Preakness Betting: ‘New Shooters’ Look To Crash Party

Added on May 21, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

Horse Racing

Typically, the road to the Preakness Stakes goes through Louisville, Kentucky. More specifically, the horses that win the Preakness are usually ones that ran in the Kentucky Derby several weeks earlier. That’s not always the case, however, and every year there are a number of entrants that skipped the Kentucky Derby altogether. These horses are known as ‘new shooters’ in horse racing jargon and this year there are nine entrants in the Preakness that skipped the Kentucky Derby.

Aside from a stretch in the early 1980′s when ‘new shooters’ won three of four Preakness races between 1980 and 1983, horses that skipped the Kentucky Derby haven’t fared particularly well. Since 1983 there have only been three ‘new shooters’ to win the Preakness–most recently in 2009 when Rachel Alexandra turned the feat. In 2006, Bernardini won the Preakness without starting in the Kentucky Derby as did Red Bullet in 2000. Since 1919, only nineteen ‘new shooters’ have won the Preakness Stakes:

2009 Rachel Alexandra
2006 Bernardini
2000 Red Bullet
1983 Deputed Testamony
1982 Aloma’s Ruler
1980 Codex
1972 Bee Bee Bee
1962 Greek Money
1951 Bold
1945 Polynesian
1942 Alsab
1934 High Quest
1929 Dr. Freeland
1928 Victorian
1925 Coventry
1924 Nellie Morse
1922 Pillory
1921 Broomspun
1920 Man o’ War

We examined one of the ‘new shooters’–Astrology–in detail in a previous post. An intriguing entrant that has drawn the attention of many serious horse players is King Congie. Robbie Alberado will ride King Congie and that assignment adds to the drama–Alberado was scheduled to ride Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom until he suffered a spill and was replaced. There are some striking similarities between Animal Kingdom and King Congie–in fact, King Congie is a synthetic/turf specialist trying to make the transition to dirt in the same way that Animal Kingdom did in the Kentucky Derby. King Congie was 20-1 on the morning line. For players interested in speed horses, Dance City and Flashpoint should help set the pace that was absent in the Kentucky Derby. The shorter distance at Pimlico for the Preakness could also help a Kentucky Derby veteran–Shackleford–who set the pace at Churchill Downs before tiring late. The downside to backing a speed horse should be obvious–in many ways a brisk pace in the Preakness will set the race up better for the favorites Animal Kingdom and Dialed In than they had in the Kentucky Derby.