Preakness 2017 Gunnevera Ready for the Challenge
A field of 10 horses will head out Saturday for the 142nd Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
This year Always Dreaming is all the talk but the Kentucky Derby winner is not our top selection. The Kentucky Derby this year was run on a very wet track that favored Always Dreaming’s front running style. In that regard Always Dreaming has an advantage here as Pimlico is supposed to favor front-runners
There are some notable differences between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.
Preakness Stakes: 1 3/16 Miles (9.5 Furlongs)
Kentucky Derby: 1 1/4 Miles (10 Furlongs)
Traditionally, this track is considered to be faster than Churchill Downs. Although both courses use the same dirt, Pimlico’s surface is firmer which allows horses to get better traction.
The big difference will be the weather, no rain is predicted for The Preakness.
With no rain and a less horses, Gunnevera is our pick for the big race, yes I know, he was my pick for the Kentucky Derby, but given the wet track I think he deserves another chance.
Our Picks are
1. Gunnevera
2. Malagacy
3. Always Dreaming
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat thoroughbred horse race held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs (1 3⁄16 miles (1,900 m)) on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 lb (55 kg). It is the second jewel of the Triple Crown, held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes.
First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes was named by a former Maryland governor after a winning colt at Pimlico. The race has been termed “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans” because a blanket of yellow flowers altered to resemble Maryland’s state flower is placed around the winner’s neck. Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America among equestrian events, only surpassed by the Kentucky Derby.
The 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2017.
S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D
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