33 and Counting...

Slow break out of the gate left the Derby winner facing a daunting task of picking off 13 horses at a track they say favors the speed horses. Animal Kingdom was out to prove his doubters wrong, that he was no fluke just two short weeks ago. Heading into the far turn, it was time, weaving in and out of traffic, one by one he started picking off his foes. Coming down the stretch, bursting through the field and closing fast, only one horse to pass, that same horse that faded down the stretch in the Derby. It just wasn't meant to be as Animal Kingdom ran out of real estate and ran into a horse named Shackleford that was not willing to give in this time around as he showed he had just enough gas left in the tank to hold on and take the Preakness.

So, here we are, another year, another heartbreak for the horse racing world. While Animal Kingdom did what he set out to do and prove that he was no fluke, it wasn't enough to please the racing fans as they are left disappointed yet again. We now have another long year to wait and see if and when that next three-year-old will emerge and capture that elusive Triple Crown that was last won 33 years ago.

Time still goes on as does the sport of horse racing. The Belmont is the next big stakes race on the card for these young horses and they will have a $1,000,000 purse to chase after. Assuming the top horses come out healthy from the Preakness, lets hope that large purse is good enough reason for the likes of Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Dialed In and Mucho Macho Man to give us racing fans another exciting race to anticipate in less than three weeks. With Nehro, who placed in the Derby and Jaycito, who was a top Derby contender before he got sidelined with a minor injury, pointing toward the Belmont, it still could shape into another interesting race with a nicely stacked field.

Pegged 3 out of the top 4 in the Preakness. Astrology probably kept some from hitting the super or tri but hopefully you took my suggestions and hit the exacta or better yet had a winning ticket on Shackelford. Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll have my picks for the Belmont.