HAPPY PREAKNESS DAY

AFTERNOON UPDATE

SOMETIMES CONFIDENCE IS A KILLER

There will be plenty written about today's Preakness and many 'what if's'. If you have seen enough horse races and you understand human nature however, you will likely know what hapenned today when Kentucky Derby winner STREET SENSE inexplicably lost the Preakess by a nose to CURLIN.
Benefitting from a rapid pace up front and so, so much the best, Street Sense made his patented move inside of runners, splitting rivals off the turn but wait a minute - this move was early, the confidence from jockey Calvin Borel brimming, but confidence can sometimes mean too much moxy - too soon. And that is what happened to Street Sense. He had blown by like the wind, he was on his way to win - and everyone thought that. No doubt, even his rider.
But, alas, there you have it. No Triple Crown winner and perhaps Street Sense was not worthy.
To these eyes however, he was the deserving winner of the Preakness.

It wasn't all that pretty at Woodbine for the stakes race either. Shipper SAHARA HEAT got away with slow pace fractions in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes and held on to win for the Darly Stable, trainer Eion Harty and jockey Fernando Jara.
Assistant trainer Oliver Casello said it best - "We wanted to keep him on Polytrack and the purses up at Woodbine are so good, we decided to take a chance."
The multi-million dollar yearling purchase was shrewdly made the favourite by the Woodbine public.

GETTING HIS ‘PHIL’

Woodbine yesterday

Trainer Phil Gracey started off the year 2 for 2 when he sent out SEARCH FOR A HALO to win yesterday’s 4^th race at Woodbine – his second winner off the winter layoff.

On the second day since more wax was added to the Polytrack surface (and more will be added in late July), the track offered less kickback, slow times and it seemed to be fair all around – perhaps with an edge to speed and stalkers in sprint races.

Search for a Halo is owned and was bred by Gail Wood and her sister, Dr. Ruth Barbour.

Gracey’s first starter of the meeting was allowance winner Bold Finish last weekend.

Two-time winners on yesterday’s card included EMMA-JAYNE WILSON, who rode Search for a Halo and longshot winner COUSIN SALLY in race 8. Wilson also may have been on another winner in DASH IT DARLING in race 10 but that filly had a horrendous, traffic-filled journey and landed on the edges. The winner of that race was LA MANCHA, an Ascot Knight homebred for Ian Jamieson and trainer Dan O’Callaghan.

Apprentice TYLER PIZARRO rode two winners – LAUNCH CODE in the first for Centennial Farms and trainer Alec Fehr and the fast improving EXECUTIVE FLIGHT for the red-hot Bill Sorokolit Jr. and Sr. team and trainer Darwin Banach. Executive Flight won the Nassau prep that was taken off the grass and run at 1 mile and 70 yards on Polytrack. She ran a 74 Beyer Figure.

IN DA GHETTO

Queen’s Plate eligible GHETTO SUPERSTAR made easy work of maidens around 2 turns yesterday at Woodbine in his second career start to get himself a spot in the Plate picture – even if he’s unseasoned and getting a late start.

The Touch Gold-Punchbowl colt is owned by Stronach Stables.

He put up a 77 Beyer Figure for the win in his first race with Lasix. Pat Husbands rode as Todd Kabel booked off.

Roger Attfield’s OURTIMETODANCE (Mark of Esteem) was a closing second and is also a Plate nominee. His stablemate, INCLUDE US (Include), is a longshot contender in today’s Marine Stakes even if he is also still a maiden.

ONE WAY STREET – PREAKNESS ANALYSIS

Courtesy TORONTO STAR

132nd PREAKNESS STAKES-G1; $1,000,000; 3-year-olds; second jewel of American Triple Crown; 1 3/16 miles; Pimlico racetrack, Baltimore, Maryland

Post time: 6:15 p.m.

THE FIELD

Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds

1 Mint Slewlep A. Garcia R. Bailes 20-1

2 Xchanger R. Dominguez M Shulman 15-1

3 Circular Quay J. Velazquez T. Pletcher 8-1

4 Curlin R. Albarado S. Asmussen 7-2

5 King of the Roxy G. Gomez T Pletcher 12-1

6 Flying First Class M. Guidry D. Wayne Lukas 20-1

7 Hard Spun M. Pino L. Jones 5-2

8 Street Sense C. Borel C. Nafzger 7-5

9 CP West E. Prado N. Zito 20-1

JENNIFER’S PICKS:

1 – STREET SENSE

2 – HARD SPUN

3 – CURLIN

LONGSHOT – KING OF THE ROXY

MADE DOLLARS WITH SENSE – Have to stick with STREET SENSE our Kentucky Derby pick who was totally dominant two weeks ago. Common sense says he benefited from a perfect trip in the Derby but this colt appears to be just that much better than his rivals.

TOUGH AS NAILS – In any other year, HARD SPUN would be the 3-year-old hero – this colt set very stiff pace fractions in the Derby and still almost won. A regally-bred, handsome colt, he will be tough to reel in again.

LEARNING AS HE GOES – CURLIN had a credible Derby outing – third after being shuffled back to 13th early in the race. That was just the fourth race of the colt’s career.

MUSIC MAN – Trainer Todd Pletcher had five in the Derby, none hit the board, and now he’s 0 for 31 with Triple Crown starters. Interesting that he kept KING OF THE ROXY out of the Derby to start in this shorter race. Now that the attention is off, Pletcher could pop up.

ROUND AND ROUND – Trainer Pletcher has another one in the race – CIRCULAR QUAY – who was sixth in the Derby and wasn’t originally considered for this race. Desperation by the trainer to win a Triple Crown race or did this guy bounce back that well?

BY THE LETTER – Lightly raced colt C P WEST was not in the Derby and the last time he met Street Sense, he lost by 22 lengths. Trainer Nick Zito has good Triple Crown history, just not lately.

22 AND CHANGE – That could be the opening two-furlong time of this race which would spell doom for XCHANGER, who likes to show speed along with Flying First Class and Hard Spun.

BACK OF THE BUS – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has not made much noise in Triple Crown races for years but he has the rapid FLYING FIRST CLASS in the field. This one figures to burn out early.

FEELING TIPSY – Longshot MINT SLEWLEP is named after the Mint Julep, the drink for the Kentucky Derby. This colt didn’t race in the Derby and shouldn’t be in here – his last three stakes race attempts saw the colt finish fourth at best.

MOM AND SON IN RACE 6

More Pimlico

Woodbine based LIKE MOM LIKE SONS is 2 to 1 and the second favourite for the Hirsch Jacobs Stakes – G3 at Pimlico. It is race 6 on the big card.

The Carson City Kentucky bred is trained by Sid Attard for owner Howard Walton and Garret Gomez will ride.

The colt has the outside post in the 8-horse field and meets some very fast runners to his inside.

We’ll see how good this 4 for 4 colt is after meeting some of these rapid dudes.

PICK 3 – DIXIE, SCHAEFFER, PREAKNESS

It will be hard to make money on the Preakness even if you think Hard Spun can beat Street Sense, or a combination therein.

A Pick 3 bet from this corner, starting on race 10 – the Grade 2 Dixie – would look like this:

Dixie: Cosmonaut, Einstein, Outperformance

Schaeffer Stakes: Ryan’s for Real, Hesanoldsalt, Flashy Bull

Preakess: Street Sense, Hard Spun, King of the Roxy

Cost = $27.00

Yesterday, PANTY RAID split fillies and won the Black Eyed Susan Stakes and that is a good frame of reference for Woodbine Oaks contender SEALY HILL. The latter, owned by Eugene Melnyk, beat Panty Raid in the Bourbonette Stakes at Turfway Park earlier this year.

Panty Raid is by the hot sire Include.

SWEEEEEEEEET

Who is the THE hottest Canadian-bred around. It could be so many horses, depending on whether you class them by stakes wins, money won, races won, Beyer Figures etc.

But what about SWEETAMYGEE?

An Ontario-bred by Perigee Moon-Rhapsodize, by Ascot Knight, Sweetamygee won her 5^th race in succession, a $25,000 claiming/ allowance race at 1 1/16 miles for PTK LLC at Pimlico yesterday. Her breeder is Amy Grant.

Sweetamygee was racing at Woodbine last year for $9,500 claiming for trainer Mike DePaulo and then went to Philly Park with Todd Beattie where she climbed up from low claiming; She won her Pimlico debut on May 4 by 7 ¾ lengths and was claimed for $25,000 by trainer Laura Dennis.

WHY IS IT CALLED THE MARINE?

Today’s Marine Stakes- Gr 3 – usually a Plate prep race but with only one Plate eligible in the race this year – got it’s name from a winner of the King Edward Gold Cup- in 1930.

Marine was a son of Man o’War that was owned by Montreal’s Ken Dawes. A Kentucky-bred, Marine won the Saratoga Handicap and the prestigious Miller Stakes and was 2^nd in the Travers Stakes. He also did well at stud, siring many stakes winners as well as the dam of Plate winner Major Factor.

The first Marine was run in 1956, the last year of Old Woodbine. The winner of the first Marine was Compactor, who raced 211 times in his career.

Today’s Marine field is a tricky one to handicap – just look at the Daily Racing Form consensus: the pick is maiden KUMA, who has raced just once.

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