Associated Press
Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Just like in the Kentucky Derby, Bodemeister is the favorite in the Preakness.
This time, Bob Baffert intends to justify the odds.
Despite finishing second in the Derby, Bodemeister was installed as the 8-5 favorite for Saturday’s second leg of the Triple Crown. The colt, trained by Baffert, set the pace at Churchill Downs before being overtaken in the stretch by I’ll Have Another, who won by 1 lengths.
I’ll Have Another is the second-favorite in the Preakness at 5-2.
Baffert, a five-time Preakness winner, was delighted to receive the No. 7 post in the 11-horse field.
“With (Bodemeister), anything in the middle would be fine,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “With the Preakness, you just don’t want to be stuck on the inside where you have to use your horse a little bit. The Derby winner drew really well, also.”
I’ll Have Another will start from the No. 9 post. The colt won the Derby out of the No. 19 post and will again be ridden by Mario Gutierrez.
“Anything with a nine in it, we feel very good about. We’re cool with it,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “We talked about the possibility of being inside Bodemeister and really forcing our hand to push him early. Now it’s in Mario’s hands to still kind of push Bode, but we’ll be on the outside of him.”
Funny Cide was last to win from No. 9 in 2003, and Baffert’s Lookin At Lucky was last to win from No. 7 in 2010.
Asked about having the second-favorite in the field despite winning the Derby, O’Neill said: “Bob Baffert has won five of these. I’ve never run a horse here. I totally respect that. I just hope anyone who bets Bodemeister is regretting it Saturday night.”
A victory would give I’ll Have Another the chance to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
“I’m confident,” O’Neill said. “You never know. But as long as we continue to train like our horse is training, we won’t be that far off Bodemeister. If anything Bodemeister might be behind us early.”
The odds were set by Pimlico Race Course handicapper Frank Carulli. The field is the smallest since 2007, when Curlin beat Derby winner Street Sense in a nine-horse field.
The field for Saturday’s 137th Preakness Stakes, with post position, horse’s name, jockey’s name and odds:
1. Tiger Walk K.Desormeaux 30-1
2. Teeth of the Dog J.Bravo 15-1
3. Pretension J.Santiago 30-1
4. Zetterholm J.Alvarado 20-1
5. Went the Day Well J.Velazquez 6-1
6. Creative Cause J.Rosario 6-1
7. Bodemeister M.Smith 8-5
8. Daddy Nose Best J.Leparoux 12-1
9. I’ll Have Another M.Gutierrez 5-2
10. Optimizer J.Court 30-1
11. Cozzetti J.Lezcano 30-1
Trainers (by post position): 1, Ignacio Correas. 2, Michael Matz. 3, Christopher Grove. 4, Rick Dutrow Jr. 5, Graham Motion. 6, Mike Harrington. 7, Bob Baffert. 8, Steve Asmussen. 9, Doug O’Neill. 10, D. Wayne Lukas. 11, Dale Romans.
Owners (by post position): 1, Sagamore Farm. 2, J.W. Singer. 3, Kidwells Petite Stable. 4, Winter Park Partners. 5, Team Valor International and Mark Ford. 6, Heinz Steinmann. 7, Zayat Stables and Southern Equine Stable. 8, Cathy and Bob Zollars. 9, J. Paul Reddam. 10, Bluegrass Hall LLC. 11, Albaugh Family Stables.
Weights: 126 each. Distance: 1 3-16 miles. Purse: $1 million. First place: $600,000. Second place: $200,000. Third place: $110,000. Fourth place: $60,000. Post time: 12:05 p.m. HST.