Top 5 Preakness Contenders

Since I did so well in picking the Kentucky Derby winner I figured it was time to share my picks for the 136^th running of the Preakness on Saturday.  The Preakness is the working class race of the Triple Crown.  The infield gets a little out of control and looks eerily similar to a college spring break event.  Add in a week’s worth of rain and the infield at the Preakness on Saturday should be even more fun. 

For those of us that can no longer hang with college kids and alcoholics (both one and the same) there is the actual race.  After the Derby offered up a semi surprise winner in Animal Kingdom, the Preakness seems to be just as much of a mystery.  Only 3 horses from the Derby are running in Saturday’s race.  Most of these horses have never run against each other and the field is much smaller then the Derby.  All that being said, below are my top 5 contenders for the “Run for the Black Eyed Susans”.

5. King Congie, Post 3, Odds 20-1:  Congie will be under the control of Jockey Robby Albarado and trained by Tom Albertani.  I will be honest here, I don’t know much about King Congie, but I always like the three horse and well, Congie is posting in that position.

4. Shackleford, Post 5, Odds 12-1:  The man on top will be Jesus Castanon, and the trainer is Dale Romans. 

3. Dialed Inn, Post 10, Odds 9-2: Jockey is Julien Leparoux and the trainer is Nick Zito.  Dialed Inn was one of the Derby favorites and not much has changed for the Preakness with odds sitting at 9-2.

2. Midnight Interlude, Post 7, Odds 15-1: Jockey is Martin Garcia and trainer is Bob Baffert.  I’m not a horse racing guru, but I do know of Bob Baffert and it’s difficult to pick against his horses.

1. Animal Kingdom, Post 11, Odds 2-1:  The Kentucky Derby winner will be ridden by John Valazquez and trained by Graham Motion.  This is my favorite for a couple of reasons, number 1: He’s the Preakness favorite at 2-1 and number 2: 6 of the last 10 Kentucky Derby winners have won the Preakness.  Betting is all about playing the odds and Animal Kingdom has the best odds.

The Preakness or the Run for the Black Eyed Susans (Not Peas) is Saturday at Pimlico.  The Black Eyed Susan is the offical state flower of Mayland and is also an adult beverage that is very much enjoyed at the race.  This will be the 136th running of the Preakness and the post time is set for 6:05 PM. 

Five out of fourteen gives me better chances then five out of twenty.  Okay, I lied about my success in the Derby this year.  Of my five contenders, none of them finished in the top three.  But, it was the first of an unpredictable Triple Crown and I am feeling much more confident in my Preakness picks.  I may double my bet of the zero dollars I bet on the Derby and bet 2 zero dollars.  For those of you that are betting…good luck, with this field you may need it.