Preakness Stakes Contenders
Contenders
| Post Position | Horse | Trainer | Earnings | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macho Again | Dallas Stewart | $143,761 | Details |
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Made his 2008 debut in the LeComte Stakes at the Fair Grounds where he finished sixth. Followed that with a win in an allowance race at the Fair Grounds, was seventh in the Lane's End Stakes (G2) at Turfway Park, and then won the Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs on April 26th. |
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| 2 | Tres Borrachos | Beau Greely | $159,200 | Details |
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Finished third, beaten 4 3/4 lengths, in the Arkansas Derby (G2) at Oaklawn Park on April 12th. His name translates to "Three Drunks." |
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| 3 | Icabad Crane | Graham Motion | $125,400 | Details |
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Won his 2008 debut at Aqueduct in an allowance race and then was third in the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park. Won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico on April 19th for his last start. |
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| 4 | Yankee Bravo | Paddy Gallagher | $247,049 | Details |
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Since winning the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields in January, finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). |
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| 5 | Behindatthebar | Todd Pletcher | $204,500 | Details |
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The Lexington Stakes winner has never been worse than second in four starts on synthetic surfaces, but ran fifth in his only start on dirt in the El Camino Real Derby (G3). |
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| 6 | Racecar Rhapsody | Kenny McPeek | $108,391 | Details |
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Fourth in the Lexington Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on April 19th in his most recent start. Opened 2008 with a fourth-place finish in the Lane's End Stakes (G2) at Turfway Park on March 22nd. |
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| 7 | Big Brown | Richard Dutrow Jr. | $2,114,500 | Details |
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Defied Kentucky Derby history with a 4 3/4-length victory that made him the first horse since 1915 to win off just three career starts and the second to win from post 20. His race record is now 4-4-0-0, and he has won by a total of 33 3/4 lengths. |
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| 8 | Kentucky Bear | Reade Baker | $100,200 | Details |
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Made his debut in January at Gulfstream Park, breaking his maiden in his first start. Was seventh in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and then shipped to Keeneland to finish third in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on April 12th. |
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| 9 | Stevil | Nick Zito | $71,200 | Details |
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Finished fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on April 12th, and has compiled a record of 6-1-1-1. |
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| 10 | Riley Tucker | Bill Mott | $161,100 | Details |
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Made his 2008 debut in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn where he finished sixth. Finished second in an allowance race at the Fair Grounds, second in the Transylvania Stakes (G3), and then third in the Lexington Stakes (G2). |
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| 11 | Giant Moon | Richard Schosberg | $222,285 | Details |
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The Count Fleet winner finished fourth, behind Tale of Ekati, War Pass and Court Vision, in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct on April 5th. |
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| 12 | Gayego | Paulo Lobo | $723,420 | Details |
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The Arkansas Derby (G2) winner finished a troubled 17th in the Kentucky Derby after suffering traffic problems most of the way. |
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| 13 | Hey Byrn | Eddie Plesa | $266,000 | Details |
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Made his 2008 debut in February at Gulfstream Park where he won an allowance race by 14 1/2 lengths. Followed that with another allowance win, then fourth in the Florida Derby (G1), and then won the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on April 12th for his last start. |
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Off the Trail
| Post Position | Horse | Trainer | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Gato Malo | Craig Dollase | $145,000 | |
| Recapturetheglory | Louie Roussel III | $300,000 | |
| Harlem Rocker | Todd Pletcher | $139,500 |
Did you know?
In 1873, two years before the inaugural Kentucky Derby, the first Preakness Stakes was held at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. This year's race, on May 17th, is the 133rd running of the event.
After every Preakness Stakes, the horse-and-jockey weather vane at Pimlico is repainted with the colors of the winning jockey.
Only 4 of the 52 fillies that have entered the Preakness Stakes have won - Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), Rhine Maiden (1915) and Nellie Morse (1924).
The Preakness Stakes was originally run at 1 1/2 miles. The distance changed several times before 1925, when the present distance of 1 3/16 miles (9.5 furlongs) was established. It is the shortest of the Triple Crown races.
In 1985, Tank's Prospect established a race record for the Preakness Stakes (1:53.40). In 1996, Louis Quatorze matched that time. Both horses were ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day. Last year Curlin won the race with a time of 1:53.46, the second fastest in Preakness history.
The most common color of the winning horse at the Preakness Stakes is bay (69 winners), followed by chestnut (44 winners). Silver Charm, the 1997 winner, created a new category - gray/roan.
Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day set a record by winning the Preakness Stakes for three consecutive years - from 1994 to 1996. Day's five Preakness victories are second on the all-time list behind Eddie Arcaro, who had six.
Nine Preakness winners have sired Preakness winners. Two of these were triples: Bold Ruler (1957) sired Secretariat (1973) who sired Risen Star (1988); and Polynesian (1945) sired Native Dancer (1953) who sired Kauai King (1966).
In the 132 runnings of the Preakness Stakes, 67 race favorites have won.
Since 1909, the Preakness Stakes post position with the most wins is 6 (15 wins) and the second most wins is 4 (13 wins). Positions 10 and 11 are tied for last place (2 wins each).
Since 1941, almost half of the Preakness Stakes winners spent the opening months of their three-year-old campaigns racing in Florida.
Apart from 1918, when 26 horses entered the Preakness Stakes and the race was run in two divisions, the maximum number of starters has been 14. The starting horses are determined on the last Wednesday before race day.
The record margin of victory in the Preakness Stakes was set by Smarty Jones in 2004, when he won by 11 1/2 lengths. He appeared to be the next Triple Crown champion but lost the Belmont Stakes to Birdstone by a length.
The highest win price in Preakness history is $48.80 on a $2 wager, paid by Master Derby in 1975.
The stretch at Pimlico Race Course is so short (1,152 feet) that winning moves usually come on or before the final turn rather than deep in the lane, which places a premium on nimble, quick horses.
In the past 25 years, only three horses have claimed the Preakness Stakes without contesting the Kentucky Derby first: Deputed Testamony in 1983, Red Bullet in 2000 and Bernardini in 2006.
The Preakness Stakes is often a breather for horsemen on the Triple Crown trail because it doesn't have the same media frenzy of the Kentucky Derby.
The most popular first initial for winning Preakness runners is B (16 wins), the second most popular is C (15 wins) and the least popular are I, Q, U, X, Y and Z (0 wins each).
The purse for the first Preakness Stakes, in 1873, was $2,050. The purse for this year's race is $1 million.
In last year's Preakness Stakes, third-place Kentucky Derby finisher Curlin caught Derby winner Street Sense in the stretch and captured the race by a head. Derby runner-up Hard Spun was another four lengths back in third. Curlin went on to win the Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.
Check out the 2007 Preakness Stakes contenders.