Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another will attempt to earn the second jewel of the Triple Crown in Saturday’s Grade 1 $1,000,000 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Although the Derby winner traditionally becomes the Preakness favorite among race fans, the bettors don’t always agree. Kentucky Derby post-time favorite and second place finisher Bodemeister has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. He’ll break from post 7 under jockey Mike Smith for trainer Bob Baffert. I’ll Have Another will break from post 9 and is listed as the second choice in the field of 11 at morning line odds of 5-2. Jockey Mario Gutierrez will attempt to gain his first Preakness victory while rewarding trainer Doug O’Neill the same honor.
The race will likely play out similar to the Derby with Bodemeister taking the early lead. There’s really no other contenders that will want to fight him for the lead, but a few that will likely sit just off his pace—these may be I’ll Have Another, Teeth of the Dog, and Cozzetti.
Teeth of the Dog, trained by Michael Matz, hasn’t shown enough speed to pose a threat, having earned his best Brisnet speed figure of 98 when finishing third to Gemologist and Alpha in the Wood Memorial. Although he’s never finished out of the money in his four lifetime starts, his only win came in a $52,000 maiden race.
In his last start, Dale Romans’ Cozzetti finished fourth, 10 lengths behind Bodemeister, in the Arkansas Derby. Again, he hasn’t shown the speed to hang with Bodemeister, but he has the ability to show up and finish in the exotics.
