2011 Preakness Stakes Contenders: Who Outside of the Favorites Will Contend?
We all know who the favorites are for the 2011 Preakness. Animal Kingdom is the Kentucky Derby winner and the favorite to win again, Dailed In still has a large number of supporters and Mucho Macho Man and Nehro both had solid performances as well.
Those four are arguably the big front-runners to win the Preakness, though the other two horses that ran the derby, Midnight Interlude and Shackleford, could be in the mix. Those two, along with the other eight horses, all could be long shots to win.
Which horses are the biggest favorites to contend, excluding the big four above? Here are the horses that have the best shot at pulling off an upset, or will at least make the race competitive.
6. Midnight Interlude
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I was originally unsure of Midnight Interlude, particularly since he finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby. As a result, he's the only horse to race in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, yet has been written off in the latter.
Normally I would agree, but if there's one place this horse actually shines, it's on wet tracks, where he got one of his two wins. The Preakness is definitely going to be wet and muddy this year, so the horse will certainly improve on a bad Derby outing.
5. Dance City
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Dance City should have a great Preakness run for the same reason as Midnight Interlude. Dance City has run four races and has done well in all of them, yet has looked great while practicing on the wet track.
Being able to manage the rain and mud will give any horse a huge advantage, and it looks like that will keep Dance City in the thick of things. Having experience staying in the top three helps as well.
4. King Congie
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Unlike the preceding two horses, there isn't anything out there that says King Congie can handle wet tracks well. Why do I pick him to do well in the Preakness? His jockey.
Robby Albarado was slated to ride Animal Kingdom until he got injured, and he will be able to ride King Congie in the Preakness, since the trainers are sticking with the jockey they already have. Albarado will be looking for revenge, and as a result, this horse should do very well.
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3. Sway Away
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Despite the lack of wins or experience, many people are very high on Sway Away as an upset possibility, and I happen to agree with them. Despite not getting wins, he has participated in tough derbies and stayed high in the rankings, nonetheless.
I think that just missing out on the Kentucky Derby (since Uncle Mo was scratched, he should have been allowed to compete) will fuel that fire within him, and he'll show that side of him that we have yet to see and end up having a great race.
2. Astrology
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The fact that Astrology has never finished outside of the top three in seven career races is great in and of itself and means that it's likely that the horse can finish up there again, or at least be competitive in the Preakness.
When you add in A.P. Indy, Seattle Slew and Secretariat as ancestors, that's a great bloodline to have. If he has even some of that greatness in him, then he should be a pleasant surprise on Saturday.
1. Shackleford
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Every time Shackleford is considered a long shot, he shocks everyone and does great. He was a 68-1 long shot at the Florida Derby and finished second, and he was also a long shot at the Kentucky Derby as well, leading for most of the race before finishing fourth.
Despite how well he's been doing, he's not one of the horses with low odds entering the Preakness, and I don't get why. There's no way he doesn't finish outside of the top five, and he has a very real chance of winning so long as he doesn't let a horse pass him again.
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