The 132nd running of the Preakness Stakes

[Minn. Fatz]

Hard Spun: Moves to the front out of the gate with King of the Roxy and perhaps one other, well in hand and saving ground throughout and (this time) prevails. Not because Street Smart isn't an excellent horse, but because Bo-rail doesn't get the same trip as two weeks ago at Churchill Downs and because this equally excellent horse continues to improve. I like this horse.
 
Street Smart: Runs sixth or seventh hugging the rail through the first turn, makes his move going into the clubhouse turn but this time gets caught behind Circular Quay and CP West as these two start to fade going into the stretch, makes another exciting run forced 3- or 4-wide but comes up short. Again, not because he can't catch the winner at the distance, but because he won't get a similarly perfect trip.
 
Xchanger: Rated fairly close to the leaders going into the first turn, fourth or fifth with Curlin and Circular Quay (and maybe Flying First Class too if he breaks sharply from the gate) through the backstretch. No more than two wide at any point, will make a bid inside of Street Smart but finish 3-4 lengths behind that one.
 
Curlin: Could be in the same class as the first two but I don't see him making his best effort Saturday. Will make a run at Hard Spun along with the rest but finishes just out of the money.
 
How I'd invest $100 (assuming Mrs. Minn. would let me ): $25 to win and place on Hard Spun, $5 exactas and trifectas with Hard Spun over Street Smart and Xchanger, $5 superfectas with Hard Spun over those two and Curlin. I like that horse.

[Minn. Fatz]

They say horses are intelligent. At least they don't bet on people races. So is Mrs. Minn.; she didnt' let me lose all that money.
 
So what happened? Hard Spun failed to improve, Street Smart didn't get the perfect trip but the trip he got was plenty good, and Curlin decided to turn in the kind of sterling performance that, when he does it, puts him in the same class with the former two. It was an exciting finish all right, and Curlin was the fastest horse today, but in my book the winner failed to impress. As one of the commentators noted, it was like he was on and off the gas through the whole race.
 
Well, it is horse racing. But I can't help but think that had Xchanger been rated and had Hard Spun been sent more to the front to establish the pace, they both would have finished better than they did today.
 
You could do worse in the Belmont than wheel Curlin, Street Sense and Hard Spin in the trifecta again. But Imawildandcrazyguy, the horse that ran the farthest in the Derby and still finished fourth, is a possibility for that one three weeks from now.