Bodemeister Gets the Nod for Preakness Stakes
- By A.J. Ryder on May 18, 2012 16:14 GMT
The second leg of the American Triple Crown is set to unfold on Saturday evening and it presents a very interesting dynamic with many predicting what could be a two-horse race. Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another will be facing off against hot-shot Bob Baffert contender (and Derby runner up) Bodemeister - a flashy colt named after the trainer's young son.
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BET ON THE PREAKNESS WITH WILLIAM HILL!
It isn't often that the Derby winner goes into the Preakness as anything but the first choice (the most recent instance of that was when Mine That Bird went off at 6/1 for the Preakness to eventual winner Rachel Alexandra, who ran at a 9/5 price tag on the day.
The fact that Bodemeister hasn't been campaigned particularly heavily means that they really didn't find the bottom of him in the Derby and the slightly shorter distance will favour his front-running style a bit more.
I'll Have Another will likely sit just off Bodemeister and if Mike Smith tries to take off with him then Mario Gutierrez, a jockey who was campaigning in the Pacific Northwest just last year, will likely let I'll Have Another loose.
It will be very interesting to see what type of tactics they prefer to adopt with Bodemeister as he has a lot of early speed and there is very little of it in this race. Only a few of the new shooters really have a genuine ability to set down the pace and it may very well be the luck of the draw as to where Bodemeister winds up early on.
Currently, you'll find Bodemeister as a 7/4 price tag with many major bookmakers while I'll Have Another is just off the pace with a 5/2 listing.
Other notables include Creative Cause, who finished well in the Derby while Went The Day Well also came on very well late on and will threaten with a clean trip. Daddy Nose Best has some quality while Optimizer will be looking for a bigger and better performance than the non-shift he put in last time.
New arrivals to the scene include Tiger Walk, Cozzetti, Zetterholm, Teeth of the Dog and Pretension.
