Can California Chrome end the Triple Crown drought? Or is Wicked Strong wicked enough for an upset?
Did you know Chrome wears a bandage to help him breathe? Maybe he’ll be the spokeshorse for “Breathe Right”!
Me and 19 million other people will be watching!
Go for the Chrome? Go Rosie!
Stop at the Trading Post for a treat!
Track: Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Distance: 1 1/2 miles
TV: NBC (4:30 p.m.)
Post time: 6:52 p.m. ET
(Horses will leave for the walk to the paddock at 6:13 and the post parade will start at 6:39)
2014 Belmont Stakes Entries
Horses for 2014 Belmont Stakes Post Horse Jockey Trainer ML Odds
1 Medal Count Robby Albarado Dale L. Romans 20-1
2 California Chrome Victor Espinoza Art Sherman 3-5
3 Matterhorn Joe Bravo Todd Pletcher 30-1
4 Commanding Curve Shaun Bridgmohan Dallas Stewart 15-1
5 Ride On Curlin John Velazquez Billy Gowan 12-1
6 Matuszak Mike Smith Bill Mott 30-1
7 Samraat Jose Ortiz Rick Violette 20-1
8 Commissioner Javier Castellano Todd Pletcher 20-1
9 Wicked Strong Rajiv Maragh Jimmy Jerkens 6-1
10 General a Rod Rosie Napravnik Mike Maker 20-1
11 Tonalist Joel Rosario Christophe Clement 8-1
Today is the second jewel in the Triple Crown today so save a few minutes this afternoon to see the excitement.
Is it going to be California history with California Chrome? Is he going to pull an Orb and fade in the race books? Or ala Big Brown keep us hoping for that special horse of the year that he can do it all in the next three weeks? Or will it be Rosie’s day?
Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
When: Saturday, May 17 at 6:18 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
2014 Preakness Stakes Field
Entries for Preakness Stakes 2014 Post Horse Jockey Trainer Odds
1 Dynamic Impact Miguel Mena Mark E. Casse 12-1
2 General a Rod Javier Castellano Mike Maker 15-1
3 California Chrome Victor Espinoza Art Sherman 3-5
4 Ring Weekend Alan Garcia H. Graham Motion 20-1
5 Bayern Rosie Napravnik Bob Baffert 10-1
6 Ria Antonia Calvin Borel Tom Amoss 30-1
7 Kid Cruz Julian Pimentel Linda Rice 20-1
8 Social Inclusion Luis Contreras Manny Azpurua 5-1
9 Pablo Del Monte Jeffrey Sanchez Wesley A. Ward 20-1
10 Ride on Curlin Joel Rosario William Gowan 10-1 Betting / The Basics:
Win:
Selecting the winner of the race. Your horse must win in order for you to cash a ticket.
Place:
If your horse wins or comes in second you cash a ticket, but you get only the place payout.
Show:
If your horse comes in first, second or third you cash a ticket, but you get only the show payout.
WPS:
Stands for “win, place, show”, also known as “across the board”. This places a win, place and show bet on your selection, which is three wagers. I like to think of this as an “ease of use” wager. If your horse wins you get the win, place AND show payout. You’d say “$2 across the board on #3″ to place this wager.
Exotic Bets – Single Race
Exacta:
Selecting the first and second place finishers in exact order.
Quinella:
Selecting the first and second place finishers in either order (if you select #7 & #9 you cash a ticket as long as both finish first and second).
Trifecta:
Selecting the first, second and third place finishers in exact order.
Superfecta:
Selecting the first, second, third and forth place finishers in exact order.
Box:
For any of the single race exotics you can “box” your wager. This means that any of your selections can finish in any order depending on the wager. For example an exacta box is similar to quinella in that as long as your selections run one and two you cash a ticket. A two horse exacta box is two wagers and therefore costs double the money. Accordingly and to your benefit, it pays more than the quinella. A $2 exacta box of two horses is $4. A $1 trifecta box of three horses is $6. You can box as many horses as you like, but it can get pricey!
Key:
Used with exactas, trifectas and superfectas, you select a single horse to win (the key) and other horses to come in second, third and fourth depending on the wager.
Wheel:
A wheel is similar to a key, just with more horses and potentially variations in the how you position the horses. With this type of wager you’d select more than one horse in the top spot, essentially “wheeling” horses “up and down” – or placing a horse in more than one position in your wagers.
For example, you could have a trifecta that looks like this: 2,5 / 2,5,7 / 1,7,9. In this case you would need #2 or #5 to win, either of those two or #7 to come in second and #1, #7 or #9 to show. If you place a $1 wager in this configuration would cost you $18 (2 horses in first position x 3 horses in second position x 3 horses in third position).
Exotic Bets – Multiple Race
Daily Double:
Selecting the winner in two consecutive races.
Pick 3:
Selecting the winner in three consecutive races.
Pick 4:
Selecting the winner in four consecutive races.
Pick 6:
Selecting the winner in six consecutive races.
While creative literary works about horses is definitely food for the soul, it’s also important to see factual points in history with man’s working relationship with the equine species. As Winston Churchill once said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Horse racing may have had a rough start of sorts, but all sports eventually evolve for the betterment of all those who are in it, including the horses themselves. A report in the NY Times is proof that we’ve come a long way by addressing problems for both horse and jockey, treating them as members of the team and family. In Stewart Peter’s Festival Gold, we look at some of the most important movers and shakers that made Cheltenham Festival a grand tradition and a burgeoning empire of hoofs.
Arkle
Arkle (19 April 1957 – 31 May 1970) was a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse.
Festival Gold pays tribute to thoroughbreds that changed the face of the Cheltenham Festival and in horse racing, no legend is bigger than Arkle’s. Arkle, an Irish thoroughbred racehorse, came from a long line of champions and won three Cheltenham Gold Cups despite his career being cut short by injury. His performance, according to BBC, has come to represent the pinnacle of achievement in jump racing. It is no question why this legend is simply known as “Himself”. He was put down in May 31, 1970 with the consent of his owner, the Duchess of Westminster, at an early age of 13. His skeleton is currently on display at the Irish National Stud as a form of tribute and reverence for his iconic role in horse racing. His story is one of overcoming challenges despite debilitating injuries, a trait we previously thought was exclusive to humans.
The Late Queen Mother
Horse racing is the sport of Kings but it wouldn’t be complete without a queen to grace its events. The Queen Mother first took up this interest and was immediately “hooked” after she first attended. She has been horse racing’s biggest and most important benefactor for over 50 years. Since then, royalty has become a permanent and active fixture in horse racing. John Warren, racing manager for the Queen told CNN that, “The British bloodstock industry is very lucky to have a patron such as the queen.” It is expected that the young Prince George will continue this long tradition and play a similar (prominent) role in his future social life. The Queen Mother was honoured at the Cheltenham Festival with one of the races aptly named after her in 1959 for her 80th birthday. This year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase is highly anticipated with the current champion, Sprinter Sacre, trying to recover from injuries to, once again, dominate the Betfair Betting news. As the horse racing industry grows as a sport and a pastime, books like Festival Gold will always be a welcome refresher and a living witness to the success of people and horses alike.
