Preakness thread

[GreenMachine]

Post positions!

1–Macho Again/Dallas Stewart/Julien Leparoux/West Point Thoroughbred/20-1
2–Tres Borrachos/Beau Greely/Tyler Baze/Beau Greely, John Greely IV, and Phil Houchens/30-1
3-- Icabad Crane/Graham Motion/Jeremy Rose/Earle Mack/30-1
4–Yankee Bravo/Patrick Gallagher/Alex Solis/Richard Duggan, Bienstock and Winner Stables, and Harlequin Ranches/15-1
5–Behindatthebar/Todd Pletcher/David Flores/ Padua Stables, Michael Shustek, and Don Stanley/10-1
6–Racecar Rhapsody/Kenny McPeek/Robby Albarado/Jerry Carroll, Stan Kaplan, Ronald Plattner, and Mark Guilfoyle/30-1
7–Big Brown/Rick Dutrow/Kent Desormeaux/IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr./1-2
8–Kentucky Bear/Reade Baker/Jamie Theriot/Bear Stables/15-1
9–Stevil/Nick Zito/John Velazquez/Robert LaPenta/30-1
10–Riley Tucker/Bill Mott/Edgar Prado/Zayat Stables/30-1
11–Giant Moon/Rick Schosberg/Ramon Dominguez/Albert Fried Jr./30-1
12–Gayego/Paulo Lobo/Mike Smith/Cubanacan Stables/8-1
13–Hey Byrn/Eddie Plesa/Chuck Lopez/Beatrice Oxenberg/20-1

And it’s official: Big Brown will be retired to stud after his three-year-old season. Is anyone surprised?

[Drvmb1ggl3]

Well this is interesting, it remains to be seen how in depth it is, but on the face of it it will be a welcome addition of a bit of substance to NBC’s normally fluff coverage. NBC will hold a roundtable discussion on breakdowns as part of their Preakness coverage.
From IAEH website…

NBC’s two-hour Preakness broadcast is 30 minutes longer than last year and the most network coverage ever of the Preakness Stakes. NBC Sports’ Bob Costas will lead a roundtable discussion that will examine the tragic death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby and the challenges that lie ahead for the horse racing industry. Joining Costas will be Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones, NBC’s horse racing analyst Gary Stevens, Churchill Downs veterinarian Larry Bramlage, Alex Waldrop, CEO of the NTRA and veteran New York Times columnist William Rhoden.

COSTAS ON THIS SATURDAY’S ROUDNTABLE EXAMINING THE HORSE RACING INDUSTRY: “This is a worthy topic which is especially timely now. NBC has set aside enough time to do justice to the issues involved.”

[miss_critic]

I’ll tell you who Riley Tucker is-a poser, thats who!! LOL. I know this is racing and anything can happen yada yada yada…but serisously! Is he working out with Court Vision where they must be pulling a cart or something???

I’ll be at the race -Turfside Terrace! If you see anybody all in black-thats me

oh, i have to find that Breeders Cup thread. I got the order forms…holy crap are they sticking it to you…

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;3213195]
Well this is interesting, it remains to be seen how in depth it is, but on the face of it it will be a welcome addition of a bit of substance to NBC’s normally fluff coverage. NBC will hold a roundtable discussion on breakdowns as part of their Preakness coverage.[/QUOTE]

That’s why I cited it yesterday too USA Today also picked up on this as being part of the telecast. NBC is purportedly going to have 2-hours of Preakness coverage which in light of the smaller field should leave plenty of room to have a credible discussion.

ESPN’s video piece aired during yesterday’s selection show for the Preakness included one on Eight Belles which was very well done. Not your typical hack job with “cue the violins” and show her breaking down. I expect NBC to present the topic on the same professional level.

[Texarkana]

@miss_critic;3213455

I’ll tell you who Riley Tucker is-a poser, thats who!! LOL. I know this is racing and anything can happen yada yada yada…but serisously! Is he working out with Court Vision where they must be pulling a cart or something???

:lol:

I think all along they’ve had a bit of wishful thinking with him because of his namesake.*

(*understatement of the century)

[Glimmerglass]

So Big Brown’s flight was delayed significantly yesterday - he didn’t get into BWI until 7pm and Pimlico until 8 pm. He did however get a police escort from the airport to Old Hilltop which is amazing in 2008 that things like that are still provided.

Big Brown did workout this morning across the Pimlico track for “five minutes of galloping”.

[Glimmerglass]

BloodHorse has the video of Dutrow’s press conf last night and BB’s arrival

He seems really sick of the reporters questions which to be honest at this point have to be both repetitive and dumb. You can see why eventually even a nice guy like Matz becomes more like the oft-described curmudgeon Barclay Tagg

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=ravenclaw;3211922]
Since Big Brown is the UPS horse, why isn’t UPS shipping him to Pimlico?[/QUOTE]

Actually he was delivered by UPS - ground - from BWI

“UPS delivers Big Brown in style”

UPS delivered the Kentucky Derby winner to Pimlico Wednesday – a little late, although not the fault of UPS.

Big Brown’s entourage surrounding the 18-wheeler horse van that brought him from the airport included a UPS delivery truck, a UPS tractor-trailer cab and a police escort.

Not too much to ask, apparently, from the delivery company that asks what brown can do for you.

The entourage pulled into Pimlico about 8 p.m., about 1 1/2 hours later than expected. The horse charter plane had a busy schedule Wednesday, flying from California to Baltimore with one group of Preakness horses: Yankee Bravo, Macho Again and Gayego.

The plane then flew from Baltimore to Louisville to pick up Big Brown, Racecar Rhapsody, and Tres Borrachos.

By the way the AP dug out of the archives the classic photo of the idiot “fan” who in 1999 tried during the (G3) Maryland Breeders Cup Grade to punch Artax int he stretch. The race was DQ’s, the fan luckily only hit the jock’s boot, the wagers returned, Pimlico lost a lot of money, the intoxicated guy with some behavioral issues was banned for life from any event or race put on by the Maryland Jockey Club.

Image: AP - Pimlico Race Course May 15, 1999

[Glimmerglass]

You just have to love the upbeat nature of Nick Zito! Outguned he’s still going to say something nice about his runners

Albany Times Union 5-15-08 “Long shot Stevil a reach for Zito”

“I think my horse will put in a great performance,” said Zito, who was fourth in last year’s Preakness with C P West. “He tries all the time.”

Effort is wonderful, but talent typically matters more, and so far, Stevil hasn’t shown much, certainly as compared to the elite 3-year-olds of the sport.

He won his debut race Oct. 13 at Belmont Park, but in his past two races, he was 95-1 in the Louisiana Derby on March 8 and 68-1 in the Blue Grass on April 19 at Lexington. He finished fourth in the 12-horse Blue Grass field and fifth in the nine-horse Louisiana Derby.

Stevil will become Zito’s 19th starter in the second leg of the Triple Crown, tying him with Max Hirsch for second all-time. The Hall of Fame trainer still has a ways to go to catch fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who has started 32 horses in Baltimore’s signature race.

Though he anticipates maximum effort from his horse, Zito in reality harbors no high expectations for this Preakness, which is understandable. Only the connections of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown can walk the grounds of Pimlico with any kind of swagger.

If Stevil were to win, it would go down as one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history.

If Stevil runs well enough Saturday, Zito might give him a shot at the Belmont Stakes on June 7. And if he doesn’t, Zito also has Anak Nakal, the seventh-place finisher in the Derby at 53-1, waiting for another chance. Anak Nakal is at Zito’s summer base at the Oklahoma Training Track in Saratoga Springs.

[Glimmerglass]

Equibase/NTRA Past Performances for the 12th race at Pimlico (Grade 1 $1M Preakness Stakes)

[Glimmerglass]

Perhaps Bill Finley has spoken with the operators of the crystal ball and he knows the future …

ESPN 5-15-08 “Big Brown will win the Preakness, not the Belmont”

As for the Belmont Stakes …

The instant Big Brown crosses the wire in front in the Preakness, some will be ready to hand him the Triple Crown. Sure, it could happen. This is, after all, a very gifted horse. But the Belmont is the race where he is really going to be up against it.

His first problem will be his workload. Here is a horse who has had some injury issues already and will be asked to run three huge efforts in the span of five weeks. He’s going to have to be made of steel to hold up through all that. Chances are, he won’t.

It’s not the Preakness that swallows up Triple Crown contenders. It’s the Belmont, the last stop on the long, long road through the winter and spring, that gets them. There’s a reason why 10 straight Kentucky Derby-Preakness winners have been tripped up by the Belmont, all of them at very short prices. Most simply cannot duplicate their Derby and Preakness efforts.

Has anyone wondered if “Big Brown” as a name would’ve posed a conflict with the Jockey Club? Well prior to 2005 it would’ve been rejected as a trademark name: AP 5-15 “UPS bet on Big Brown pays off in brand exposure”

Big Brown was allowed since UPS abandoned its federal trademark on the use of name in 2005, Curran Jr. said. The company says it still maintains common law rights to the name.

Pompa, the trucking company who named Big Brown, has 20 other race horses, and said he’d considered naming more after companies if the rules allowed.

Kelly, who used to post in this Forum, is the one who brokered the marketing deal:

“It’s a marketing person’s dream,” said Kelly Wietsma, president of Equisponse, a horse racing marketing agency that negotiated the deal on behalf of Big Brown’s majority owner, IEAH Stables, and jockey Kent Desormeaux. “I mean, it was such a no-brainer.”

[Glimmerglass]

A surge in media requests for the Preakness

TB Times “Big Brown spurs increased media coverage”

Mike Gathagan, vice president of communications for the Maryland Jockey Club, said that the bulk of credential applications he received after the Derby were from New York media outlets wanting to cover Big Brown. The Derby-winning Boundary colt is owned and trained by New York residents.

Gathagan did add that a Los Angeles Times columnist, an extra Sports Illustrated writer, and a Fox News crew have requested credentials on the heels of Eight Belles’s breakdown.

Both networks that provide Preakness week coverage, ESPN and NBC, have planned features on the issues surrounding the Eight Belles breakdown, and National Thoroughbred Racing Association President Alex Waldrop will be on both networks.

[Texarkana]

For those who haven’t heard–
Behindatthebar is out… scratched due to a foot bruise.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;3216480]
For those who haven’t heard–
Behindatthebar is out… scratched due to a foot bruise.[/QUOTE]

In the words of John McEnroe ‘You can’t be serious!’

He was one of the few to likely give him a challenge … why not give him the vase now?

[Barnfairy]

Now now. Anything can happen in a horse race.

[WhiteCamry]

@Glimmerglass;3213896

BloodHorse has the video of Dutrow’s press conf last night and BB’s arrival

He seems really sick of the reporters questions which to be honest at this point have to be both repetitive and dumb. You can see why eventually even a nice guy like Matz becomes more like the oft-described curmudgeon Barclay Tagg

BB seems to have a little discoloration just behind his left shoulder.

[furlong47]

@WhiteCamry;3216814

BB seems to have a little discoloration just behind his left shoulder.

There’s a little white spot there :yes:

[Beezer]

The L.A. Times website has a really cute video (produced by the Baltimore Sun) of a little girl feeding Brown peppermints (among other video moments of him). Just some ordinary little kid, all wide-eyed and amazed that she’s seeing “a movie star.”

Highly amusing to see all the photographers elbowing and jabbing their way into position and Brown just cruising along.

Re the added media credentialling, that L.A. Times columnist would be Bill Dwyre, the paper’s former sports editor. He’s actually a longtime horse racing fan and has been writing some thoughtful columns on the sport. (Full disclosure: Know him, worked with him, like him. He was also the spousal unit’s boss when Dwyre was the sports editor.) Thank God he’s there, because the reporter covering racing for the Times is … well … never mind.

[Glimmerglass]

A. P. Arrow scratches from today’s Pimlico Special due to cholic …

[Dispatcher]

question: When a horse scratches, do the post positions all move in one to fill the space or does each horse keep it’s assigned post position?

thanks!