The Kentucky Derby was amazing! Exaggerator almost looked like a winner, but a late charge by Nyquist had the odds-on favorite eventually winning the race. It was incredible that the top four favorites all finished in order. But will the odds be reliable when the horses head over for the Preakness Stakes? Read on as we take a look at the contenders heading into Pimlico, Baltimore.
For more on the Preakness Stakes, check out our experts picks for the winner and sleepers of the race.
There were plenty of Nyquist doubters heading into the Kentucky Derby. Those doubters are nowhere to be seen now as Nyquist shut them all up with a big win. The early fractions weren’t perfect, but they were fast. Jockey Mario Gutierrez expertly guided Nyquist, setting a good early pace before going all-out to close out the race.
Gutierrez and Nyquist could take one step closer to winning the Triple Crown. They have won their last three races together. Gutierrez already has some experience winning the Preakness. He did so in 2012 with I’ll Have Another after they won the Kentucky Derby.
Exaggerator is a strong finisher, but fell victim to Nyquist at the Kentucky Derby. Exaggerator is now a career 0-for-4 against Nyquist in his career. Nevertheless, he still had one hell of a shot at the Run for the Roses. If he made his charge a little bit sooner, then all the talk may be on Exaggerator and his chances of winning the Triple Crown.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux has a shot of guiding Exaggerator to a win at the Preakness, especially if Nyquist is already too tired after running his first race of more than six furlongs. Desormeaux is a two-time Preakness winner. He won with Real Quiet in 1998 and with Big Brown in 2008.
Steven Asmussend-trained Gun Runner entered the Derby as the points-leader with 151. He finished third behind Exaggerator and Nyquist. Gun Runner will have another shot at beating the two horses in the Preakness with the track being very similar to the one in Churchill Downs.
Gun Runner is a closer. He likes to stalk his opponents before sprinting off to ice the race. If he can start on his charge a little bit sooner, he may be able to contend with the rest of the favorites heading into this race. Jockey Florent Geroux isn’t looking too good though. He hasn’t won a race since finishing third at the Derby. But he did have a third-place finish on another Asmussen-trained horse, Lindisfarne, in his last outing at the Unbridled Sidney Stakes.
Cherry Wine didn’t race last week at Churchill Downs but gets a shot to win one of the jewels of the Triple Crown this coming weekend at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Cherry Wine looked excellent working out at Pimlico. He broke off solo under exercise rider Faustino Aguilo. He went about his business with minimal urging, which would be a good sign when taking orders from his jockey.
Preakness jockey Robby Albarado knows how to win. He finished first at the Unbridled Sidney Stakes and Doubledogdare recently. He also has four top six finishes in between those wins. Albarado rides a very obedient Cherry Wine this weekend, which could give him another win for show.
Lani, the Japanese-based, Kentucky-bred colt, is being entered into both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes after finishing ninth at the Kentucky Derby. Lani started slow at 17th into the first turn, but he eventually found his stride to finish ninth 10 ¾ lengths behind Nyquist.
Trainer Mikio Matsunaga was not satisfied with Lani’s performance. But it was understandable considering it was Lani’s first time racing in the United States. It’s highly likely that Yutaka Take will retain the mount on the colt. Take has ridden Lani in six of his seven starts, including a victory in the Grade 2 UAE Derby.
Fellowship didn’t make the cut for the Kentucky Derby. Instead, he took part in the undercard to finish fourth in the Grade III Pat Day Mile. It wasn’t much of a disappointing performance considering the tweaks that were made for the race. Trainer Mark Casse admitted to experimenting in the race. Fellowship made his move earlier than usual, moving to second before eventually finishing fourth.
Fellowship is a stakes winner, winning the Florida Sire in Reality on October 3. He was beaten twice by Mohaymen and hit the wire 4 ¼ lengths behind Nyquist in the Florida Derby. Jockey Jose LEzcano has not won since April 30, but has been close to the top recently. He has three top five finishes in his last five races. He could take advantage of a few tiring horses at the Preakness.
A son of Uncle Mo like Nyquist, Laoban is one horse worth looking at heading into the Preakness Stakes. Laoban is a speedy, front-running horse that could shake things up at Pimlico. He’s also pretty fresh after not making the taxing Kentucky Derby. His career record says he doesn’t have much of a shot, being 0 for 5. But he’ll be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr.
Santana jockey has a handful of wins this year, including one at the Arkansas Derby on Creator. He finished second at the MSW last week with Grand Candy and 13th at the Kentucky Derby with Creator. Santana will not have to contend with a packed field like he did against Creator at Churchill Downs. Creator is a slow starter who likes to explode near the final stretch of the race, whereas Laoban is a frontrunner with excellent speed capable of getting an early lead.
Uncle Lino is one fast colt. He set a track record at Los Alamitos while winning the 1 1/16-mile California Chrome Stakes in 1:40.82 on April 30. He then breezed the four furlongs at Santa Anito in 1:00 4/5 on May 13. Uncle Lino is another colt sired by Uncle Mo, which means that the breeding is there to help him. Being jockeyed by Fernando Perez should help. Perez has won two of his last four races.
A well-travelled three-year-old, Collected could be a nice underdog to back in the Preakness. He’s trained Bob Baffert, a Triple Crown-winning trainer, at Lexington, Kentucky. He opened his 2016 campaign with a win at the Sham Stakes and ran fourth in the Southwest at Oaklawn Park. He also won the Sunland Park Festival of Racing Stakes and the Lexington.
Trainer Baffert has won the Preakness six times, two times with non-Derby winners. He won the Preakness with Point Given in 2001 and Lookin at Lucky in 2010. Jockey Javier Castellano could boost Collected’s chances of triumph after winning the Preakness in 2006.
Todd Pletcher-trained Stradivari is the hottest new shooter heading into the Preakness. He has just three races, but he’s following the same path taken by 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini. Like Stradivari, Bernardini ran fourth in his first race, then won Gulfstream and the Withers at Aqueduct.
Stradivari’s two victories have been impressive, one by 11 ¼ lengths at Gulfstream Park last year, and the latest a a14 ½ lengths at Keeneland on April 17. He’s is taking on more experienced three-year old colts, but he has the talent to shake things up. Jockey John Velasquez gives Stradivari a great shot of winning. Velasquez won with a Pletcher-trained colt, Mongolian Prince, in his last race May 15.
