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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "Morning-line odds: 10-1
Post position: 1
Lifetime starts: 7
Record: 5 wins, 1 second, 1 third
Earnings: $890,250
Jockey: John Velazquez
Trainer: David Fawkes
Owner: Harold Queen
Pedigree: Montbrook/Riveting Drama (Notebook)
Key facts: Crack sprinter appeared to have run his win-streak to six before being disqualified to second on the 7-furlong Swale Stakes (Gr. 2) at Gulfstream in his last start. He's not an uncontrollable speedball type, however and he did win twice at 1 1/16 miles last year, so maybe he’ll forget to stop.";
spt_Preakness09[i++] = new Array("","Flying Private","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/d64bc5ed-b14a-4a45-b085-69753261734d.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Rob Carr", "AP", "273", "188", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 50-1
Post position: 10
Lifetime starts: 11
Record: 1 win, 4 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $193,080
Jockey: Alan Garcia
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Owner: Grand Slam Farm
Pedigree: Fusaichi Pegasus/Beautiful Treasure (Unbridled)
Key facts: Finished dead last in the Kentucky Derby, but Lukas never has been one to sit out a Triple Crown race if he doesn't have to. Finding a logical reason to back him to win is tough to do, but you can always use Mine That Bird's Derby victory to make the case that this guy could unexpectedly jump up.";
spt_Preakness09[i++] = new Array("","Friesan Fire","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/friesan-fire.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Alexander Barkoff", "AP", "246", "368", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 6-1
Post position: 5
Lifetime starts: 8
Record: 4 wins, 1 second, 1 third
Earnings: $603,265
Jockey: Gabriel Saez
Trainer: Larry Jones
Owner: Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm
Pedigree: A.P. Indy/Bollinger *Aus. (Dehere)
Key facts: A troubled start in the Kentucky Derby (gr. 1) left the 7-2 favorite in a difficult spot from the get-go and he never recovered, winding up 18th of 19 runners. If you liked him then, you've got to like him now, as his odds will be much better. The bad news is that he got banged up pretty bad in the race and may be a notch or two below his best.";
spt_Preakness09[i++] = new Array("","General Quarters","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/general-quarters.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Ed Reinke", "AP", "246", "368", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 20-1
Post position: 8
Lifetime starts: 12
Record: 3 wins, 3 seconds, 1 third
Earnings: $641,735
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
Trainer: Thomas R. McCarthy
Owner: Thomas R. McCarthy
Pedigree: Sky Mesa/Ecology (Unbridled’s Song)
Key facts: Feel-good runner from trainer's one-horse stable was well supported in the betting in the Kentucky Derby, but didn't kick in with his usual late run and checked in 10th. He's certainly eligible to improve on that effort in this less-crowded field, but he's going to have to run the best race of his life to win.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 50-1
Post position: 4
Lifetime starts: 10
Record: 1 win, 3 seconds, 1 third
Earnings: $62,896
Jockey: TBA
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Owner: Marylou Whitney Stables
Pedigree: Ten Most Wanted/City of Silver (Nepal)
Key facts: Colt took 10 starts to break his maiden, which is not normally the mark of a horse headed for the Triple Crown trail. The main positive is that when he finally put things together, he won by 6 ½ lengths, so maybe he’s improving quickly. The victory came over a wet Churchill Downs track, so he likely deserves added consideration if the track comes up “off.”";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 6-1
Post position: 2
Lifetime starts: 9
Record: 5 wins, 1 second, 0 thirds
Earnings: $1,791,581
Jockey: Mike Smith
Trainer: Bennie \"Chip\" Woolley Jr.
Owner: Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine
Pedigree: Birdstone/Mining My Own (Smart Strike)
Key facts: Gelding pulled off a shocker of historic proportions in the Kentucky Derby by winning by 6 3/4 lengths at 50-1. The bad news is that jockey Calvin Borel, who deserves a big share of the credit for that victory, has chosen to ride the filly Rachel Alexandra over the Derby winner. This little guy proved he can fly late, though, so he can't be dismissed this time.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 8-1
Post position: 3
Lifetime starts: 7
Record: 5 wins, 0 seconds, 2 thirds
Earnings: $772,600
Jockey: Eibar Coa
Trainer: Derek Ryan
Owner: Eric Fein and Vic Carlson
Pedigree: Yonaguska/Fortuesque (Fortunate Prospect)
Key facts: Colt could have been second in the Kentucky Derby if not for a bumping incident in deep stretch. He isn't fashionably bred, but he shows up every time. And his Derby run erased concerns that the marathon distances of the Classics would prove too far for him. Ignore him at your peril.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 12-1
Post position: 7
Lifetime starts: 7
Record: 2 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $890,940
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Trainer: Gary Stute
Owner: Bo Hirsch
Pedigree: Smart Strike/Miss Houdini (Belong to Me)
Key facts: Fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby was only a nose and a head out of second-place at the finish and was affected by deep-stretch bumping incident or he might have moved up a place or two. He also is a consistent sort, as that was his fifth straight strong effort. ";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 5-1
Post position: 9
Lifetime starts: 9
Record: 5 wins, 1 second, 1 third
Earnings: $1,634,200
Jockey: Garrett Gomez
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owner: Zayat Stables
Pedigree: Empire Maker/Star of Goshen (Lord at War *Arg.)
Key facts: Big effort in the Kentucky Derby would have gotten the job done if Mine That Bird hadn't come flying up the rail under Calvin Borel. Love this colt's consistency and he has top trainer and jockey in his corner. Think he'll end up as second choice in the race over the Derby winner.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 8-5
Post position: 13
Lifetime starts: 10
Record: 7 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $958,354
Jockey: Calvin Borel
Trainer: Steve ASmussen
Owner: Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick
Pedigree: Medaglia d’Oro/Lotta Kim (Roar)
Key facts: Filly is unbeaten in her last five, with her last – a 20 1/4-length romp in the Kentucky Oaks (Gr. 1) – falling into the incredible category, as she did it all on her own. Jockey Calvin Borel chose to ride her over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. This will be her first race against the boys, but given her high cruising gear she appears to have an excellent chance of making it a winning one.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 30-1
Post position: 11
Lifetime starts: 6
Record: 2 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $156,190
Jockey: Edgar Prado
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owner: Starlight Partners
Pedigree: Even the Score/Ginger Ginger (Fred Astaire)
Key facts: Trainer kept him out the Kentucky Derby even though he had enough graded stakes earnings to compete. This looks like a better spot for him, as he has enough speed to stay close to the pace-setters and should be well positioned turning for home. Another positive is that his last two races in California were on artificial racing surfaces and he returns to dirt, where he has earned both his victories.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 30-1
Post position: 6
Lifetime starts: 8
Record: 3 wins, 1 second, 1 third
Earnings: $512,084
Jockey: Rose
Trainer: Albert M. Stall
Owner: Adele B. Dilschneider
Pedigree: Sky Mesa/Minery (Forty Niner)
Key facts: Closer's best effort this year was a well-beaten third behind Friesan Fire and Papa Clem in the Louisiana Derby (Gr. 2). But if you're looking for positives, he ran fourth, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Gr. 1) last November and will be making just his third start as a 3-year-old here. ";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Morning-line odds: 50-1
Post position: 12
Lifetime starts: 6
Record: 2 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds
Earnings: $54,720
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Trainer: William Komlo
Owner: M and D Stable
Pedigree: Medaglio d’Oro/Chattin (Rollicking)
Key facts: Maryland-based colt will carry the local hopes with him, but faces a tall task after running third in the $50,000 Federico Tesio Stakes, Pimlico's main prep for the Preakness. He did get stuck on the rail in that race, so better is possible with a better draw. Still, he seems up against it.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
The Preakness is a 1 3/16th- mile race -- 1/16th of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby -- for 3-year-olds run at Baltimore’s historic Pimlico Race Course, also known as Old Hilltop. The race is contested over a mile dirt track that is 70 feet wide -- narrower than most racetracks – and generally favors speed. The race begins at the top of the stretch, which gives jockeys time to move their mounts in to save ground before the first turn. The early fractions of the Preakness are usually quick, but front-runners and stalkers who race close to the pace have a better chance here than they do in the Kentucky Derby.";
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There is no limit on the factors that can be considered in handicapping a race — some experts even try to compensate for the wind when evaluating a previous performance by a horse. But for today, let's confine ourselves to six of the most important considerations.
Click on factors at left to learn more.
";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
A handicapper who can correctly predict how a race will be run has a much better chance of winning than the horseplayer with no idea which horses will go to the front, which will challenge the leaders turning for home and which will attempt to run down the leaders in the final strides.
The reason, as handicapping pioneer Huey Mahl put it, is that pace makes the race.
The basic theory of pace handicapping is this: The faster a horse runs at the beginning of a race, the less energy it will have for the stretch run. As a general rule, a race in which three or more horses battle for the lead will result in a faster-than-average early pace and set the stage for a come-from-behind horse to win. Conversely, a race in which a lone horse is allowed to set a comfortable pace tends to favor the front-runner or horses that can stay within a length or two of the lead.
The Preakness has a reputation as a race that can be won on the front end, despite the testing 1 3/16th-mile distance. Although the race has been won 26 times by a horse that led from gate to wire (or about 20 percent of the time), only two horses have managed the feat in the past 24 years.
This year's field has a number of horses whose riders could decide to “send” if they draw inside or stalk if they don’t -– Big Drama, Friesan Fire, Papa Clem, Rachel Alexandra, Take the Points and Tone It Down.
That makes it tough to predict whether one horse will get an uncontested lead while the others stalk or a pace duel will unfold, likely leading to a faster than the typical 1:10 4/5 for 6 furlongs.
For now, given the number of horses who like to race near the front, let's project a slightly faster pace than usual and give the mid-field closers – Flying Private, Luv Gov, General Quarters, Musket Man and Pioneerof the Nile – a plus in this category.
Give the aforementioned stalkers a neutral rating in this category and minuses to deep-closers Mine That Bird and Terrain. ";
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When racetrackers talk about a horse’s class, they are talking about a combination of natural ability, consistency and heart. Handicappers have tried different approaches to try to quantify it, such as average earnings per start or the number of victories in Grade I stakes races, which draw the very best horses.
No matter how you define it, history says it is advisable in the Triple Crown races to favor horses who faced top competition as 2-year-olds, running well in at least one graded stakes, and who have returned to run credibly in similar situations at 3.
Give a plus in this category to Big Drama, Friesan Fire, Mine That Bird, Pioneerof the Nile, Rachel Alexandra and Terrain.
Negatives to the rest.";
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spt_Preakness09[i-1].body = "
Pedigree analysis has lost a lot of its luster in recent years, when several horses won spring classics despite bloodlines that indicated they would never last the distance.
But given the performance of the \"dosage\" index model over previous decades, it’s probably wise not to dismiss this line of inquiry just yet.
Which is why it pays to have at least a passing acquaintance with \"dosage,\" a method of measuring stamina in a horse’s pedigree.
Form -- shorthand for the way a horse has run in its most recent races -- looks deceptively simple to evaluate, but this factor contains numerous traps for the handicapper.
Although it's better to enter a big race off several strong efforts, horses are not machines and there is no guarantee that a contestant's last race will be repeated on race day. Likewise, horses that have run poorly in their recent races can suddenly rediscover that winning formula (Remember 1991 winner Hansel, who paid more than $20 in the Preakness after finishing 10th in the Kentucky Derby as the 5-2 favorite?). And there's always the dangerous improving horse, who can turn in the race of a lifetime when you least suspect it.
Nonetheless, horses who enter the Preakness off several strong efforts (finishing within 2 lengths of the winner) in recent races receive high marks in this category:
Give plusses to Big Drama, Luv Gov, Musket Man, Pioneerof the Nile, Rachel Alexandra and Tone It Down.
Give a neutral ranking to Mine That Bird, Papa Clem, Take the Points and Terrain, all of whom narrowly missed qualifying..";
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The Preakness points a white-hot spotlight on riders, and it can be dazzling to those who never have stood in its glare before. Being tongue-tied in interviews is one thing, but if a rider's nervousness and excitement makes even the slightest impact on his or her judgment, the results on the racetrack are likely to be disappointing.
Two jockeys in this year's Preakness has previously won the race – Kent Desormeaux (Tone It Down) and Mike Smith (Mine That Bird). We’ll give them strong plusses in this category.
Slightly less enthusiastic pushes go to those horses with riders have won other Triple Crown races – John Velazquez (Big Drama), Alan Garcia (Flying Private), Calvin Borel (Rachel Alexandra) and Edgar Prado (Take the Points).
The slimmest of deductions to horses whose riders have positive Triple Crown experience – Gabriel Saez (Friesan Fire), Julien Leparoux (General Quarters), Eibar Coa (Musket Man) and Garrett Gomez (Pioneerof the Nile).
Negative marks to the remainder of the field.";
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Unlike the jockeys, who will make any mistakes in the blink of an eye, trainers make their errors -– if any -– in the weeks before the race.
Some fine horsemen and horsewomen have been thrown off their game by the unaccustomed pressure and scrutiny they face once it becomes clear that there’s a legitimate Triple Crown prospect in the barn. Suddenly, instead of the quiet thudding of hoofbeats, the trainer is facing a phalanx of microphones and fielding endless questions about everything from choice of horseshoes to whether that last workout wasn’t just a tad bit slow.
The bottom line is that some trainers will become overly cautious in their preparations, overlooking an important detail or forgetting to pass a key piece of information to an exercise rider. The result may not be disastrous, but even the slightest misstep can be enough to get your horse beat.
Three trainers with horses in this year’s race have won the Preakness: D. Wayne Lukas (Flying Private and Luv Gov), Bob Baffert (Pioneerof the Nile) and Steve Asmussen (Rachel Alexandra).
Give them positives, along with trainers who have won other Triple Crown races – Bennie \"Chip\" Woolley Jr. (Mine That Bird) and Todd Pletcher (Take the Points).
Give a neutral in this category to Larry Jones (Friesan Fire) by virtue of his positive Triple Crown experience.
Negatives to the remainder of the field."; spt_Preakness09[i++] = new Array("http://msnbc.msn.com/id/30685214","Picks","","","","", "sub", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); // END editorial data