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Preakness Notebook

Lukas says large fields makes races unique

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Posted: Saturday May 15, 1999 03:28 PM

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas is looking for his 12th victory in a Triple Crown race with Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic and Cat Thief in Saturday's $1 million Preakness Stakes.

Earlier this week, Lukas addressed the growing debate about the large size of Triple Crown fields and the risk of injury. He said the races are so popular because they're different.

"The uniqueness of theses races are the distance, the quality of all the regional horses coming together and the large fields that cause problems," Lukas said. "If the guys who run in the Indy 500 next week could get down to 10 cars, they'd like it better, too. But it isn't going to happen.

"That's what makes it so tough to win. And when you get there and get the ultimate prize, you have then whipped up on them and overcome all these problems. That's what makes it unique."

Vicar's case

Trainer Carl Nafzger, after a lengthy discussion with Vicar's owner, James Tafel, decided to run the colt in the Preakness after all.

Nafzger said he would scratch the Florida Derby winner before the race because he didn't want to break from the No. 13 post. On Saturday morning, he changed his mind.

The reason?

"He's so focused and so laid back, and we were worried about the crown [a rise] on the track," Nafzger said. "If we had started in the No. 14 hole, there is a slight crown where the horses come out. But we went out with some Pimlico officials and measured it. It's OK there [from the No. 13 post]."

Familiar faces

The 13-horse Preakness field included a record 10 who ran in the Kentucky Derby. The Derby-Preakness runners were Charismatic, Menifee, Cat Thief, Excellent Meeting, Kimberlite Pipe, Worldly Manner, Stephen Got Even, Valhol, Adonis and Vicar.

Go the distance

The Preakness was not always run at 1 3/16 miles. In fact, it was run at six other distances until the change to 1 3/16 miles was made starting with the 1925 Preakness.

The race was run at 1 1/2 miles from 1873-88 and in 1890; 1 3/4 miles in 1889; 1 1/16 miles in 1894-90 and in 1908; 1 mile and 70 yards from 1901-07; 1 mile in 1909 and 1910; and 11/8 miles from 1911-24.

Down the stretch

Counting the 13-horse field in Saturday's Preakness, a total of 1,060 horses have competed in the 124 runnings of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. ... The most successful Preakness post position since 1909 has been No. 6, which produced 13 winners. Derby winner Charismatic left from the six hole in Saturday's race. ... In 123 races, the Preakness favorite has won 63 times. ... Largest margins of victory in the Preakness? Survivor won the first edition by 10 lengths in 1873; the largest in modern times was Count Fleet's eight-length win in 1943.

 

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