2012 Preakness Stakes: Result Analysis

In the final stretch of the Preakness Stakes, it was a two horse race.
Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another charged down the lane to match strides with Derby runner-up Bodemeister. They drew away from the rest of the field by a visually stunning 9 lengths, fully extended, snatching for ground. Bodemeister held on gamely -- but the muddy chestnut wanted another.
Gritty as they get, he stuck his nose in front.

"We're thinking Triple Crown, baby," Declared trainer Doug O'Neill. "He's a special horse. We'll see how he comes out of it, and if he comes out of it in good shape, we're heading to New York, baby."

For I'll Have Another, this is brilliant news. But what about the rest of the field? What happened to the highly touted Went the Day Well? The California colt, Creative Cause? My long shot selections, Zetterholm and Teeth of the Dog? In the spirit of curiosity, and a love of horse racing, here're the full results of the 2012 Preakness Stakes -- as well as my thoughts on each horse's performance.


I'll Have Another (left), Bodemeister (right)

1)   I'll Have Another: Another great ride from Mario Gutierrez, and another great show from one gritty, talented colt. Before the race, I remarked that I'll Have Another enjoys winning.. and I'm firmer than ever with that belief. This long-strided colt never knows when to stop running. He's versatile, being the only horse in history to have won the Derby from post #19, and only the fourth to have won the Preakness from #9. He makes his own good luck -- and wow. The triple crown seems a lot more possible than it did a mere two hours ago.


2)   Bodemeister: Victorious in defeat, Bodemeister ran a huge race. Again, he ran on the lead, although this time under much slower fractions than the Derby. Had it not been for I'll Have Another, Bodemeister would have been a 9 length winner. My hat is off to this horse for the sheer determination he shows in every start. I expected him to be at least slightly dulled by the grueling races he's ran in quick succession. But Bodemeister seemed unfazed by this quick turnaround, and ran the race of a real champion.


3)   Creative Cause: Another hard-trying colt who ran a big one. Did everything right for the most of the race, but faded out in the final furlong, and simply wasn't sharp enough to keep up with the top two. I think this is a great colt in desperate need of some time off. After all the traveling he's been through, Creative Cause may have been feeling just a little jet-lagged. Look out for him in the major stakes races later in the year.


4)   Zetterholm: One of my top three selections going into the race, the relatively untested son of Silver Train ran well past the betting public's expectations. He rated near the back until the foot of the stretch, where he angled out four wide with no major kick.. but enough to secure a respectable fourth. It is to be noted that his sire, Silver Train, never won past 1 mile. Zetterholm, too, may show more closing ability at shorter distances. Still, a great effort for such a green horse.


5)   Teeth of the Dog: Another one of my top selections. Although way far back from the rest of the field, Teeth of the Dog broke first, then settled back into midpack with no major rallies. Clearly not a top tier horse (on this particular day, it could be added), but still one to watch for. A colt with plenty of room left for maturing.


6)   Optimizer: Lacked speed, then passed tiring rivals. This field was far too deep for him.


7)   Cozzetti: Looked like he might be progressing at first, but deflated pretty quickly. Not up to par with this field.


8)   Tiger Walk: Was gaining ground in the far turn, but flattened out. Didn't belong in this race.


9)   Daddy Nose Best: Plenty of people were looking for a big race from the Sunland Derby winner, but instead, they got an altered version of the Kentucky Derby finish. May need a break, or simply a regrouping with some less imposing horses. Looked pretty tired today.


10)   Went the Day Well: Bounced off of a huge effort in the Kentucky Derby, in which he was closing fastest of them all. He was a different horse at Churchill; this is a classy animal in need of a breather.


11)   Pretension: "I see no reason for Pretension to finish in the top half of the field" Those were my words in my last blog post, in which I analyzed the Preakness field. This was a replay of the Illinois Derby, in which he ran a lackluster ninth. Despite his accomplishment on the Pimlico dirt, Pretension was no ready for this race.



How did I do?
Coming into the Preakness, my selections were:

I'll Have Another (1st)


Bodemeister (2nd)


Zetterholm (4th)

And I wrote an article on Teeth of the Dog, who finished 5th.