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 Horse sense from SI's racing sage
Posted: Friday May 14, 1999 04:52 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer William Nack answers five basic questions about Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Come back Friday for Nack's Preakness pick, exclusively on CNNSI.com. CNN/SI: How does the distance, a mile and 3/16ths, change the dynamics of this race, as opposed to the Derby or Belmont Stakes? Nack: Not much, really. It's only a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Derby. This track is a little smaller than Churchill Downs -- even though both are a mile, it's narrower. It runs tighter, particularly on the first turn. Horses that make a move too fast around the first turn end up on Belvedere Avenue. Secretariat's big move was on the first turn, but he was such a freak. One longtime observer said he'd never seen anything like it. Secretariat went from last to first on the first turn, which is suicidal. But he went around turns like a hoop around a barrel. CNN/SI: Why does the Preakness have a smaller field than the Derby? Is this better or worse? Nack: Generally it's not as coveted as the Derby, and after the Derby is won all the cheap horses are winnowed out, some are injured, licking their wounds. Generally the better horses at the Derby show up for the Preakness. Some are added, new horses that bypass Kentucky to run here. And a smaller field is definitely better. Horses tend not to get in as much trouble here as at Churchill. CNN/SI: How do trainers decide whether to race a horse in the Preakness? Nack: If they did well in the Derby they go in the Preakness, generally. But some Maryland trainers prefer Pimlico rather than Churchill. And the Preakness has been won by people who have done that. Bill Boniface Jr. won in 1983 with Deputed Testamony, a Maryland horse, born, bred and raced in Maryland, bypassed the Derby and laid in wait for them here, and won it. A lot of people have always thought the Derby was a little too far for most horses so early in their three-year-old year. Two weeks later, horses are more mature -- they're maturing fast this time in their lives. Some people find that more appealing. And you don't get all these horses in the Preakness that don't belong there, generally. CNN/SI: Do tracks differ in speed? How does Pimlico compare? Nack: This racetrack has historically favored speed. Horses that go out there and get the lead right away have generally done better. It's been a speed track for a long time. CNN/SI: What are some of the traditions of the Preakness? Nack: Instead of the Run for the Roses, they drape a garland of Black-eyed Susans over the winning horse's withers. Except their phony, they're not real -- Black-eyed Susans don't bloom until summer. They get regular daisies, and a troop of little ladies sits with shoe polish and blackens the center of them. I almost thought at some point they would grow Black-eyed Susans in a hothouse and have them early, but I don't think ever done that. So somebody sits around and paints the middle of them. One of the nice things about the race is, it's run in a neighborhood. When you look out over it, it looks like Queens: attached row houses, an old neighborhood, and old, old race track. Some of my better moments watching Triple Crown races have been at Pimlico, for some reason. I think the racetrack is closer to the grandstand, so it seems much more intimate. Come back Friday for William Nack's Preakness pick, exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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