BALTIMORE – Saturday’s 131st Preakness Stakes is taking on echoes of “Gulliver’s Travels,” when Gulliver, a towering giant visiting the land of Lilliput, is swarmed over by the Lilliputians, who are six inches tall.
Gulliver, of course, is Barbaro, the undefeated Kentucky Derby winner whose sights are set on the Triple Crown. The Lilliputians are the seemingly outclassed horses suddenly, surprisingly, lining up to challenge him in the Preakness, including Platinum Couple and Greeley’s Legacy, who yesterday became confirmed starters.
Counting Hemingway’s Key, Diabolical and possibly Ah Day, all of whom weren’t even on the radar screen until the past few days, a field of nine or 10 will be entered today for the mile-and-three-sixteenths classic, with the post-selection draw being held at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore (ESPN2, 5-6 p.m.).
Like the Derby, the order in which the horses’ connections select their posts will be drawn in the morning. Unlike the Derby, this draw will be conducted in secret by Pimlico racing secretary Georganne Hale and Maryland Racing Commission executive director Mike Hopkins. In an attempt to spice up the ESPN show, the selection order will not be revealed until then.
Why the late rush of entrants (who pay 10G to enter and another 10G to start), even though the new shooters have little chance of beating Barbaro, who figures to be the heaviest Preakness favorite since Fusaichi Pegasus finished second at 3-10 in 2000?
The $1 million purse, with $200,000 going to the runner-up, $100,000 for third and $50,000 for fourth, is one lure. So is the once-in-a-lifetime chance at glory.
“My son said, ‘if George Mason can do it (referring to the Cinderella team in this year’s NCAA Final Four), why can’t we?’ ” said Glenn Lostritto, one of four family members – including his father, Joe, trainer of Platinum Couple – in Team Tristar Stables, the partnership that bred and owns the New York-bred colt.
“He’s fresh. He’s doing well. You don’t get a chance like this very often.”
George Weaver, who trains Greeley’s Legacy, was of a similar mind.
“We have a lot of respect for Barbaro, Brother Derek and a couple of the other horses in there, but we want to take a shot,” he said. “We’ve got to step up to have a chance to win it, but we think he’s ready to run a big one.
“I was a little torn. I thought the Sir Barton (on the Preakness undercard) would be a good place to get a win under his belt, but the possibility for reward of doing well in the Preakness outweighs (that).”
Platinum Couple and Greeley’s Legacy are not without their merits.
Platinum Couple, a grandson of supersire Storm Cat, is out of a dam who is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Skip Away. He beat state-breds in the Damon Runyon and was third against open company in the Count Fleet. Last out, Platinum Couple finished fifth in the April 8 Wood Memorial, beaten 10 ½ lengths.
“We had high hopes for him in the Wood,” said Glenn Lostritto, “but the track was so sloppy.”
Greeley’s Legacy was sired by Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Mr. Greeley. His second dam, Deceit, won several major stakes, including the Acorn and Mother Goose.
Greeley’s Legacy ran fourth in the Gotham, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths for all the money and just a half-length behind Sweetnorthernsaint for third. In his last two starts, he ran a distant seventh in the Wood and fourth in the April 22 Lexington.
“When he ran so well in the Gotham, we intended to try to make the Derby, (but) things didn’t work out for us,” Weaver said. “His race in the Lexington was better than it looked.”
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Preakness probable field
Horse Trainer Jockey Odds
1. Barbaro Michael Matz Edgar Prado 3-5
2. Brother Derek Dan Hendricks Alex Solis 9-2
3. Sweetnorthernsaint M. Trombetta K. Desormeaux 6-1
4. Bernardini Tom Albertrani J. Castellano 8-1
5. Like Now Kiaran McLaughlin G. Gomez 20-1
6. Diabolical S. Klesaris R. Dominguez 30-1
7. Hemingway’s Key Nick Zito Jeremy Rose 30-1
8. Greeley’s Legacy George Weaver undecided 30-1
9. Platinum Couple Joe Lostritto Jose Espinoza 50-1
– Ed Fountaine
