Handicapping the 146th Preakness Stakes

By Rick Francis —-

A group of ten three-year-olds are slated to go in the 146th running of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. Partly cloudy skies and mild temps await the field for their one mile and three-sixteenths journey and with a Derby champion in the field it promises to be an exciting race; let’s take a look at the starters.

PIMLICO

Race 13) 1&3/16ths Mile. Preakness S. Grade I. Purse $1,000,000 FOR THREE-YEAR-OLDS.
Post Time: ( 6:47)/ 5:47/ 4:47/ 3:47

1) Ram (Lukas/Santana); winner of 2-straight and though they both came facing lesser, American Pharaoh ridgling has demonstrated a solid late kick; race will have to fall apart up front to consider.

2) Keepmeinmind (Diodoro/Cohen); as a juvenile, Laoban colt offered much to like heading to his sophomore season, it just hasn’t materialized. He’s been well beaten in each of his last three including last out in Derby; pass.

3) Medina Spirit (Baffert/Velazquez); ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH!!! Protonico colt won the Derby fair and square; gate-to-wire at a mile and quarter. This was his sixth first or second finish; the only people sore are the one’s that didn’t get him at 12-1, which I am one, but not sore. Other than his stable mate, this colt can do the same thing to this field and 3 weeks from now look to be a Triple Crown champion.

4) Crowded Trade (Brown/Castellano); More Than Ready colt finished third in the Wood Memorial, which by all accounts was the weakest of any of the Derby prep contests.

5) Midnight Bourbon (Asmussen/Ortiz, I.); never off the board in his previous seven starts, Tiznow colt entered the Derby with virtually the same resume’ as Medina Spirit. He’s got a chance, but only to fill out trifectas.

6) Rombauer (McCarthy/Prat); a notch below these.

7) France Go de Ina (Mori/Rosario); the only person that knows anything about this horse is jockey Joel Rosario, who rode him to a sixth place finish at Dubai; pass.

8) Unbridled Honor (Pletcher/Saez); off track conditions aided this Honor Code colt’s place finish in the Lexington, not going to get that today.

9) Risk Taking (Brown/Ortiz, J.); bobbled his start in the Wood, however as the race favorite he should have been able to overcome that considering the weakness of that field; pass.

10) Concert Tour (Baffert/Smith); everyone was shocked when Super Stock flew past him and the field to win Arkansas Derby; connections did the right thing passing on Derby and now everyone will be able to see why; the pick.

Selections: 10, 3, 5, 2