An inside look at how the 146th Preakness Stakes will shape up:
1. Ram (30-1)
Trainer: Ricardo Santana
Jockey: D. Wayne Lukas
Current Form: Didn’t beat much on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Fig suggests D. Wayne Lukas should have Ram butt heads in the Preakness undercard as well.
Worth a Wager: Lukas: “This is a fun race even if you don’t win.” Hmmm. Closed on fast fractions at Churchill Downs, but these dominoes won’t fall as easy. Ram tough? No. Welcome to Stake racing. Last of 10.
2. Keepinmind (15-1)
Trainer: Robertino Diodoro
Jockey: David Cohen
Current Form: Ran better than his odds (49-1) suggested he would in the Derby. Broke last of 19 before finishing a non-threatening seventh. Winter book contender is 0-for-3 this year.
Worth a Wager: Late energy convinced his team to take a shot here. Maybe the stretch runner should have been given five weeks off and waited for the longer Belmont Stakes. A less than energetic seventh.
3. Medina Spirit (9-5)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Current Form: The Derby champ will forever have an asterisk attached after his spirited run was tainted by a positive drug test, denials, tainted urine in his hay and then, Hey!, an admission from Bob Baffert: “It may have come from a skin ointment.”
Worth a Wager: He was great. Set a relatively honest pace and held gamely under John Velazquez. The one to catch may have company this time. Wasn’t sure he’d make it to Pimlico. If he runs — a big if — we will put him third.
4. Crowded Trade (10-1)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Current Form: If you are going to the Derby via the New York trail, you have to dominate. He got beat a nose in the Gotham Stakes then showed third in the watered-down Wood Memorial.
Worth a Wager: In 2017 Chad Brown’s Cloud Computing won the Preakness after taking third in the Wood. May have issues going long. Better suited for middle distances. BC Dirt mile? There’s time. Today? A disappointing eighth.
5. Midnight Bourbon (5-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Irad Oritz
Current Form: Knew right away my Derby pick was in trouble. Off a step slow, got shuffled back early, raced wide before making an encouraging late run for sixth.
Worth a Wager: Smaller field, less traffic and a new rider, Irad Ortiz. If he breaks clean, Irad may sit off Baffert’s dynamic duo and take aim. Steve Asmussen: “Very excited going to Baltimore.” So are we. One more shot of Bourbon. Winner.
6. Rombauer (12-1)
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Current Form: The El Camino winner ran well for third behind Essential Quality in the Blue Grass. Team decided to bypass the Derby and point him to Pimlico.
Worth a Wager: Closer should get the distance and the pace he needs from Baffert’s boys. Can he outkick the more accomplished contenders? Sixth.
7. France Go De Ina (20-1)
Trainer: Hideyuko Mori
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Current Form: Kentucky-bred makes his U.S. debut after a troubled trip left him sixth in the UAE Derby at Meydan, his only start of the year. Went 2-for-3 as a two-year-old racing in Japan.
Worth a Wager: Who knows? Sketchy information on the wild card. Saw the UAE Derby but not convinced he would have bettered his position with a clean run.
Trust Joel Rosario but not the horse. Not last, ninth.
8. Unbridled Honor (15-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
Current Form: Did just enough (4th) in the Tampa Bay Derby to remain on the Triple Crown trail. Took a big step forward, finishing strong for second in the shorter Lexington.
Worth a Wager: Love him. Valentine’s Day baby is peaking at the right time and trainer Todd Pletcher recruited Luis Saez for the assignment. Gray appears on your TV screen late, gets up to be second.
9. Risk Taking (15-1)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Current Form: One step forward, two steps back. The Withers winner didn’t show up in the Wood Memorial. The betting favorite walked home a lackluster seventh.
Worth a Wager: What happened, Chad? “He came back with a ton of mud stuck in his blinkers.” Brown scratched him from the Peter Pan, a Belmont Stakes prep, to run here. Jose Ortiz replaces his brother Irad. A risky fifth.
10. Concert Tour (5-2)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Current Form: The Tour was all ready to play Kentucky, but skipped the stop when the Concert was an off-key third at Arkansas. Not sure he appreciated the distance, experiencing his first loss in four starts.
Worth a Wager: Gotta wonder what Baffert’s plan is for Mike Smith. Press barn mate Medina Spirit early? Let Velazquez have his way on the front end? And then there is that distance issue. Front-runner flattens, finishes fourth.
