The Prk – Grade I
1 3/16 Mile Dirt Stake Purse $2,000.000 Open 3 Year Olds.

1st Walk Em Down Mb Stables Moore R L

Whatever the trainer put in the evening feed last night worked a treat today as the stable had one of their most successful days in a while. Having three runners in The Preakness and ending up with everyone taking home a paycheck is some achievement but it’s something we have got used to seeing over the many years that Mb Stables has dominated the game of HRP.
With the off track it was always going to be a bit of a blind pick especially as most of the runners had run in the KYD just two weeks ago. But despite the strange effort this one put in in the Derby he had some great wet track form in his Risen Star win and was probably the best chance in the conditions. Settling back of a fair pace that was set by his stable mate, another advantage of having more than one runner, he looked to be in a bad position two groups back and buried on the rail. However, when your luck is running, they can push mountains of horse flesh out of the way, and he muscled his way to the outside on the turn and launched his challenge. It did look like his stable mate was home and hosed but as the leader started treading water he was flying and just got home right on the line. If you compare his efforts in the KYD and the Preakness it is hard to settle on just how good he is, maybe a wet tracker and that in these days of constant off tracks is a nice thing to have, but maybe that KYD run was just ‘one of those’. The fact remains that he has only run 6 times and he is looking very promising, and no doubt will add yet more strength to Mb’s assault on the grade one’s going forward.

2nd Test The Waters Mb Stables Saez L

The job this one had was to hold the lead and hold out the KYD winner and he carried out his orders perfectly. For a while round that final turn, I thought that he would hold on and win but he was a weary horse in the last 100 yards, and it was his stable mate that collared him. Weakening on an off track in the Gotham and the same in the KYD he lasted a lot longer in front than I thought he would but that was probably more due to the fact the best finishers were busy fanning across the track to try and find some running room than his ability to keep up a gallop. It is strange to think this horse than has been second in both the BC Juvenile Turf and now the Preakness has only a two from twelve-win rate, but he continues to race the best of his age group and whilst he would be called a quitter by some as a front runner, he is a quitter we would all like to own.
I wonder whether his long-term objective will be over the mile, or maybe even shorter but for now he is at the top of his game and will be a danger over any trip he contests.

3rd Baffert Royalty Stables Velazquez J R

You have to feel sorry for this BC Juvenile champ who looked unbeatable at two as a closer but has been a victim of the engine and big fields this year. Once again he was taken too far back and launched a late challenge and once again it was all too late but this achievement should not be over looked for two reasons. Firstly we do not see many BC Juvenile winners make it to the TC series and still be viable contenders in the TC and secondly we don’t see many closers that are as consistent as him these days. Those two facts make him a great horse and whilst there will be a tinge of frustration for his trainer they shouldn’t doubt just how good this horse is.
As you ponder yet another great effort I am sure there is part of all of us that wonders what would happen if you put this horse in AA or stalk, would he be able to launch his finish from nearer the front or would he just fall away at the end? Thankfully that is not up to us but we can all look forward to the next time this one lines up.

4th Good Memories Mb Stables Franco M

It looked for a few strides on the bend that this one would be the one to go and catch his stable mate but he faltered as they hit the stretch and was found out by either the conditions or the trip. This was still a huge effort by a horse in only his fifth start that hadn’t ever been part of the TC picture until his narrow win in the Lexington and even then was not thought of as a contender for any of the legs. There will be plenty more to come from this one.

5th Master And Commander Fractious Prat F

Another that suffers from the “Baffert” factor he closed hard again but on this engine there are so many things that have to fall into place for closers that it is very hard to win consistently. I am pretty sure though that this horse will be around for a while yet and when things go right for him he could take some big scalps.

6th Hoku D J C Racing Stables Centeno D E

The outside gate option B put this one way out the back and it was all over for him by the first turn. He ran on bravely but could never get into the race. Like Master and Commander his day will come but the draw monster will have to get off his case first.

7th Ocean Storm Greyfriars Stable Rodriguez Jam

Ran the same placing as he did in the KYD and ran a very similar race closing from a bit further back and running well without threatening.

8th Run Forty Asgar Silvera Ru

A disappointing effort in conditions that should’ve suited he was never a factor.

9th Double Entendre Riggins Racing Hernandez R M

He was always going to be up against it but the conditions pretty much sealed his fate.

10th Demonic Chant Riggins Racing Lopez P

Went hard early and paid the price.

11th Bad Debt Hippyheart Beschizza A

Tried to get to the lead as he had in the KYD but was held three wide and never looked comfortable. In real life there would be blood tests and stewards reports, newspaper articles and jockey interviews but here at HRP we just have to wonder what went wrong in the two weeks since his massive win in the KYD. He may be the last horse that beat Poison Arrow and never win again, he may come back and beat the lot of them again next time out but we wont know until it happens.

12th Fujisan Alydar Stables Bridgmohan S X

Another pretty inexplicable effort after his good run in the KYD, the same with Bad Debt we can only ponder as to why.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, TC 2024, THE TRIPLE CROWN