Great Preakness -- hopefully the start of a great seasonal rivalry

[Calzone Lord]

I'll Have Another and his jockey didn't take the bait and ruin their chances by trying to apply early pressure to Bodemeister.

Bodemeister didn't have to deal with heavy pressure early.

The fractions may appear way slower than the Derby -- but this was a ridiculously slow track today with a deep rail. Horses stalking and making that 3-to-4 wide far turn move won everything.

It was a Grade 1 pace. Smith was smart enough to keep Bodemeister at least a little bit off of the rail.

The track was tiring, but it was as clean as this race could have been run...and the top two finishers put a city block on the field, but the gamer horse won.

Here's the Kentucky Derby after 9.5 furlongs (picture at the 1/16th pole)




It was a veritable replay again with Mario G. riding another smart race aboard the winner.

The track was ridiculously fast in Kentucky and slower than par today -- but Bodemeister had no pressure excuse this time.

Anyone who doesn't think I'll Have Another and Bodemeister are the two best dirt males at 9 furlongs in the entire country outside of maybe the Charles Lopresti barn...

Go back and watch the Arkansas Derby and Oaklawn Park Handicap (run 30 minutes apart) again --- Alternation went more than 7 lengths slower than Bodemeister early and couldn't outfinish him by even 0.01 seconds late. He's a subsquent Pimlico Special winner now is Alternation ... and he couldn't warm these two up.

Great race, even though I got splattered by I'll Have Another's stretch heroics.