2007 Preakness – Preview

With a little over a week to go, there are three of the 20 Derby starters who are considered true contenders in the Preakness and will be joined by five three-year olds who bypassed the Derby this year.

The Preakness is the shortest of the Triple Crown races at 1 3/16 miles, is 110 yards shorter than the Derby and 110 yards longer than many of the prep races such as the Wood memorial and the Florida Derby.
 
• After winning the 133rd Kentucky Derby, Street Sense was back at work on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. He jogged a mile which is not a typical workout for most trainers, but then nothing Carl Nafzger has done this year has been typical. With a career best 110 Beyer speed rating in the Derby, Street Sense should be ready to go on May 19 as he will challenge the Triple Crown. Something that has not been achieved since 1978, when Affirmed won it all.

• Hard Spun, who came in second at the Derby, went back to Delaware Park on Monday and is expected to arrive at Pimlico on May 16 to compete at the Preakness.

• Curlin, who came in third at Churchill, confirmed on Thursday that the colt is a definite starter for the 132nd running of the Preakness next Saturday. "The only hesitation was to see how he was when he went back to the track," said Asmussen. And after a second day of routine training at Churchill Downs, where Curlin went through a gallop of about a mile early Thursday, Asmussen said he is "very pleased with how he's doing physically." Asmussen also said, "It's the first time I've run one in the Derby and got money back."

Currently the early line up for Pimlico is as follows:

Street Sense
Hard Spun
Curlin
Teuflesberg
King of the Roxy
Chelokee
Xchanger
C P West
Flying First Class
Starbase
Mint Slewlep

More to come next week!