Kentucky Derby Blog

On Wednesday morning at Belmont, Dutrow addressed rumors that Big Brown would be retired after the Belmont and suggested the colt would instead move on to conquer the Travers Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in a two-race campaign to conclude his racing career. The Travers will be run Aug. 23 at Saratoga, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Santa Anita.

Dutrow said he had yet to confirm his plans with the heads of the International Equine Acquisitions Holdings syndicate, which owns Big Brown. But he said he was confident they would decide to keep the horse in training. At the end of his 3-year-old season, Big Brown will be retired to stud and will stand at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.

From Sir Barton in 1919 to Affirmed in 1978, thoroughbred racing has seen just 11 Triple Crown winners. Affirmed, the last Triple Crown winner, won Derby by 2-1/2 lengths, won Preakness by a neck and won Belmont by a nose all over Calumet Farm’s Alydar. Affirmed was an amazing horse and Alydar was as amazing as Affirmed. Watch the videos!

Belmont Stakes

Preakness

Kentucky Derby

Big Brown won the Preakness! Are we going to see the Triple Crown winner in 30 years?
Here is the 2008 Preakness results and payouts!

Gate  Horse          Min  Win   Place    Show
7  BIG BROWN         $2  $2.40  $2.60   $2.40
1  MACHO AGAIN       $2        $17.20  $10.40
3  ICABAD CRANE      $2                 $5.60

These are winning odds of each Preakness Stakes contenders without Big Brown. As I mentioned in previous list, Big Brown odds is 1-2.

Macho Again 8/1
Tres Borrachs 20/1
Icabad Crane 16/1
Yankee Bravo 6/1
Behindatthebar 4/1
Racecar Rhapsody 16/1
Kentucky Bear 5/1
Stevil 20/1
Riley Tucker 16/1
Giant Moon 7/1
Gayego 5/1
Hey Byrn 8/1

Here is interesting prop bet on Bodog.
Which will be greater: Big Brown Margin of Victory or Kobe Bryant assists in game 6 Friday May 16th?
Big Brown Winning Margin +2.5 -120
Kobe Bryant Assists -2.5 -120

Check out other props and bet on the Preakness!

2008 Preakness post positions have been drawn. This time, Big Brown is starting at post 7. Big Brown’s morning line odds is 1-2.

Post  Horse         Jockey           Trainer        ML Odds
1  Macho Again      Julien Leparoux  Dallas Stewart  20-1
2  Tres Borrachos   Tyler Baze       Beau Greely     30-1
3  Icabad Crane     Jeremy Rose      Graham Motion   30-1
4  Yankee Bravo     Alex Solis       Patrick Gallagher 15-1
5  Behindathebar    David Flores     Todd Pletcher   10-1
6  Racecar Rhapsody Robby Albarado   Ken McPeek      30-1
7  Big Brown        Kent Desormeaux  Rick Dutrow     1-2
8  Kentucky Bear    Jamie Theriot    Reade Baker     15-1
9  Stevil           John Velazquez   Nick Zito       30-1
10  Riley Tucker    Edgar Prado      Bill Mott       30-1
11  Giant Moon      Ramon Dominguez  Richard Schosberg  30-1
12  Gayego          Mike Smith       Paulo Lobo      8-1
13  Hey Byrn        Charles Lopez    Eddie Plesa     20-1

I found the title of USAtoday Preakness articles pretty funny. What’s in your five?
Five seems too much anyways. What’s in your three (list of Preakness winners)?

The Preakness favorite Big Brown jogged a one-mile over the muddy track at Churchill Downs last Sunday. Michelle Nevin was aboard Big Brown, who will continue his Triple Crown quest in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

With only two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness, Dutrow is determined not to put any stress on the unbeaten colt. “I figure the lighter I train him the better, because everyone can see that he’s fit,” Dutrow said Thursday. “He’s got plenty of talent so I don’t want to squeeze anything out of him. If someone makes him run in the afternoon he’ll at least have it left in him. It’s as slow and easy with this horse as I can.”

Big Brown is scheduled to ship from Louisville to Pimlico on Wednesday.

The list of Preakness contenders set to test Big Brown grew today as Hey Byrn, Icabad Crane and Riley Tucker are now confirmed starters upping the field for $1 million classic to 12.

Icabad Crane won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico on April 19 for trainer Graham Motion. Jeremy Rose, who captured the 2005 Preakness aboard Afleet Alex, is riding him.

Hey Byrn, who won the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfsteam Park on April 12, would be bound for the Preakness.

Riley Tucker is headed to Baltimore for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The Bill Mott trainee has finished in the money six times in seven lifetime starts. Former Maryland riding star Edgar Prado will be aboard the son of Harlan’s Holiday. Prado became the 19th jockey in thoroughbred racing history to win 5,000 races and he rode Barbaro to victory in the 132nd Kentucky Derby.

The Preakness Stakes is the second and shortest leg of the Triple Crown.

Race Date: Saturday May 17th.
Post time is 6:15 PM Eastern
TV coverage begins at 5 PM Eastern on NBC.

The Preakness results will tell whether there will be a Triple Crown winner this year. I really like to see a Triple Crown winner.

The owners of fifth-place Derby finisher Recapturetheglory have decided to contest the 2008 Preakness Stakes, making him the only Derby horse other than Big Brown who will continue on to the 2nd Triple Crown race.

These are confirmed 2008 Preakness Contenders.

Behindatthebar
Trainer: Todd Pletcher Jockey: David Flores
Owner: Padua Stables

Big Brown
Trainer: Richard Dutrow, Jr. Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Owner: IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., et al

Giant Moon
Trainer: Richard E. Schosberg Jockey: Ramon Dominguez
Owner: Albert Fried, Jr.

Kentucky Bear
Trainer: Reade Baker Jockey: Jamie Theriot
Owner: Bear Stables

Racecar Rhapsody
Trainer: Kenny McPeek Jockey: Robby Albarado
Owner: Jerry Carroll, Stan Kaplan, Ronald Plattner, and Mark Guilfoyle

Recapturetheglory
Trainer: Louie J. Roussel III Jockey: E.T. Baird
Owner: Louie J. Roussel III & Ronald Lamarque

Stevil
Trainer: Nick Zito Jockey: John Velazquez
Owner: Robert LaPenta

Tres Borrachos
Trainer: Beau Greely Jockey: Tyler Baze
Owner: Phil Houchens and Beau and John Greely IV

Yankee Bravo
Trainer: Paddy Gallagher Jockey: Alex Solis
Owner: Harlequin Ranches, Bienstock, Winner, & Duggan

As of Tuesday afternoon on May 6th there were seven confirmed starters for the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes: Big Brown; Behindatthebar; Giant Moon; Kentucky Bear; Stevil; Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo along with four other potential runners. Only Big Brown ran in the Derby among these 7 horses. The only Kentucky Derby starter who might return to challenge the Boundary colt is Derby fifth-place finisher Recapturetheglory. If Recapturetheglory skips the Preakness, it will be the first time in 60 years the Derby winner will not face any horses who ran against him in the Kentucky Derby.

Here is the 2007 Preakness video where Curlin beat Street Sense by nose.