Preakness Odds: Hard Spun Humble, All Heart

All eyes may be on Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense to take the 2007 Preakness Stakes, but handicappers should not dismiss Hard Spun's chances

Racing 1 1/4 miles for the first time on May 5, Hard Spun finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. But ask owner Rick Porter if he's okay with having his horse listed as one of the favorites in Saturday's Preakness Stakes and he'll tell you he's not particularly keen on the idea.

"The only thing that worries me is everyone's too high on the horse, thinking that everything's setting up perfectly for him in the Preakness," Porter told reporters Tuesday. "We have a lot of work to do to win this race. We've got some good horses to beat. That's what worries me because I like to be the underdog."

And ask anyone who has met this long-legged three-year-old beauty and they'll tell you that he's simply too nice to win.

"He's just an extremely nice horse. There's not an aggressive bone in his body," said Hard Spun's trainer Larry Jones. "The other riders that see us, they say, 'That's Hard Spun?' They can't believe it. I told them, in his next career, he thinks he's going to be a trail-riding horse. He's almost people!"

2007 Preakness Stakes Odds at Bodog Racebook

As of Tuesday only four horses are listed as Preakness contenders (Curlin, Hard Spun, Imawildandcrazyguy and Street Sense), at least 11 horses are expected to make their way to the gate for this year's big race at Pimlico. Street Sense remains the Preakness odds favorite after his astonishing come-from-behind victory in the Kentucky Derby, but Hard Spun can hardly be ruled out as serious threat.

When you're ready to place your Preakness bets, giddy on up to the Bodog Racebook.

Technorati Tag(s): hard spun, preakness odds

Will Todd Pletcher Have a Derby Winner in 2007?

Veteran trainer Todd Pletcher has lot of horse racing wins under his belt, and is currently the 2007 earnings leader with nearly $8 million dollars in earnings.

One important victory, though, has eluded him: the Kentucky Derby. Despite coming close with two second-place finishes -- with Bluegrass Cat to Barbaro last year, and with Invisible Ink behind Monarchos in 2001 -- he has never finished the Road to the Roses with a horse in first place.

Steve Asmussen is the trainer of odds-on (and much hyped) favorite Curlin, and Carl Nafzger is the trainer for many handicappers' pick, Street Sense. So without the two top-ranked horses, what has Pletcher got going for him? A record tying five Kentucky Derby entries, all of them contenders.

Here's the horses he'll be saddling, in their post order, with their current odds:

(6) Cowtown Cat - 25/1
(13) Sam P. - 25/1
(14) Scat Daddy - 9/1
(16) Circular Quay - 9/1
(18) Any Given Saturday - 14/1

Circular Quay may be Pletcher's best hope. He's already posted an win at Churchill Downs in the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes, and is heading into the Derby coming off a 2 1/4-length win in Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Pletcher is pleased with his last workout at Keeneland, where he breezed five-eights in 1:00:20, and at post position 16 Circular Quay may be able to break out around the turn. Not in his favor, at least historically, is the horse's eight-week layoff.

Scat Daddy is another good prospect for Pletcher. With an impressive record of 5-1-1, and has already proven himself against fellow Derby contenders Stromello and Nobiz Like Showbiz in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. The horse breezed five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 with jockey Edgar Prado.

The fastest recent five furlong run for a Pletcher horse, though, was delivered by Any Given Saturday, who zipped 5/8 of a mile in 00:58 4/5. He finished third, however, behind Nobiz Like Shobiz and Sightseeing in the Grade 3 Wood Memorial Stakes on 7 April.

I'm sure Pletcher doesn't care much which horse takes the Derby on Saturday, though -- as long as it's one of his.

Technorati tag(s): todd pletcher, kentucky derby

Kentucky Derby Contender Roundup (Non-Curlin Edition)

The latest Kentucky Derby odds give Arkansas Derby winner Curlin the favorite spot at 3/1. There's so much hype surrounding this undefeated (in only three races) 3-year-old (who did not race as a 2-year-old) that I thought I'd have a look at the other leading contenders in this year's Road to the Roses.

Street Sense
Current odds: 6/1 - Racing record: 3-2-2 - Earnings: $1,508,200

While the "racing record" portion above may not indicate greatness, Street Sense has never finished below third in his six lifetime starts. He had a final workout on Tuesday at Churhill Downs, breezing five furlongs in 1:01 with jockey Calvin Borel aboard. Won the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old male, receiving 229 of 271 votes. Don't count this horse out of the running by any stretch (back or otherwise) of the imagination.

Circular Quay
Current odds: 7/1 - Racing record: 4-2-0 - Earnings: $1,147,434

Just the fact this horse is under the tender training care of racing legend Todd Pletcher should make you take notice (and perhaps more so because he has the most Derby starts without a win -- surely the odds are working in his favor?). Circular has already won at Churchill Downs (Bashford Manor Stakes, G. 3), and led from start to finish in the Hopeful Stakes (G. 1). Worked Sunday with jockey Angel Cordero, and Pletcher said he "looked awesome".

Nobiz Like Shobiz
Current odds: 8/1 - Racing record: 4-1-1 - Earnings: $804,900

Hasn't made as much as the other horses listed here; while he glided to an easy victory in his first start at the Holy Bull Stakes (G. 3), disappointed with his third place finish at the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G. 2) -- both at Gulfstream Park. Zipped five furlongs at Belmont Park in under a minute (0:59.98). Can he keep up the pace when he's shipped to Churchill Downs on Wednesday?

Even a quick look at these horses show that we've got a horse race for this year's Derby, even if the word on everyone's lips is "Curlin".

Technorati tag(s): kentucky derby contenders, kentucky derby odds