A day that began for me, like for many others of the 100,000 new best friends attending Pimlico,  with concern that the second jewel of the Triple Crown would be tarnished once again with death and sorrow.  It wound up with joy and the hope that Big Brown just might be the super freak horse for whom racing fans have waited for years.
            The single race I bet on Friday, the Black-Eyed Susan, went off on a muddy track.  I was ready to toss all my picks except Sweet Vendetta.  Not only did I like the horse, but the trainer-jockey team was Gary Contessa and Channing Hill.   Hill is a wizard with horses, and Contessa-trained horses tend to be gritty and overcome obstacles like foul weather.  Sweet Vendetta won, and she did so well.  My other three picks hated the weather.  Bsharpsonata and Highest Class bumped and Bsharpsonata never recovered, coming in last.  Highest Class rallied and claimed the fourth spot, which got her connections some money, but left me out of the ticket-cashing.   Pious Ashley hated the weather, but tried hard.  Unfortunately, she wore herself out and finished fifth.
            Preakness Day, Race 1:  Although windy, the weather cleared up and the track dried out quite a bit.  I stuck to my guns about not betting the first race.  It was won by a Scott Lake-trained horse called Don’ttrythisathome, who fought hard to prevail.
            Race 2:  I may have liked Cryptogram, but this wasn’t his day.  He simply didn’t have it in him.  The race was won nicely by a Justin Nixon trained horse named Media Play, ridden by John Velazquez.  Justin Nixon is a new-to-me trainer, and I’m going to take a closer look at his other horses and familiarize myself with his style a bit more.  I liked what I saw here.
            Race 3:  Celtic Innis and Forest Park were both scratched here.  That left me with Suave Jazz, and I stuck with him for a second.  He was beaten by another Gary Contessa-trained horse named Starforday, ridden by Edgar Prado.  I was pleased to see Gary Contessa have success outside of the New York tracks.  During the Aqueduct meet, I usually bet on Contessa horses.  They have a grit and a won’t quit attitude I like. I’m glad to see him ship and succeed at other tracks.
            Race 4: Alphabet Storm was scratched, so I sat this race out.  It was won by Let Me Be Frank ridden by Jeremy Rose.  He had a bad start, so I was surprised by the horse’s tenaciousness to win.
            Race 5:  I looked at Drama Lady and Ursula’s Passion.  Neither horse did it for me, so I sat this one out, too.  It was won by Akronism.  Honestly, I can’t tell you much about the race, since I was wandering around doing other things during this race.
            Race 6:  Gallorette Handicap:  I stuck with my choice of Valbenny across the board.  Since Saint Pegasus was scratched, I replaced her with Roshani across the board as well, and Lady Digby to place and show.  Both of them looked good and ready.  I’m glad I played the race that way, because Roshani, ridden by JV, won, in spite of bumping Valbenny, going wide, coming in, basically zig-zagging her way up the field.  Lady Digby looked like she might catch her for awhile, but Roshani hung in there and beat her.  Valbenny ended up a surprising third.
            Race 7:  Barbaro Stakes:  I stuck with Roman Emperor here, who looked wonderful, and with Wesley, a horse I simply like.  People were fussing over Da’Tara a lot, but I liked Spurrier better, so I tossed him in for a place bet.  Roman Emperor did as well as I hoped, not letting anything or anyone get in his way.  Wesley was bumped at the start and tired out, coming in last.  Spurrier went so wide I wondered if he was stopping for a snack across the street, but he managed to hang in there for third.  Too bad I bet him to show.  Da’Tara took the show spot.
            Race 8:  Old Mutual Turf Sprint:  Forest Park, the only horse I knew in the field, was scratched, so I started from the ground up in the paddock.  I liked the look of Hero’s Reward, True to Tradition, and Blue Sailor, so I decided to bet them that way, one, two three, and that’s the way they came in.  Hero’s Reward was so wide early on I thought he’d never make it back, but he did, and he won nicely.  True To Tradition pounded away to hold second.  I thought Blue Sailor’s race was impressive, because he had to check as he entered the turn, and usually, that takes a horse completely out of it.  However, he recovered and managed to nip the third slot.  So, while during the first quarter, I’d pretty much given up on all my picks, they came in exactly as I wished.  I enjoyed the rare occurrence.
            Race 9:  Hirsch Jacob Stakes:  I stuck to my original picks, Commandeered, Silver Edition, and Force Freeze, and bet the three of them across the board.  Lantana Mob was the horse in this race everyone fussed over, and I opted out.  The wind picked up, and it looked like a storm was coming.  The weather change affected the horses during the post parade and loading into the gate.  They were more high-strung than usual.  Lantana Mob got his head and feet together the fastest and won, so the fuss was rewarded.  I was impressed by his poise as much as his talent.  Silver Edition came in second and Force Freeze came in third after setting the pace.  Commandeered wore out in the stretch and came in fifth.
            Race 10:  Dixie Stakes:  I went with my two original picks, Shakis and Distorted Reality, two horses I’ve always liked.  At the last minute, I tossed in Pays to Dream, trained by David Donk, whose training style I thoroughly admire.  That was a good call, since Pays to Dream basically wiped the field with the other horses once he made his move.  A little wide, a little erratic, but a really nice win.  Distorted Reality  and Shakis both looked out of sorts today once the gate opened, although Distorted Reality got his focus back late in the race.  It was too late, unfortunately, giving him a fourth place finish, with Shakis fifth.  Congrats to David Donk -- he’s a wonderful, patient trainer and this win is well-deserved.
            Race 11:  The Allaire DuPont Distaff:  I kept my first choice, Peach Flambe across the board (misspelled in “Racing Ink” as “Peace Flambe”).  The latter might have been a better name for her, because she never really fired today and came in fourth.  I tossed out my two other choices, Cash’s Girl and Silver Knockers, who didn’t seem to have the focus today.  I replaced them with Lexi Star, because she looked calm and had Jeremy Rose on her.  She managed a respectable second, beaten by Buy the Barrel, who recovered very well from a bump at the start with Silver Knockers.
            Race 12:  The Preakness:  I stuck with Big Brown across the board.  He looked terrific, and he was poised and comfortable.  In fact, there was one point where, when long-lensed cameras were pointed in his direction, that he turned his head and stuck his tongue out at everyone like a mischievous school boy.  It was hilarious.  He’s turning into a real ham-bone when it comes to cameras.  He enjoys playing with the press.  He also had a great moment in the paddock, once saddled.  His jockey, Kent Desmoreaux, was talking.  The “Riders Up” call came and Big Brown turned his head and gave Desmoreaux a look that said, “Come on, buddy.  Time to work.”  The second his jockey was in the irons, Big Brown squared his shoulders, pricked his ears.  The playfulness evaporated, and he was all business.  In that moment, you could tell he was going to do it.  No arrogance, no acting out, just a quiet determination.  It was one of those moments of knowing, where you just catch your breath and go, “This is the real deal.”
            Gayego, with Mike Smith up, was the only Derby horse to return.  He looked fantastic, so I bet him across the board as well.  Somehow, I missed the memo that Behindatthebar was out until Preakness day.  I hope we see him this summer at Saratoga.  I kept Ichabad Crane, my long-shot, as my show bet.  I thought he looked alert and ready.  I liked Racecar Rhapsody a lot, but, honestly, in this company, I didn’t think he could make more than fourth, so I didn’t put any money on him.  I also skipped Riley Tucker, a horse I like, but didn’t think today was his day.  I did put a show bet on Kentucky Bear, who looked good, and place and show bets on Giant Moon – boy, did he look good.  Giant Moon is a horse I hope to see a great deal more of in the coming months.
            Gayego bumped Giant Moon as they left the gate, but rushed to the lead.  For a good portion of the race, it looked like he intended to try to wire it.  Unfortunately, he got into a duel at the far turn and it was over for him.  Big Brown and Desormeaux’s teamwork was something to behold.  Big Brown wanted to wire the race.  Kent asked him not to, and he listened.  He settled in for Kent, with a couple of horses ahead of him.  He let Kent move him out of traffic, to the outside, to keep from getting boxed in.  And then, when Kent unreeled him, he just spooled out farther and farther and farther from the others. The whip was never needed.  Kent could have left it in the jocks’ room (and he nearly did; he had to go back for it before the race).   Only another super horse could have challenged him, and the other horses wore each other out, while he awaited his cue.  His intelligence, his poise, and his teamwork are as impressive as his talent.  His learning curve from race to race is truly amazing.  He gets it.  If he could speak in human words, he could give you as detailed a breakdown of the race as Edgar Prado does at the end of any of his races (if you’ve ever heard Prado recount a race, you’ll know what I mean; if you haven’t – do it sometime.  It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced).
            Big Brown also knew he won.  He practically skipped once he crossed the finish line.  He was well aware that all those cheers were for him.  And he was ready for his dinner.  He’s won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, and he’s pointed towards Belmont in three weeks.  I’m afraid to hope for a Triple Crown winner after all this time, but boy, do I hope Big Brown is it.  If Casino Drive enters, as is rumored, that horse will give him his most serious competition to date, and it will be similar to one of the infamous match races of seasons gone by.
            Gayego wore out and finished eleventh.  I still think he’s a wonderful horse, and I hope he races at Del Mar this summer.  Kentucky Bear surprised me with his sixth place finish, and Giant Moon disappointed me with his eighth place finish, but I’ll still bet on them in other races.  My boy Icabad hung on gamely, and just kind of slithered through the competition to take the spot I’d hoped – third.  Racecar Rhapsody did exactly what I expected – he came in fourth.  If he runs in Saratoga this summer, I’ll put him higher in my bets. All in all, a lovely, exciting race, and a beautiful showcase for Big Brown’s talent and intelligence.  The combination is what puts him above the competition.
            Race 13:  There was one more race after the exciting Preakness.  My picked were Loveme Lovemenot and Diamond Flyer.  Loveme Lovemenot was a mess, running very greenly, and finishing a disappointing sixth.  Diamond Flyer put in a gritty effort, but was beaten by Basha’s Moon.
            All in all, a good day, and a safe day.  I’ve got a separate article with ideas for improving thoroughbred racing safety – I hope you’ll check it out.  And I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with Belmont Predictions.
            In the meantime, we can savor the possibility that this will be the year we have a Triple Crown winner.