Medina Spirit went wire-to-wire to win the Kentucky Derby, and while that has happened 24 times, it has only happened three times in the last 30 years.
Getting to the front is what this horse wants to do, and he will have every opportunity to do that on Saturday at the Preakness Stakes.
Unless, of course, Bob Baffert’s OTHER horse does it.
That makes for some of the drama BetOnline customers can enjoy as they watch the festivities at Pimlico. Post time for the Preakness is 6:48 PM ET, and they will go a mile and three sixteenths.
Of course, some of the other drama involved whether Medina Spirit would even be able to run, but that didn’t last long, as Baffert was able to come to an agreement for testing that allowed his Derby winner to get the start, as they await the results of a second test for banned substances. If he fails that, he could be disqualified.
Let’s look at each of the ten horses in this race, by post position (BetOnline odds listed in parentheses):
1 – RAM (+3300) — First we should note that the sire is American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, and the trainer is D. Wayne Lukas, who has been a master of this race in the past, having won it five times. But this horse has never been in a stakes race. And it took seven unsuccessful attempts before he finally broke maiden. There are obviously a lot of other places we can look.
2 – KEEPMEINMIND (+2000) — It’s almost like this horse has had TWO careers. One of them took place as a two-year-old, with a win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and third place in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. That should have marked him a prime contender in the Triple Crown races, but his three-year-old campaign has been disastrous, with three out-of-the-money finishes, including the Derby (seventh). He has been in with stiff competition all the way, but is succumbing to it.
3 – MEDINA SPIRIT (+175) — Well, there have been three starts where he has been on the lead – those efforts led to wins. And there were three where he was just off the lead, and those led to second-place finishes. It may be a different situation here, since Baffert trains both this horse and the other one that could be setting the early pace (Concert Tour). So there’s likely a strategy in place. Five of Baffert’s six Derby winners have turned around and won the Preakness. If something beats him, it could be possible fatigue from coming back after just two weeks.
4 – CROWDED TRADE (+1200) — This is one of two horses Chad Brown is sending out. And this may be the one with more upside. Only three starts, but lost by just a nose in the Gotham Stakes and then came on strong in the Wood Memorial and faded just before the finish. We may not have seen the best this horse has to offer.
5 – MIDNIGHT BOURBON (+600) — A successful horse who has faced some very strong competition, if Midnight Bourbon can settle in just behind Medina Spirit and Concert Tour,he’ll have a chance to make some kind of move before they make the final turn. Throw out the sixth-place finish in the Derby, where he got bumped early on. Remember that the trainer is Steve Asmussen, who has won the Praakness twice.
6 – ROMBAUER (+1400) — Trainer Michael McCarthy sends out his first Preakness hopeful. Has won on turf and the synthetic, and then in a debut on dirt finished a close second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. Observers like his works. And they also like his chances to be in the money. But skeptics doubt that the pace is going to allow for him to run late effectively, which is what he’ll seek to do.
7 – FRANCE GO DE INA (+2500) — Comes over from Japan. First race in the U.S. May be aiming for the Belmont. Credentials lacking.
8 – UNBRIDLED HONOR (+2200) — This is another would-be closer, and Todd Fletcher’s hope to win his first Preakness. But he’s been competing in the minor leagues. Lowest money winner in the field ($78,550).
9 – RISK TAKING (+1200) — Chad Brown’s other horse. And he should have no problem making it this distance. Won the Withers Stakes after Brown put the blinkers on, but was very disappointing in the Wood Memorial. If you’re willing to throw that out, you may find this to be a “risk” well worth “taking.”
10 — CONCERT TOUR (+275) — This is the other horse Baffert has, and in the minds of many, the second best horse in this race, at the very least. It was the express purpose of owner Gary West – who, if you recall, owned Maximum Security as well – to skip the Kentucky Derby and aim for this race. This is the son of Street Sense, the 2007 Derby winner. And West has not entered his horse to be a “sidekick” to another win for Medina Spirit.
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Enter the $10,000 Preakness Stakes Matchups Contest and win a piece of the $10K prize. Just hit the head-to-head matchups and you’re all the way home!…… And don’t forget there are a host of props available in the BetOnline sportsbook, and of course dynamic action in the racebook…… You need to bet at least $10 in real-money wagers on the Preakness, so open an account using every conceivable payment method, including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies!
