Preakness Report

Bodemeister came up short when finishing second in the Kentucky Derby,

but Saturday's Preakness Stakes shapes up differently with the talented colt as

the probable lone speed.

He enjoyed no such luxury at Churchill Downs, whipping through splits of :22

1/5, :45 1/5 and 1:09 4/5 while being chased by the ultra-quick Trinniberg, but

none of his 10 rivals Saturday appear capable of applying serious pressure. His

tactical advantage is such that Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another,

who enjoyed the perfect trip when rating off the pace two weeks ago, may be

forced to take up the early chase in order to keep Bodemeister company. But it's

difficult to imagine any rival sticking with the pacesetter -- Bodemeister owns

too much natural speed and will look to accelerate away turning for home.

Bodemeister captured the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby two starts back by a widening

9 1/2-length margin under a similar pace scenario and is trained by Hall of

Famer Bob Baffert, who has captured the Preakness a whopping five times with

horses exiting the Kentucky Derby. His runners tend to run right back to, or

even improve upon, their Derby form.

And the quality of competition can be questioned -- Bodemeister definitely

won't be facing a deep roster of proven foes Saturday. He appears capable of

dominating the Preakness on the front end.

Went the Day Well has the potential to get involved if he continues to

move forward off an encouraging fourth in the Kentucky Derby. He was compromised

at the start, dropping farther back than expected in the congested field, but

finished full of gusto to be beaten only 2 1/2 lengths and galloped out past the

top three after the wire. His BRIS numbers are strong and I will include the

promising colt in the exacta.

Creative Cause is the 6-1 co-third choice on the morning line

following a wide fifth at Churchill Downs, but the Grade 1-winning colt is a

play against for me. He was dogged by physical concerns the week before the

Derby and trainer Mike Harrington elected to ship him back and forth to

California afterward instead of remaining in Kentucky with other Preakness

prospects. Creative Cause may be heading in the wrong direction presently.

Daddy Nose Best was training forwardly for the Derby and is eligible

to improve upon a disappointing 10th, but the late runner doesn't possess a

favorable running style and may leave himself with too much to do in the

stretch.

Optimizer looks better-suited for turf and would be a huge surprise

here. The new shooters in the Preakness – Cozzetti, Pretension,

Teeth of the Dog, Tiger Walk and Zetterholm – probably aren't

fast enough to make a significant impact.