Preakness Contender: Teeth of the Dog

As the dust settles from the 138th rendition of America's most startling race, all eyes are on the big names.

Can I'll Have Another win the Triple Crown? Will the 1 1/8 mile Preakness set up to serve the speedy Bodemeister? Is it still possible for Union Rags to triumph in the Belmont? 

Brilliant questions for brilliant horses -- but don't declare it a fight of favorites. Several long shots will slip to the Preakness as deftly and quietly as maiden claimers; one may emerge in a swarm of cameras. 

To prevent being among those yelping "who was that?", let's take a closer look at one of the more jaded contenders.

Trained by Micheal Matz, owned by J.W. Singer, LLC, Teeth of the Dog is the perfect instance of an under-the-radar long shot. 

So far as most are concerned, Micheal Matz has one good horse -- his name? Union Rags, runner-up in the Juvenile, third in the Florida Derby, seventh in the Kentucky Derby.

As everyone knows, Union rags will not be running in the Preakness Stakes; but don't count out Matz for a sudden score.

Although his resume is far from flashy, Teeth of the Dog is a solid horse with 1/8 mile experience. 

In his first start, a 6 furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park, the Bluegrass Cat colt rated along the rail, was caught in mild traffic, but angled out into the stretch to capture third.

The next month, Teeth of the Dog had his 2012 debut -- another maiden special weight, again at Gulfstream, this time going for a full (dirt) mile. The colt showed a new dimension, battling for the lead throughout the race. In the end, he was unable to hold off a charge from Unbridled Minister. Still, Teeth of the Dog finished a game second.

They say the third time's a charm; it certainly was with Teeth of the Dog. On February 4th, the bay colt stretched out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time. Again setting the pace, Teeth of the Dog held on to win by a head. The final time was unremarkable, but some of the competition was. Went the Day Well, winner of the G3 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes & 4th in the Kentucky Derby, finished behind Teeth of the Dog.

Coming off such a solid performance, Teeth of the Dog was shipped to Aqueduct for the G1 Wood Memorial. For a maiden, he was super impressive, ducking out of traffic to finish 3rd behind Derby starters Gemologist and Alpha. He finished courageously, the best of the rest.

It could be argued - and so I'll go ahead and say it - that Teeth of the Dog has been mediocre. He has been, and has little experience under his belt to rival that of Preakness competition. It's not certain he'll be starting in the G1 event, either -- Teeth of the Dog has been entered in the G2 Peter Pan Stakes, a race at Belmont Park. 

But if this colt does show up at Pimlico, he's got just the sort of stable record I love to find in a long money contender. He's proven at the distance of 1 1/8, has dealt with traffic and bad positioning, and seems to be improving with each start.

Although his chances may seem slim, this is a horse that seems to enjoy running and gives it his best every race. Teeth of the Dog should be closely considered in any of his future starts - Preakness included.