Preakness 145

[Banker_Bro]

Hard to believe in this very unusual year we are writing about the Preakness at Pimlico in October.

This year's race should be a very competitive one with #9 Authentic , winner of the Kentucky Derby, coming as the deserved favorite. He will be challenged by #3 Art Collector and the only filly in the race#4 Swiss Skydiver. Others that can be expected to do well are #8 Max Player and #5 Thousand Words the other Bob Baffert trainee. Add to the scenario two horses that have the potential to outrun their odds, #10 Pneumatic and #11 Liveyourbeastlife.

You will need to play the exotics if you want to come away with some cash as the odds will not be in your favor in the basic Win, Place, Show wagers.

My play will be the 50 Cent Trifecta. Here is the play.

#9 Authentic, #3 Art Collector / #8 Max Player, #9, #3 / #4 Swiss Skydiver, #10 Pneumatic, #11 Liveyourbestlife, #5 Thousand Words, #9, #3, #8.

Should come in at a cost of 10usd.
Best of luck to all.

[heavy]

This is an interesting line-up. The first thing I look at when handicapping horses is not the horse - it's the trainer and jockey. I've always been a fan of trainer Steve Asmussen from back in the days when he ruled the roost down here at Lone Star Park. The best trainers and jockeys get the best horses and Asmussen has three horses in the race. They are Excession, Max Player, and Pneumatic. I'd back Asmussen and Max Player as my first pick. He's the only horse that will have run in all three of the Triple Crown races and has been in the running in the first two races. Running from the 8th poll position, if he gets out of the gate well and doesn't get lost in the crowd in the straightaway he'll have a good shot.

Bob Baffert is another great trainer, with two horses in the race. Authentic and Thousand Words. Authentic is running from the #9 poll position and it will be interesting to see him battle Max Player out of the gate. I really think that is the race in a nutshell. Authentic is favored by the odds to win this thing, but if Max Player gets out of the gate well he can keep him outside and hold him off. I'll put him as my second pick.

My third pick is a toss up. As much as I'd like to pick a long shot with one of the Asmussen ponies like Excession (30-1), I'd have to go with the Baffert horse - Thousand Words, breaking out of the gate in the #5 position. It should be easy for him to move to the inside and ride the rail all the way around the track. Odds on him are currently 6-1, favored to finish second. Hell, he could surprise and win the whole thing.

That gets me down to the following picks:

1. Max Player - #8
2. Authentic - #9
3. Thousand Words - #1

And yeah, I'd probably box them.

[Raider]

I do better with the Exacta in the Preakness. This year, going with Max Player, Thousand Words, and Pneumatic over Authentic exacta, then Authentic over the same three in the tri. Just not feeling it for this race though, have done very little home work. This one is going to be under 20. Tell the truth, I have called this year a wash.

[heavy]

Took a look at the jockeys this morning. As with trainers - the best jockeys tend to get the best horses. A quick review has done little to change my mind on my picks, although Banker Bros picks look good as well. I don't see any runaways in this race.

[Raider]

Me either, waiting for the tote to pop up. Looking at the breeders Futurity at Keeneland too. The two year old Races are a crap shoot, but normally one of the 10 pts pops a good long shot. WOW win pool is under 4 mil , don't know if the handle will cover the light bill lol

[heavy]

Good grief. What a cluster that race was!

Swiss Skydiver
Authentic
Jesus’ Team

I guess that 40-1 Jesus' Team Trifecta would have been a nice hit. $1 payout = $1,205.70.

I'd have never had that one.

Sigh. If a philly hadn't one the race it would have gone down as an asterisk in history. Now - maybe not so much.

[Raider]

I had her in second, damn bob, when I bet against him, I lose, when I bet on him, I lose. Or at least that is the way it seems. You right about Jesus' Team, No where on my radar, now its on to the Breeders Cup