BIG AL'S PAID PREAKNESS WINNER
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on Curlin, and our recommendation is to wager on Curlin 'across the board' -- that is, to Win, Place, and Show.
One of the interesting differences between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes is how differently lightly-raced horses fare in each of these legs. In the Derby, it is almost a mortal certainty that any horse with three or less lifetime starts is not going to be in the same zip code as the winner. But two weeks later, in the second jewel, being a lightly-raced horse is not a negative factor at all. Indeed, some would say that it is an advantage. Suffice it to say that when Curlin, who only had three lifetime starts AND had never raced as a two-year old, stepped into the starting gate two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, most experts did not give him a snowball's chance in hell of finishing in the money. And when one considers that a) he had a virtual death knell of drawing the #2 hole in the 20 horse Derby field (you can pretty much throw out any horse in the first 4 post positions in that race); and b) he was steadied at the start of the race and found himself in 13th place early on, then it is nothing short of a miracle that Curlin managed to rally to finish third and pick up a nice paycheck for his owners. A feat that no doubt has gone largely unnoticed given the brilliant performances of both Hard Spun, and the winner of the race, Street Sense, both of whom got dream trips around the Churchill Downs track that day.
Hard Spun (who we cashed with an 'across the board' wager in the Derby) had a perfect post position for his running style, sprinted out to an uncontested lead, and almost stole the race under a brilliant pace ride by Mario Pino. Street Sense, who likes to close, was allowed to drop back without being bothered. And then, when Calvin "I love the golden rail at Churchill" Borel saw the inside open up, he simply guided Street Sense for a ground-saving trip around the track until he was able to collar Hard Spun in the final 1/8 of a mile and pull away to a somewhat easy victory. Now I don't take anything away from these two exceptional animals, but if Curlin can finish third given all the things he had going against him in that race, I sure like his chances a heck of a lot better as a lightly-raced horse with the #4 hole in a 9 horse field at Pimlico. Curlin's morning line is 7-2, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him drift up to 5-1, which would be a gift under these conditions. Big name trainers Todd Pletcher, Nick Zito, and D. Wayne Lucas are grasping at straws with inferior entries in this race that will no doubt suck up some money from the bettors who simply can't resist wagering on these guys come Triple Crown season. Curlin could be primed to deliver an eye-catching performance at very juicy odds. Let's wager on Curlin 'across the board'. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on Curlin, and our recommendation is to wager on Curlin 'across the board' -- that is, to Win, Place, and Show.
One of the interesting differences between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes is how differently lightly-raced horses fare in each of these legs. In the Derby, it is almost a mortal certainty that any horse with three or less lifetime starts is not going to be in the same zip code as the winner. But two weeks later, in the second jewel, being a lightly-raced horse is not a negative factor at all. Indeed, some would say that it is an advantage. Suffice it to say that when Curlin, who only had three lifetime starts AND had never raced as a two-year old, stepped into the starting gate two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, most experts did not give him a snowball's chance in hell of finishing in the money. And when one considers that a) he had a virtual death knell of drawing the #2 hole in the 20 horse Derby field (you can pretty much throw out any horse in the first 4 post positions in that race); and b) he was steadied at the start of the race and found himself in 13th place early on, then it is nothing short of a miracle that Curlin managed to rally to finish third and pick up a nice paycheck for his owners. A feat that no doubt has gone largely unnoticed given the brilliant performances of both Hard Spun, and the winner of the race, Street Sense, both of whom got dream trips around the Churchill Downs track that day.
Hard Spun (who we cashed with an 'across the board' wager in the Derby) had a perfect post position for his running style, sprinted out to an uncontested lead, and almost stole the race under a brilliant pace ride by Mario Pino. Street Sense, who likes to close, was allowed to drop back without being bothered. And then, when Calvin "I love the golden rail at Churchill" Borel saw the inside open up, he simply guided Street Sense for a ground-saving trip around the track until he was able to collar Hard Spun in the final 1/8 of a mile and pull away to a somewhat easy victory. Now I don't take anything away from these two exceptional animals, but if Curlin can finish third given all the things he had going against him in that race, I sure like his chances a heck of a lot better as a lightly-raced horse with the #4 hole in a 9 horse field at Pimlico. Curlin's morning line is 7-2, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him drift up to 5-1, which would be a gift under these conditions. Big name trainers Todd Pletcher, Nick Zito, and D. Wayne Lucas are grasping at straws with inferior entries in this race that will no doubt suck up some money from the bettors who simply can't resist wagering on these guys come Triple Crown season. Curlin could be primed to deliver an eye-catching performance at very juicy odds. Let's wager on Curlin 'across the board'. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
