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140TH PREAKNESS STAKES
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HORSE |
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TRAINER |
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JOCKEY |
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ODDS |
| 1 |
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American Pharoah |
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Bob Baffert |
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Victor Espinoza |
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4-5 |
| 2 |
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Dortmund |
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Bob Baffert |
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Martin Garcia |
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7-2 |
| 3 |
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Mr. Z |
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D. Wayne Lukas |
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Corey Nakatani |
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20-1 |
| 4 |
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Danzig Moon |
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Mark Casse |
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Julien Leparoux |
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15-1 |
| 5 |
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Tale of Verve |
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Dallas Stewart |
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Joel Rosario |
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30-1 |
| 6 |
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Bodhisattva |
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Jose Corrales |
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Trevor McCarthy |
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20-1 |
| 7 |
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Divining Rod |
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Arnaud Delacour |
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Javier Castellano |
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12-1 |
| 8 |
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Firing Line |
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Simon Callaghan |
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Gary Stevens |
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4-1 |
American Pharoah draws rail post, installed as 4-5
Preakness favorite
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| American Pharoah and Firing Line will face-off yet again in Preakness 140
(Jamie Newell/Horsephotos.com) |
Kentucky Derby (G1) winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) drew the No.
1 post position and was installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite for
Saturday's 140th running of the
Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course.
The Zayat Stables' homebred colt headlines an eight-horse field entered
Wednesday for the $1.5 million middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The Bob
Baffert trainee is scheduled to be joined in the starting gate Saturday by stablemate Dortmund (Big Brown), who was rated second in the morning-line at 7-2
after drawing post 2.
"I can't believe I drew the 1-2 of all draws," Baffert said. "I'm just glad I
didn't draw that for the Derby. Sometimes you've got to give a little. It's a
short field, eight horses. He still has to break well. If he's the best horse,
we'll find out."
Baffert was asked if the task is easier from the rail in a small field.
"I don't like the inside. I never like the one-hole," the Hall of Fame
conditioner and five-time Preakness winner said. "Sometimes they don't break as
well. (Dortmund's) drawn the one-hole before at Santa Anita. When I was watching
the draw and all these numbers were coming up, I go, 'This is not looking good.'
It's the luck of draw.
"We're there. I don't love it, but they'll be easy to watch."
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Victor Espinoza will be up on American Pharoah and Martin Garcia retains the
mount aboard Dortmund.
Firing Line (Line of David), who finished a length behind American Pharoah
and two lengths in front of Dortmund in the Derby, is rated third in the morning
line at 4-1 and will start from the far outside post.
"We're happy with that," trainer Simon Callaghan said of post 8. "We've got
options from out there. It's perfect. We're happy. I guess (the rail post
position) makes it a little tougher for (American Pharoah), but we're certainly
happy with our post position."
Gary Stevens, who piloted Oxbow to an upset Preakness victory in 2013, will
be up on Firing Line.
"If I can draw the trip up the same way that I would have drawn the draw up,
then we're in good shape," the Hall of Fame jockey said. "I'm pretty pleased."
Stevens believes the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Mr. Z (Malibu Moon), who was sold
mid-week to Calumet Farm, could dictate tactics for Firing Line's main rivals,
American Pharoah and Dortmund, from post 3.
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| Dortmund will attempt to turn the tables on his stablemate in the Preakness
(Rickelle Nelson/Horsephotos.com) |
"I think (the inside posts), it's going to force their hand a little, and
then with Mr. Z. drawn to the outside, I don't think it's any secret, Wayne
wanted his horse up close in the Derby. New owners, new connections now. It's
really going to force their hand down inside, and I'll have options.
"(Firing Line's) sat before. I sat in the Bob Lewis, and I was second to
Dortmund the first time. He'll sit about any trip. I wasn't overly concerned
about the draw. I told (owner) Mr. (Arnold) Zetcher just prior to it, I'd love
the outside, but if we don't, I'll be fine with where we're at. But with the way
everybody else drew, with those three being down inside, it gives me a lot of
options."
Lukas, a six-time Preakness winner, discussed tactics for Mr. Z after the
draw.
"We're going to probably be forwardly placed," the Hall of Famer said. "We've
got a horse on the outside of us, a couple of them, that haven't got a lot of
speed, so I think we'll be OK from there. It's a good spot. I was very pleased
with it.
"He didn't get any chance to run in the Derby. I think he'll run a good race.
He didn't get a lot out of the Derby and he's training well. We'll give him a
shot. I've been lucky here before."
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The Top three Kentucky Derby finishers arrived at Pimlico Wednesday afternoon
following a flight from Louisville, Kentucky that also included two other
Preakness entrants, Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon), the fifth-place Derby finisher,
and Tale of Verve (Tale of Ekati), who was entered in the Derby but did not draw
into the race from the also-eligible list.
Also entered in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness were Lexington Stakes (G3) winner
Divining Rod (Tapit) and Federico Tesio winner Bodhisattva (Student Council).
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