Preakness Fever in Full Swing
The Preakness Stakes takes place at Pimlico on 17 May 2008 and already the contenders for this legendary racing event are training in anticipation of race day. Kentucky Bear is the first horse to arrive at Pimlico, but it does not mean that other contenders are resting on their laurels. Everywhere, the magnificent racehorses participating in the Preakness Stakes are being put through their paces before they travel to the second racing event in the Triple Crown.
Big Brown, winner of the Kentucky Derby, will be sharing a flight to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport with Racecar Rhapsody and Tres Borrachos on the 14th May 2008. All three of these Preakness contenders have been training at Churchill Downs, but the question on everyone’s lips is whether Big Brown could pull another staggering performance out the bag so shortly after the Kentucky Derby. Trainers of both Racecar Rhapsody and Tres Borrachos are confident that their horses will deliver satisfactory performances during the Preakness Stakes, and look forward to stretching their legs in their training sessions at Pimlico.
Kentucky Bear has been training comfortably, jogging around the oval and working on distances. Taking third position in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes that was run on 12 April 2008 makes Kentucky Bear a worthy contender and the horse is expected to perform well. His stable mate, Bear Now, has also arrived and is training to participate in the Allaire dePont Distaff (Grade 2), which is on the Preakness race card. Yankee Bravo has also been hard at work, training with the well-known Alex Solis in the saddle. The Preakness will be Yankee Bravo’s first race since running in the Santa Anita Derby on 5 April. This contender is well rested and seems to be ready to race.
Other horses who will start arriving at Pimlico from the 13th of May onwards include fourth place runner in the Blue Grass, Stevil; Giant Moon, son of Giant’s Causeway; Behindatthebar, the Coolmore Lexington winner; and the Todd Pletcher trained Harlem Rocker. Training has also been going well for Recapturetheglory, who has been training at Churchill Downs. Looking extremely relaxed after completing a mile of jogging and a mile of galloping on the 8th of May, it seems that Recapturetheglory is ready to take on his formidable contenders in the Preakness.
While the training is being watched closely and predictions for the Preakness Stakes begin to roll in, everyone from horses, trainers and owners to bookies, spectators and the betting public, are getting ready for one of the most nail-biting showdowns on the racing calendar.
