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Memo to NBC’s Bob Costas and everyone else covering today’s 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore:  The name of the race is pronounced “prake-ness” — not the commonly repeated “preek-ness — and if you don’t believe it, talk to old-timers in Wayne, where a famous racehorse of long ago still is remembered as a hometown hero.  “I cringe every time I hear them say the name ‘Preakness’ on television,” said Dr. Robert Brubaker, the 84-year-old chairman emeritus of the Wayne Township Historical Commission. “They always pronounce it wrong. The word rhymes with ‘break.’Costas, a sports announcer with...

Big Brown, who will be seeking the coveted Triple Crown in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), has a "slight" quarter crack on the inside of his left front foot, trainer Rick Dutrow said Sunday, May 25. Dutrow said he noticed a small spot on the colt's foot Friday afternoon and notified hoof lameness specialist Ian McKinlay, who treated it. By Saturday, it had turned into a slight quarter crack, five-eighths of an inch long. McKinlay applied iodine solution and said he’s confident it is very minor. He will “lace it up,” and if everything is good, the colt...

Big Brown looks like a Tripe Crown cinch. He wasn't even challenged today. This horse is a monster. Visions of Secretariat.

Please note: this is NOT spam. It's just material I've gathered on my own to prepare for Saturday's Preakness (I'm a regular poster here). All of the tools below are absolutely free, including the PPs (Past Performances) and video. They often let you download stuff like this for free for the major stake races. Official Past Performances for 2008 Preakness Stakes (on pdf file):http://ntra.equibase.com/eqbNTRAGetFreeFF.cfm?trk=PIM&rd=05/17/2008&cty=USA&de=D&rn=12 Official website of the 2008 Preakness Stakes:http://www.preakness.com/ Videos of each of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's 4 prior starts, including this incredible first-time-out shocker on the grass at 14-1! (they must have somehow hid his workouts...

There were few surprises in Friday’s early wagering on Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Racecourse. Predictably, Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Street Sense opened at 9-5 odds, just slightly higher than his 7-5 morning line odds. Next in the advance wagering was Derby runner-up Hard Spun, 7-2 after Friday’s wagering, also consistent with his 5-2 morning line. The complete advance odds, with morning line odds in parenthesis, for the Preakness field, in post position order: 1—Mint Slewlep, 31-1 (30-1) 2—Xchanger, 14-1 (15-1) 3—Circular Quay, 5-1 (8-1) 4—Curlin, 3-1 (7-2) 5—King of the Roxy, 17-1...

KENNETT SQUARE, PA — According to Chief of Surgery Dean Richardson, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro slept well after his left hind foot bandage was changed yesterday. “I’m happy with the appearance of this foot, which is doing as well as can be expected,” said Dr. Richardson. “Over the last several days, his temperature has been normal and his blood work has significantly improved suggesting that the infection in his right hind is under control.” His heart rate is also consistently normal now, a good indication that he is stable and comfortable. Barbaro remains in the Intensive Care Unit of Penn’s...

For nearly 6 weeks after the catastrophic injuries Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro suffered in the May 20 Preakness, the colt's recovery from the May 21 surgery on his right hind leg had gone better than even the most optimistic had hoped. From the start, Dr. Dean Richardson, who performed the surgery, warned everyone that it could turn the other way at any time. In the last week, almost nothing has gone right for Barbaro. Last night, Richardson said the colt has developed "potentially serious'' complications, including an infection in the leg. When asked how he thought this might play out,...

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed "potentially serious" complications to his injured right hind leg, and underwent surgery to replace hardware and treat a new infection. Late Saturday, the 3-year-old colt, who shattered his leg at the start of the Preakness on May 20, had the titanium plate and a number of screws replaced after developing discomfort in the leg and a "consistently" high temperature. The surgery was performed by Dr. Dean Richardson at the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center, where Barbaro has been recovering in the intensive care unit. In a statement released Sunday, Richardson emphasized that the...

If the doors of perception were ever cleansed, the major event attendant to the 2006 Preakness might make a little more sense. Of course, if thoroughbred racing's doors of perception were ever thoroughly cleansed, the parimutuel part of the game probably would no longer exist. Only the gentried shooing flies and imbecilic bottom clockers would remain. Instead, an industry constantly trying to tether itself to the major American sports leaderboard once again finds itself in the midst of another plow-out after the near- fatal racing injuries suffered by Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro last Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. On Thursday,...

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - Barbaro looked better Tuesday morning than he did a day earlier, a strong sign the Kentucky Derby winner was progressing well on a long road to recovery following a catastrophic injury to his right hind leg. "He's actually better today than he was even yesterday and he was pretty good yesterday," Dr. Dean Richardson said. "He's walking very well on the limb, absolutely normal vital signs. He's doing very well." Barbaro was on his feet in his stall, even scratching his left ear with his left hind leg just two days after Richardson and a team...

May 22, 2006 -- BALTIMORE - Was Barbaro's tragic breakdown in the Preakness Stakes a sad random incident on the racetrack or new proof of the sharp physical deterioration of the modern American thoroughbred? That question will be hotly debated everywhere in the racing industry in the aftermath of the accident that abruptly ended the brilliant 3-year-old's racing career, if not his life, and left the world in heartbreak.

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was in surgery Sunday fighting for his life a day after breaking his ankle at the Preakness, and the colt's surgeon said he's never worked on so many catastrophic injuries to one horse. Dr. Dean Richardson was operating at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals and said the procedure could take several hours.

Post Position Silks Horse Name Trainer Jockey Morning Line   1 (NA)    LIKE NOW(Picture NA)   Kiaran McLaughlin  Garrett Gomez   19-1   2  PLATINUM COUPLE  Joseph Lostritto  Jose Espinoza 28-1   3  HEMINGWAY'S KEY  Nick Zito  Jeremy Rose 30-1   4  GREELEY'S LEGACY  George Weaver  Richard Migliore 38-1   5  BROTHER DEREK  Dan Hendricks  Alex Solis 7-2   6  BARBARO  Michael Matz   Edgar Prado 1-2   7  SWEETNORTHERNSAINT  Michael Trombetta   Kent Desormeaux 6-1   8  BERNARDINI  Thomas Albertrani  Javier Castellano 17-1   9 DIABOLICAL   Steve Klesaris  Ramon Dominguez 24-1  

Lael Stable's Barbaro, who stayed undefeated with a dominating effort in the Kentucky Derby (G1) two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, was pegged as the even-money favorite against a very different cast than he last faced for the 131st edition of the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. Nine three-year-olds were entered for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, which will be televised live on NBC from 5-6:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, compared to 20 that contested the Kentucky Derby. Post time for the Preakness is set for 6:15 p.m.

Contenders Morning Line 1 LIKE NOW Kiaran McLaughlin Garrett Gomez Past Performance 12-1 2 PLATINUM COUPLE Joseph Lostritto Jose Espinoza Past Performance 50-1 3 HEMINGWAY'S KEY Nick Zito Jeremy Rose Past Performance 30-1 4 GREELEY'S LEGACY George Weaver Richard Migliore Past Performance 20-1 5 BROTHER DEREK Dan Hendricks Alex Solis Past Performance 3-1 6 BARBARO Michael Matz Edgar Prado Past Performance 1-1 7 SWEETNORTHERNSAINT Michael Trombetta Kent Desormeaux Past Performance 4-1 8 BERNARDINI Thomas Albertrani Javier Castellano Past Performance 8-1 9 DIABOLICAL Steve Klesaris Ramon Dominguez Past Performance 30-1

Smarty Jones Now a Father Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones now has another title: father. Three Chimneys Farm, Smarty's home, announced Tuesday that Smarty's first foal was born shortly after midnight. The bay filly, whose mother is Shoppingwithbetty, was born at Stone Farm, just outside Paris . "She's popped around, jumped around," said Arthur Hancock, owner of Stone Farm. "She's a very nice foal, and the mother's crazy about her. She just looks like a little athlete." Shoppingwithbetty, owned by Hancock and Tom Tatham of Oak Cliff Stables, was due to foal Jan. 19. Her father was Danzig, who...

Preakness Stakes 2005 (Approximate Odds as of May 21th at 9:53 AM) Post Position Silks Horse Name Trainer Jockey PP's Morning Line 1 MALIBU MOONSHINE King Leatherbury Steve Hamilton PP 10:1 2 HIGH FLY Nick Zito   Jerry Bailey  PP 5:1 3 NOBLE CAUSEWAY Nick Zito  Gary Stevens PP 13:1 4 GREELEY'S GALAXY Warren Stute  David Flores PP 10:1 5 SCRAPPY T Robbie Bailes  Ramon Dominguez PP 10:1 6 HAL'S IMAGE Barry Rose  Jose Santos PP 21:1 7 CLOSING ARGUMENT Kiaran McLaughlin Cornelio Velasquez PP 8:1 8 GALLOPING GROCER Dominick Schettino Joe Bravo PP 25:1 9 WILKO Craig Dollase  Corey Kakatani ...

Giacomo Draws Post 13 For Preakness; Afleex Alex Goes From Post 12 As Favorite Baltimore, MD. 05-18-05 --- John Shirreffs, trainer of Jerome and Ann Moss’ Giacomo, had little left to pick when he selected 13th in the Preakness draw Wednesday evening and chose Post 13 for his Kentucky Derby winner. Afleet Alex, who was installed the 5-2 morning line favorite, will go from Post 12 in the full field of 14. The field in post position order for the 130th running of the $1 million, mile and three-sixteenths second jewel of the Triple Crown, with jockeys and morning line...

I checked but didn't see another thread on this. And, no. It's not "too soon." Us horse racing fans are... well... fanatical. I'm excited, as it looks like my Kentucky Derby pick (the winnah), Smarty Jones, is headed in with a good chance. Here is the main link to the Maryland Jockey Club. Lots of good info can be found there. They also have a special Preakness Page. That's where you can find an archive of the daily stories, on the horses, up through today. Here's today's news: BALTIMORE, 5-14-04 --- SIR SHACKLETON/THE CLIFF’S EDGE – Trainer Nick Zito made...

Jose Santos earns personal redemption riding Funny Cide to smashing Preakness win EVEN THOUGH it was rumbling deep within his belly Jose Santos did not let it out. He had work to do first.Reaching back, he popped Funny Cide with his whip in his right hand and then deftly shifted the stick to his left hand for another crack. Although he could not detect the hoofbeats of the other horses in the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 17 because they were too far behind him, a chant that rose from the Pimlico Race course infield chimmed in his ears. "Ole, ole,...

Will go for the first Triple Crown in 25 years in his home of NY at the Belmont

128th Preakness Stakes: Post Time = 3:05 pm PST From Reuters: Funny Cide Installed as Favorite for Preakness Wed May 14, 8:22 PM ET Add Sports - Reuters to My Yahoo! BALTIMORE, Maryland (Reuters) - Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide was installed the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Preakness Stakes after Wednesday's draw. Heavy rain fell at Pimlico Race Course on Friday, the day before the Preakness Stakes, second leg of the Triple Crown. A steeplechase event on Friday's racecard was called off and three other races scheduled for the turf were switched to the dirt track. From the Washington...