Will the Preakness Stakes Stay at Pimlico?

With tomorrow marking the running of the 144th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, one of the inevitable questions arises:  Will the Preakness Stakes continue to be run at Old Hilltop in Baltimore, Maryland?

   Baltimore is not receiving good press these days, and the local city government has a lot to do with it.  While other cities are growing, Baltimore has lost almost 25% of its' population over the past 20 years or so.  Pimlico Race Course, once one of the foremost thoroughbred race courses in the United States, is now only open for 12 days of racing each year.  The income generated in those 12 days is not enough to meet the up-keep expenditures.  Indeed, structural problems have caused thousands of grandstand seats to be closed for this years' race.  Closing those seats because the structure is unsafe loses more income.

   A recent example of the city of Baltimore's almost hostile approach to property rights relates to the Preakness Stakes itself.  Pimlico Race Course has thrilled racing fans since 1873, but due to very little usage, the grounds and buildings have deteriorated (as in the case of the grandstand), until it seems that Pimlico's useful life as a thoroughbred race track is over. Pimlico's owners have wanted to relocate the Preakness to Laurel Park, the suburban race track in Laurel, Maryland, and Baltimore city officials are grumbling and complaining about the proposed move and the closure of the grandstand.
  Laurel Park currently has 159 days of racing each year.  It is located on a train line between Washington, D. C. and Baltimore.  Attendance at race tracks and revenue at tracks have been declining for several years, as rival entertainment and gambling options have grown exponentially.  Regarding the condition of Pimlico Race Course and its' buildings, the Maryland Stadium Authority has reported that an almost total demolition and rebuilding would be necessary to bring everything up to current building and crowd control standards.  They estimate the cost would be $424 million for the renovations deemed absolutely necessary.
  The owners of Pimlico (51% is owned by the Stronach Group and 49% by Penn National) would be wise in business if they prefer not to pay that cost up front, or even a significant part of it, since they would be operating two competing facilities (yes, they own Laurel, also) in the same area, while facing shrinking revenue.  So the owners have commenced lobbying the state for subsidies to enhance Laurel Park, and Baltimore city officials are fighting them.  The political tug-of-war is interesting to observe.

  Most recently, the city has unsheathed what it considers to be its ultimate weapon: a lawsuit threatening to use eminent domain to seize both Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes itself in order to keep the second jewel of the Triple Crown with the city limits of Baltimore.  That lawsuit comes on top of a 1987 law asserting that the Preakness may not be legally shifted out of the city of Baltimore except "in case of emergency."
   This seems extremely reminiscent of what happened back in the early-to-mid 1980s, when the city of Baltimore wanted to seize the NFL team, the Baltimore Colts, to prevent them from moving away from town.  Then owner Robert Irsay packed up all of the teams' belongings and moved them to Indianapolis overnight.....
   What will happen to the Preakness Stakes might be just as eye-opening.

The 1978 Preakness (and Triple Crown) winner, Affirmed (#6)

under the confident ride of Steve Cauthen

My Favorite Past Winners of the Preakness Stakes - Photos

The Preakness Stakes post positions will be drawn, and morning-line betting odds

will be announced a short time after 5 p.m. EDT; that means three here...

So, while we're waiting, here are photos of my 

favorite past winners of the Preakness:

Survivor won the first Preakness by 10 lengths in 1873;

his winning distance stood until Smarty Jones won by 10 1/2 lengths

Man o'War, 1920

His owner didn't believe in racing until the second half of May,

so the original Big Red did not run in the Kentucky Derby.

Gallant Fox, 1930

Bimelech, 1940

Tim Tam, 1958

Affirmed, 1978

Risen Star, 1988

under the ride of the great Eddie Delahoussaye

Cloud Computing Wins Preakness Stakes

The seven-to-five betting favorite, and winner of the Kentucky Derby, Always Dreaming, jumped out of the gate beside Classic Empire and the two colts led the field to the top of the stretch.  Then Always Dreaming began to fade drastically, even though the time for the early Preakness furlongs was slower than the Derby.  It looked like Classic Empire, the second betting choice, and last year's two-year-old champion, would win the race.  Then Cloud Computing, who last raced six weeks ago, came charging up beside Classic Empire.  The two colts battled the last sixteenth of a mile, but Cloud Computing managed to win by a head.  Classic Empire was four and 3/4 lengths ahead of Senior Investment, who was a half-length ahead of Lookin At Lee.  Always Dreaming faded to finish in eighth place.
   A $2 win ticket on Cloud Computing paid $28.80; a $2 place ticket on Classic Empire paid $4.40; and a $2 show ticket on Senior Investment paid $10.20.  A $2 exacta bet paid $98.40; a $2 trifecta bet paid $2,194.60; and a $2 superfecta bet paid $16,325.60.
   The race was completed in 1 minute, 55.98 seconds.  Here is the order of finish, with their Derby finish spots in parenthesis, if applicable:
1     Cloud Computing
2     Classic Empire  (4)
3     Senior Investment
4     Lookin At Lee  (2)
5     Gunnevera   (7)
6     Multiplier
7     Conquest Mo Money
8     Always Dreaming   (1)
9     Hence   (11)
10   Term of Art

  No Triple Crown Champion in 2017....

Ten Vie For Black-Eyed Susans

There will be ten colts running in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.  Half of them ran in the Kentucky Derby, while the other half are "fresh."  Nine of the ten colts were born in Kentucky, with Conquest Mo Money being a New York bred.  Following  are the post positions, name of the colt, (where he finished in the 20 horse Kentucky Derby field,) his morning line betting odds, and the name of his sire:
1     Multiplier                     50 to 1      The Factor
2     Cloud Computing        12 to 1      Maclean's Music
3     Hence  (11)                  20 to 1       Street Boss
4     Always Dreaming  (1)    4 to 5      Bodemeister
5     Classic Empire  (4)        3 to 1       Pioneer of the Nile
6     Gunnevera  (7)             15 to 1       Dialed In
7     Term Of Art                  30 to 1      Tiznow
8     Senior Investment        30 to 1       Discreetly Mine
9     Lookin At Lee  (2)       10 to 1       Lookin At Lucky
10   Conquest Mo Money    15 to 1      Uncle Mo

The post time for the Preakness is 6:48 (EDT); the purse is $1.5 million for the one and three-sixteenths mile race on the main dirt track.

Exaggerator Wins Preakness

There will be no American Triple Crown champion this year.  Nyquist, who was undefeated going into the second leg of the Triple Crown this afternoon, lost to Exaggerator, who had finished in second place, behind Nyquist in their four previous meetings.  Nyquist was the betting favorite, and most people had hopes of another Triple Crown winner, but it was not to be.  Nyquist popped out of the starting gate and was immediately engaged in a speed duel with two other horses for the first half mile.  As it was a wet track, most riders avoided the rail - except Kent Desormeoux, on Exaggerator.  Kent began his racing career at Pimlico and Laurel, and knows the track well. Other jockeys went wide around the track, but Exaggerator stayed on the rail and made up ground until the stretch.  Nyquist was tiring after a torrid pace, but finished in third place, just a nose behind Cherry Wine. Exaggerator, however, came out wide at the top of the stretch, swept by the front-runners and then angled back inside.  Stradivari, who was making his Stakes race debut finished in fourth place, with temperamental Lani in fifth.  The rest of the order of finish was: Laoban, Uncle Lino, Fellowship, Awesome Speed, Collected, and Abiding Star.  Uncle Lino was vanned off the track, after duelling early with Nyquist.  He had some inflammation in his left foreleg, but was not lame after returning to the barn area.
   Unfortunately, there were two deaths of horses in the Preakness undercard.  The first race was won by a 9-year-old gelding named Homeboykris.  He had been claimed last December, and was going to be retired and turned into a riding horse when he lost his interest in racing.  Homeboykris won his race, had his photo taken in the winner's circle, and began walking back to his barn.  He collapsed on the way, apparently from a heart attack.  Everyone was stunned.   At the end of the fourth race, on the turf, Pramedya took a misstep and fell.  Her fall was due to a bad break, and she was euthanized on the course.  Her jockey was taken by ambulance to a local Baltimore hospital, where he was treated for a broken clavicle.
  Breakdowns and injuries are the worst down-side of horse racing, for the creatures involved in running.  It comes with the territory - and it is upsetting and horrendous. I still remember Ruffian, and Barbaro - and I cried reading about Black Gold and other thoroughbreds who had the will to win, but whose bodies couldn't stand the stress.  I love watching horses run - whether in a race, or just out in pasture having a good time.  Having been involved with horses throughout my life, I realize that racing is a business, and money is, usually, the bottom line.  But I also know of pleasure horses that suffer missteps and are terribly injured.  I've lost horses to colic, to laminitis, to lightning, to old age, to liver and kidney failure.  I've seen them cast in stalls, impaled on fence posts, and completely wrapped in barbed wire...  Accidents happen everywhere - on the race track, and off.  On the farm, on rides, at horse shows, and on the road.  Even though our equine friends are generally much larger than we humans, they are still incredibly delicate creatures.  A single blow in a certain spot can kill a horse.  Running free, in pasture, having fun, a horse can turn an ankle, break a bone, fall and suffer a back injury - anything.
   I am never happy about the death of any animal - humans or others.  But death happens all around us, every day, in almost every way, shape and form imaginable...  I mourn for the two horses who lost their lives today.  But I cannot damn the racing industry - I have seen too much in 60 years of life on this planet.

The Preakness Runs Tomorrow

Time has really gotten away from me.   The second leg of the Triple Crown of American Thoroughbred Racing will be run tomorrow at Old Hilltop, or Pimlico Racetrack, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  The distance is 1/8 mile (or one furlong) less than the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago.  There are eleven entries for tomorrow's race, as it was decided that Gun Runner, who finished third in the Derby, would not participate in the Preakness.  Nyquist, who won the Derby, drew post 3 in the small field.   The entries are, by post position:

1.    Cherry Wine, a grey/roan colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Paddy O'Prado
2.    Uncle Lino,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
3.    Nyquist,    a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
4.    Awesome Speed,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Awesome Again
5.    Exaggerator,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sire by Curlin
6.    Lani,   a grey/roan colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Tapit
7.    Collected,   a chestnut colt bred in Kentucky, sired by City Zip
8.    Laoban,    a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Uncle Mo
9.    Abiding Star,  a bay colt bred in Florida, sired by Uncle Mo
10.  Fellowship,    a chestnut colt bred in Florida, sired by Awesome of Course
11.  Stradivari,   a bay colt bred in Kentucky, sired by Medaglio d'Oro

There are three runners from the Derby - Nyquist, the winner; Exaggerator, who placed second; and Lani, the Japanese trained colt who's grandsire is Sunday Silence.  Awesome Speed is the son of Awesome Again, while Fellowship is the grandson of Awesome Again.  There are the four colts sired by Uncle Mo - Nyquist, Uncle Lino, Laoban, and Abiding Star.  Nine of the eleven colts were bred in Kentucky, and two in Florida.   There are two grey or roan colts; two chestnut colts; and seven bay or brown colts.
   Will there be another Triple Crown Champion this year?  We'll find  out the possibility tomorrow....

A Week Before the Preakness, A Week After the Derby

Here we are, seven days after the Kentucky Derby and seven days before the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Maryland.  I'm running way behind on my reporting.  The complete order of finish for the Kentucky Derby, the full field of twenty horses, was as follows:  1 - Nyquist;  2 - Exaggerator; 3 - Gun Runner; 4 - Mohaymen; 5 - Suddenbreakingnews; 6 - Destin; 7 - Brody's Cause; 8 - Mo Tom; 9 - Lani; 10 - Mor Spirit; 11 - My Man Sam; 12 - Tom's Ready; 13 - Creator; 14 - Outwork; 15 - Danzing Candy; 16 - Trojan Nation; 17 - Oscar Nominated; 18 - Majesto; 19 - Whitmore; and 20 - Shagaf.  Shagaf had an excuse for finishing last in the Kentucky Derby; he just underwent surgery to remove bone chips in both his left knee and left ankle.  The colt will not run again until 2017.
  Barring illness and/or injury, it looks like a field of 12 (possibly 13) for next Saturday's Preakness at Old Hilltop.  From the Kentucky Derby, Nyquist, Exaggerator and Gun Runner, the top three finishers will carry on.  Lani, the Japanese owned and trained colt, who won the UAE Derby will also continue the Triple Crown trail.  The two colts who were on the Kentucky Derby stand-by roster will also run in the Preakness: Laoban and Cherry Wine.  Other expected entries are Fellowship, Dazzling Gem, Uncle Lino, Collected, Stradivari, and Awesome Speed.
  The owner and trainer of Abiding Star have also expressed interest in running for the Black-eyed Susans.  However, Abiding Star is stabled at Parx Racing, and that facility has been under quarantine for EHV since 1 April.  Abiding Star has never shown any symptoms of the disease, and Pimlico is ready to accept him, as soon as quarantine is lifted, which is expected on May 16 or 17.
  So four colts who raced in the Kentucky Derby will meet with eight or nine colts who did not race 1 and 1/4 miles next Saturday.  Then it's on to the Belmont Stakes three weeks later...  Will Nyquist win the Preakness next week?  Will he be a Triple Crown winner on June 11?  He will have to continue racing well, and have great racing luck to do so.  Great bloodlines, great training, great jockeys, good racing luck, and a great heart and will to win are needed to win America's Triple Crown.

Preakness a Rematch of the Derby?

If all goes according to plan, and none of the horses have problems, it looks as if American Pharoah, Firing Line and Dortmund will face each other again in the Preakness Stakes at old Hilltop.

Left to right: American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund

Frosted, who finished in fourth place will return to New York, and not run in the Preakness.  But, as in all the other years, new, fresh colts will be coming in to race against the Kentucky Derby contenders.  I still cringe when I remember the tirade that one of California Chrome's owners unleashed after his loss in the Belmont last year...  There is nothing, anywhere, that states that the colts who compete in all three of the Triple Crown races - the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes - shouldn't, couldn't, and will not run against fresh challengers in the second and third parts of the Triple Crown races.  That is one of the measures of a true champion - to be able to race three different distances over three different tracks in three different states in a period of five weeks, and to be able to win all three races against any and all other entrants. -  Jeez, I'm getting myself upset about it, which is stupid and nonproductive.

   The Zayat family, who owns American Pharoah, apparently loved his looks, as they bred his mother, Littleprincessemma, back to Pioneerof the Nile in both 2013 and 2014.  Here are some "family" photos:

Sire:  Pioneerof the Nile

Dam:  Littleprincessemma

American Pharoah as a foal

2014 filly is a full sister to American Pharoah

2015 colt, full brother, reportedly named Irish Pharoah

Will California Chrome Be a Triple Crown Champion?

California Chrome won the Preakness Stakes yesterday, and has now won two of the three races that constitute America's Triple Crown.  The gleaming chestnut colt avoided trouble in the Kentucky Derby, and won by more than four lengths.  Yesterday, he faced nine other horses, and six of them hadn't raced two weeks ago.  Ride On Curlin and General a Rod had raced in the Derby, and the filly Ria Antonia had raced the day before the Derby in the Kentucky Oaks.  Race track buffs were not impressed with California Chrome's speed figures in the Derby, and felt that the fresher horses, many of them with early speed, had a good chance to defeat the Derby winner.
  California Chrome won the Preakness by one-and-a-half lengths, with Ride On Curlin in second place, six-and-a-half lengths in front of Social Invasion, who was only a head in front of General a Rod.  Ride On Curlin seemed to be making up ground, but even if the race had been the same length as the Derby, I don't think he'd have been able to pass California Chrome.  Considering the fact that the Preakness is only two weeks after the Derby, I think that the Derby contenders did very well.    California Chrome paid $3 to win; Ride On Curlin paid $5.60 to place; and Social Invasion paid $3.40 to show.  The $2 exacta pay out was $18.20; and the $2 trifecta pay out was $76.  The rest of the field finished in this order: (5th) Ring Weekend, Pablo Del Monte, Dynamic Impact, Kid Cruz, Bayern, and Ria Antonia. Reports this morning say that all of the horses are fine and have no physical problems.
  In three weeks time, the third race of the Triple Crown will be run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.  This race is one-and-a-half miles, which will probably be the longest race any of these horses will ever run in their lives.  The Triple Crown is difficult to win - precisely because of the 5 week spread and the distances the horses have to run.  The horses who win the Triple Crown have to be adaptable to different dirt courses in three states; they run 1 and 1/4 miles the first weekend of May, 1 and 3/16 miles the third weekend of May, and 1 and 1/2 miles on the three weeks later, in June.  The differences in humidity, the consistency of the track surface, the length of the races, and the travelling between states, are all very telling on each horse.
At the moment, it looks as if ten horses will run in the Belmont Stakes - and there is, again, the possibility of a Triple Crown Champion, the first since Affirmed in 1978.