Minor Speculum

Preakness

By Brad

I feel prepared.
The weekends in May often bring about moments of poverty stricken memories, dark sunglasses, and a mid afternoon smile that can only be described as perverse. May means horse racing and this weekend is the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Now being an avid fan of horse racing I would like to share the absolutely non-helpful little insight that I have. First the twelve-horse field has a total of five horses that have only won one race. With that said the real contenders would line up all right next to each other (post six out to twelve). The favorite is of course Super Saver ridden by Calvin Borel, the winner of the Kentucky Derby. This is a strong horse, but more importantly Calvin Borel has become legendary in his late years. Borel’s hug the rail style makes many, including myself, a little apprehensive to bet big on him since that is the easiest way for a horse to have a bad trip. Be it as it may at 5-2 he is a solid favorite that will only increase if the weather is bad. Bad weather will mean that Paddy O Prado will be up for contention, but as many found out in Kentucky, Paddy isn’t used to running on natural surfaces. He simply ran out of gas in Kentucky and held on for third as Ice Box blew by him for second, something his jockey has taken a lot of heat over in the last week. The new Irish horse of sorts to watch is Dublin at 10-1. Dublin is a speed horse and will need a clear weather day to run well. Lookin at Lucky is looking to redeem himself after a terrible trip in the Derby. He is a 3-1 after a jockey change was made early last week. There are two very capable horses that could make a run to upset the sports hope for a Triple Crown winner since forever ago. Jackson Bend (12-1) is a speed horse that many are looking at to set a pace early and Caracortado (10-1) has the strength to make a move down the stretch. Although as of now I default everything I know about racing to Scott Nykamp, the only man I have ever known personally to pick the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby. He is also well on his way to becoming a legend complete with a sponsorship from Woodford Reserve. So to find horses to bet on ask Scott. On Saturday I’m going with 1. Look in at Lucky 2. Caracortado 3. Super Saver 4. Paddy O Prado: with a two to win bet on Yawanna Twist, who isn’t that much of a long shot in my opinion.

Tags: horse Nykamp Preakness racing Scott

May 13, 2010 • Minor Speculum