2011 Preakness Stakes Favorites: Meet the Field at This Year's Race
There are only five more days until the 2011 Preakness Stakes, and the field has nearly been decided on. The combined 16 horses (Ruler of Ice dropped out earlier today) that have a possibility of being in the Preakness are all getting set for Saturday.
Depending on what you look for in a horse, there's something for everyone. There's the Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, many other Derby participants and just as many horses who have not even raced in an event of this magnitude.
There are horses what have impressive pedigrees, as many of them have fathers who won the Preakness, while others do not have ones that are particularly special.
Which horses have the best road to a Preakness victory? That is for the reader to decide, as all 17 field possibilities will be looked at here.
Animal Kingdom
1 of 16
The first horse up is, of course, the winner of the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Animal Kingdom is the son of famed turf horse Leroidesanimaux and German mare Dalicia. In five career races, the horse has never finished out of the top two, a very impressive record for any horse.
The Derby was actually Animal Kingdom's first run on dirt since, like his father, he started off as a turf horse. The rain could make it a challenge to win again, but as we saw in the Kentucky Derby, he can break away from the pack when he needs to.
Nehro
2 of 16
Nehro is one of a handful of horses in the field that may not race. His fate will be decided later today, and if he bows out, that opens the field for another to make a run.
Should he stay in the race, he's one of the favorites. He's had six career races, a win and three straight second-place derby finishes, including at Kentucky. He has solid bloodlines too, as his father, Mineshaft, won the American Horse of the Year Award in 2003.
The only question fans of his have to ask is whether he can break through the second-place finishes and finally win a major event.
Update: As of Tuesday, Nehro is out of the Preakness. See here for details.
Dialed In
3 of 16
The favorite in the Kentucky Derby apparently dialed in his performance there, as he only finished eighth. Nonetheless, Dialed In remains one of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby.
Another foal of Mineshaft's, making the Nehro-Dialed In sibling rivalry perhaps the best one no one's talking about, Dialed In has three wins in five career races to his credit.
Because of his Florida Derby win, a Preakness victory would mean a purse of $5.5 million. Needless to say, he has everything to race for on Saturday.
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Midnight Interlude
4 of 16
Midnight Interlude may have ended up being the most disappointing Kentucky Derby participant. After winning his last two races and never finishing out of the top three, the horse ended up finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby out of 19.
The foal of War Chant and Midnight Kiss, Midnight Interlude was one of the horses I was surprised to see racing int he Derby, if only because he tired late. If he was to tire in the Kentucky Derby, why would the same not happen in the Preakness after only a two-week gap?
While the 15-1 odds puts the horse away from the frontrunners, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby may have the energy to pull it off as long as he rebounds.
Mucho Macho Man
5 of 16
Another one of the favorites in the Kentucky Derby was Mucho Macho Man. He was in the thick of the race for most of it and eventually finished third, so those that bet on him possibly got something.
Mucho Macho Man is one of the veterans in this group, having nine races under his belt, including third place finishes at the Louisiana and Kentucky Derbies. He only has two wins in those nine races, though.
His father, Macho Uno, was a Breeders' Cup winner, and he at least has the aggressiveness to stay near the head of the pack, though he may not have the breakaway speed needed.
Shackleford
6 of 16
The last of the Kentucky Derby group, Shackleford was the surprising frontrunner for much of the race before slipping at the end, finishing in fourth place.
Shackleford has proven to be great despite longshot odds. He was at 23-1 for the Kentucky Derby, and at the Florida Derby he had 68-1 odds, yet finished in second narrowly to Dialed In. In his career, he has six races and two wins to his credit.
His father, Forestry, set a time record at the King's Bishop Stakes, so the element of shock and awe is in his blood.
Astrology
7 of 16
The first horse in the group that was not part of the Kentucky Derby, Astrology has a great track record so far in his career, finishing in the top three in all seven races he's entered, winning two.
His father, A.P. Indy, won the 1992 Belmont Stakes, and he has both Secretariat and Seattle Slew as ancestors, so there's no question Astrology has the bloodlines. The only question is how well he can handle the tougher competition.
King Congie
8 of 16
King Congie is not a horse with a huge amount of experience or great bloodlines, but the story behind the name is a touching one to read up on, and that's available here.
King Congie has three wins in six career races, with all of them coming on tracks greater than a mile, so he has the endurance to potentially pull off a Preakness win, though he's likely to be in the betting pool as a longshot.
Flashpoint
9 of 16
Flashpoint is perhaps the least experienced of the Preakness group, having only raced three times. Two of them were wins, though, and the fourth place Florida Derby finish is noteworthy as well.
While never racing before 2011 may cause some trouble, since he could be out of his element, it could mean he'll be a lot fresher as well. While those that ran in the Kentucky Derby will be tired, it could pave the way for him since he has less wear and tear.
Mr. Commons
10 of 16
Mr. Commons is another horse without too much experience, having won two of his four career starts. He is also notable for having only raced in California thus far, so the change to the east coast could be a major one.
The son of Breeders' Cup winner Artie Schiller, Mr. Commons seems to race best in the pack, waiting until the right time to make his move. We'll see how well that works this Saturday.
Sway Away
11 of 16
Sway Away was projected to be part of the Kentucky Derby, but was just short on earnings and ended up missing it. As a result, the horse who has four races without a win yet is considered a dark horse is looking for revenge.
The son of Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex, Sway Away has great bloodlines, and as a result, a lot of people are keeping a close eye on him, even though this would actually be his first career win.
Norman Asbjornson
12 of 16
Norman Asbjornson, named for the CEO of AAON, is an East Coast native, having notched a couple wins in Pennsylvania in his six career appearances on the racetrack.
He is the son of 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet. Norman Asbjornson has a lot to live up to, but he has performed well despite huge odds against him int he past, and he could do so again.
Dance City
13 of 16
Dance City is one of those that, according to reports, seems to be doing especially well on the muddy track, so he could end up being a longshot to win on Saturday.
The colt has four races and two wins in his career, and while his pedigree is not overly impressive, his speed even on muddy tracks is not something that can be discounted moving forward.
Concealed Identity
14 of 16
Concealed Identity may be the most confusing horse to figure out in this race. On the one hand, it's questionable if he will even be ready for Saturday's race and could be replaced, and in three races, the horse has no top three finishes.
Despite this, the horse is the son of Smarty Jones, who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, so if nothing else, the horse has great bloodlines on his side. Expect huge odds against him, though, as those come out.
Isn't He Perfect
15 of 16
These final two horses are ones that are alternates if one of the previous 14 decide to drop out. It's rather confusing, since the three-race horse Concealed Identity is in, yet Isn't He Perfect, who has ran 12 races, is out right now.
Actually, it's not all that confusing, and the reason is that of the 12 races he ran, only two were wins and three were top three finishes, so Isn't He Perfect actually is not so. Even if he gets in the Preakness, he will be a longshot.
Saratoga Red
16 of 16
Saratoga Red is another newcomer to the group, having only raced three times. The horse won in his debut, but was not very impressive in his other two races.
The racer has been training along with Dance City, as seen above, so the two may be able to rub off on each other. Both are longshots, and it's unlikely Saratoga Red will even be part of the Preakness, but all the horse can do is wait and see.
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