Gary West:
The Derby is the most famous of races, but the Preakness the most revealing … saying that the Preakness distance is more reflective of today’s racing than the Belmont’s doesn’t imply that the 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico, still very long by quotidian standards, is any less testing. Bold Forbes, who won both the Derby and Belmont, couldn’t last in the 1976 Preakness after taking a clear advantage into the stretch. In the Triple Crown, the Preakness, quite simply, is most likely to be a truly run race, and its outcome most likely to reverberate with significance. That’s why 60 percent of its winners since 1964 have been champions and why Saturday’s 139th will define both this year’s Triple Crown and California Chrome.
Posted by JC in Racing on 05/15/2014 @ 6:00 am / Tagged Preakness Stakes / Follow @railbird on Twitter
After the Kentucky Derby winner jogged on Tuesday:
[Exercise rider Willie] Delgado said California Chrome seemed to prefer the dirt at Pimlico to that at Churchill Downs. “Churchill wasn’t one of his favorite tracks,†he said. “He just tolerated it.â€
California Chrome wasn’t drawing raves for the way he went over Churchill’s surface before the Derby — “not the prettiest mover,” observed Mike Welsch, “Jay Privman said he’s certainly looked better back west” — so it’s interesting to see him praised for how he’s handling Pimlico.
Apparently, he’s also feeling fresh (PDF):
California Chrome … didn’t seem to appreciate being shut down for the day after passing a “Sunrise at Old Hilltop” group near the wire after jogging an easy mile. “Settle down … settle down … settle down,” Delgado calmly asked of his charge as he began applying the brakes.
And holding his weight: Trainer Art Sherman estimates that California Chrome “has put on about 35 pounds since winning the Derby,” tweets Claire Novak.
It’s all looking good for Saturday …
5/15/14 Addendum: What’s this? Chrome coughs; his people say he’s fine.
Posted by JC in Racing on 05/14/2014 @ 9:00 am / Tagged California Chrome, Favorites, Pimlico, Preakness Stakes, Triple Crown / Follow @railbird on Twitter
Indulto on how his racing buddies bet now:
The difference is that my friends play five to 10 days a year compared to my 50 to 100. These days they’re into the entertainment and social aspect of the game with perhaps a slim possibility of making a score, even more than in staying in the black.
… they only participate when the best face the best.
They have expressed no interest in the majority of races they perceive to be less reliable; the contestants too frequently over-medicated to the detriment of horse, rider or bettor.
Sounds familiar to me, because it’s the way my own wagering shifted before I stopped betting entirely last December (for reasons that had to do with all the issues that might be lumped together as animal welfare).
Posted by JC in Racing on 05/12/2014 @ 7:40 am / Tagged Betting, Horseplayers / Follow @railbird on Twitter
