It was a glorious day in Baltimore. In any case, that is the how the day
broke. The 13-race card got under way at 10 30 A M Eastern time. The
skies were overcast two hours before the Preakness and a drizzle began
with over an hour to go. As the temperature fell, the drizzle turned
into steady rain. A majority of the runners were saddled in the indoor
paddock. The rain, to the delight of the thousands who had assembled,
did not develop into a downpour and may not have had an impact on the
running of the 132nd Preakness Stakes.
Street Sense was the 12-10 favorite. Curlin stayed steady at 3-1 and a
notch below 7-2. Hard Spun had a strong fan-base and was at 4-1.
Circular Quay was next in demand at 6-1. The others were at boxcar odds.
Xchanger and Flying First Class were at the helm of affairs as Hard Spun
took forward position and raced third. Curlin was seventh after a scary
stumble at the start and Street Sense lay eighth with one horse beat who
was Circular Quay. The half came in 45.3 and Mario Pino, Hard Spun's
rider, could wait no longer. He charged three-wide to take charge. As
Hard Spun led a merry dance into the lane, Street Sense had angled out
and was surging three-wide. Curlin, outside of the favorite and
four-deep, had striking position but had been passed by Street Sense.
Jockey Calvin Borel thundered past Hard Spun with over a furlong left.
The margin was 2 1/2 lengths and Street Sense was being hailed the
winner. As Hard Spun was giving up the fight, Curlin found renewed
energy as jockey Robby Albarado asked for more. Jockey Borel;, on cruise
control, gave himself the luxury of a shoulder glance as the winning
post loomed large. The final word in the Preakness script had not been
written yet. Jockey Albarado dug deep and Curlin began narrowing what
looked like an insurnountable deficit as Street Sense's supporters' glee
turned to concern. A moment later, concern was giving way to panic. The
two colts passed the wire locked together. The photo revealed that
Curlin and Robby Albarado had prevailed.
A few yards after the winning post, jockey Borel, cognizant of the fact
that Curlin had won, did what good riders do. "You got me,
congratulations," he told jockey Albarado. "It was a good thing that I
got beat by Robby. Nobody deserves this better,." he said later.
The winning margin was a head. Four lengths away in third was Hard Spun.
The time for the 1 3/16-mile trip was 1 53.2. The track, apparently, had
not been affected by the rain. Curlin's share of the purse was $600,000.
Curlin is by Smart Strike whose sire is Mr Prospector. Sherriff's
Deputy, by Deputy Minister, is Curlin's mother.
One of Curlin's owners is Satish Sanan who owns Padua Stables. "This is
a tremendous colt, He may be somewhat immature mentally. The longer he
goes, the better will be," an exuberant Sanan averred.
Curlin returned $8.80, $3.80 and $2.80. Curlin was listed at 7-2 in the
morning line. It was s great betting line.
It was the first ever win in a Triple Crown event for Robby Albarado and
trainer Steve Asmussen. Jockey Albarado had fallen off his mount,
Einstein, two races before the Preakness. "I was shaken up. I walked
away. I am fortunate," he said.
"After the stumble, my concern was to get into contention. I had to use
him more than I wanted to. When Street Sense ran by, I did not lose
hope. Curlin is a great horse. The harder I tried, the harder he ran. It
is awesome to win like this," jockey Albarado stated.
Steve Asmussen had this to say. "I am happy my confidence was justified.
We had all kinds of excuses in the Kentucky Derby. We will make a
decision about the Belmont Stakes soon."
"He backs out of the bridle when he hits the front. It is heartbreaking.
I thought it was all over when Calvin took the lead. I don't think, at
the moment, that we will go to New York." Carl Nafzger said about Street
Sense.
Calvin Borel was gracious in defeat. "When I went by Curlin, I felt I
was home free. He (Street Sense) began gawking (looking around) the last
40 yards. I did not move too soon. I knew I had a 1/4 mile run in my
horse. My colt had a great response when I asked him to go."
Todd Pletcher is now 0 for 28 in Triple Crown races. Pletcher, however,
has been winning Grade I races with monotonus regularity.
The attendance was 121,263. It was the largest in Preakness history,
Form horses were to the fore.
It is on to the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park in New York. It
is over 1 1/2 miles.
