome a field full of speed-demons on a muddy, sloppy day at Churchill Downs. So how is he going to beat them at the Preakness, when the shorter track at Pimlico will help his toughest competition more than it will help him?

The horse is currently a 6-1 long shot to win the Preakness, but he's sliding into many experts' predictions as a good sleeper pick. Part of his appeal is doubtlessly due to his trainer, Graham Motion, who won last year's Kentucky Derby with long shot Animal Kingdom. 

Hopes were high that Went the Day Well would pull off a similar upset for Motion at Churchill Downs this year, despite a talented field with a lot of speed. Motion's goal, in fact, was to raise Went the Day Well to emulate his 2011 champion.

Thus far, though, Went the Day Well's wins have been unimpressive. He hasn't been able to take down any of the top-tier competition that he's faced at the Derby and will run into against at Pimlico on Saturday. He won the Vinery Racing Spiral—the same race Animal Kingdom won right before going on to win the Derby—but the best horse he beat was Lexington Stakes champion All Squared Away.

Some have blamed Went the Day Well's poor start at the Derby on his No. 13 post position, but that wasn't as difficult to overcome as I'll Have Another's start at Gate 19, and somehow, I'll Have Another still managed to win.

But it wasn't all a wash for Went the Day Well and jockey John Velazquez. After they were bumped at the start, they still managed to recover well enough for a fourth-place finish, which was even more impressive considering they rallied from 10.5 lengths behind to finish 2.5 lengths behind champion I'll Have Another.

Perhaps this time around, in a less crowded field and with a No. 5 post position, Went the Day Well won't be hampered by a bad start and he'll be able to keep pace with some of the front-runners. There's no doubt that less traffic will serve him well, but still, the big question remains: Does he really have the speed to hang in there with Bodemeister and I'll Have Another? Can he keep up with the blazing pace they will likely set?

Went the Day Well is certainly a solid pick behind Bodemeister and I'll Have Another. However, he's offered no indication in the past that he can match their speed and on a track that plays precisely to the other horses' strengths, the Preakness is likely to be the same story as the Derby for Went the Day Well.