Street Sense in good position to take Preakness

	Street Sense has done well at Churchill Downs, but can he thrive at Pimilico? Bill Frakes/SI
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The Preakness doesn't truly exist in the present, except for the slightly less than two minutes it takes to run the race on Saturday afternoon. It is the quintessential look-back, look-ahead sporting event.

Consider: the Kentucky Derby was run 13 days ago and we are still debating whether Street Sense would have won the race without the garden rail trip given him (or earned by him; more on that later) by Calvin Borel, whether Curlin can advance eight lengths without traffic problems, whether Hard Spun can be rated in the Preakness after working fast and taking the lead in the Derby and whether Circular Quay may have needed the Derby as a sort of high-priced prep race for the Preakness.

Consider: As we examine the Preakness, we do so with an eye cast longingly three weeks into the future to Belmont Stakes, wondering whether Street Sense can win not only in Baltimore, but also in New York to complete horse racing's first Triple Crown in nearly three decades. The Kentucky Derby is treated as a towering individual event, the Belmont as a potential coronation.

The Preakness is the bridge between the two, seen as validation -- or repudiation -- of Derby success. And from the moment the blanket of roses is removed from the neck of the Derby winner, he is seen as a potential Triple Crown winner.

I would like to say that this is a shame. A year ago this week I wrote that the Preakness was the best of the Triple Crown races. The Derby, ultimately, is a crap shoot with too many players and the Belmont is either a Triple Crown hypefest or an afterthought. The Preakness, meanwhile, is a terrific contest. This year is no exception, with a deep and solid field and endless handicapping issues to explore. None of this changes the facts set forth above. The Preakness is the middle child, victimized by the calendar.

(Last year, of course, was an exception, as the Preakness became one of the most notable sporting events of the year, because of what transpired then -- and in the ensuing months -- with Barbaro. That is the last you will hear about Barbaro today. Bless the horse's, um, soul. Bless Dr. Dean Richardson. Bless Roy and Gretchen Jackson. Bless Michael Matz. Bless Edgar Prado. But we move on.)

My complaint about the Preakness does not change anything. And this spring, Street Sense presents a particularly alluring candidate for the look-back, look-ahead scenario. His Derby trip has undergone endless autopsies, and yet, as veteran trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Thursday morning at Pimlico, "This [the Preakness] is the tough one for him.''

I couldn't agree more. The cavalcade of Triple Crown near-misses since 1978 has become almost comical. Seventeen horses have won two legs, including 10 who have won the Derby and Preakness. This statistic alone has led to speculation that the evolution of the racing game (sprint-oriented breeding, less robust animals) is such that there will never be another Triple Crown winner.

Jumping dangerously ahead here, Street Sense might just be the right horse at the right time to end that drought.