On Saturday May 18th the second leg of the Triple Crown will take place at Pimlico Park in Baltimore for the 138th Preakness Stakes. One of the contenders for the race is Departing, whose Odds are listed as 6-1.
Departing (6-1): Record: 4-0-1 in 5 Races. Trainer: Albert Stall Jr. Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Sire: War Front. Dam: Leave.
Departing earned his way into the Preakness through a sustained, strong period of development. His connections could have wheeled Departing back
two weeks after his impressive Illinois Derby win to run in the Kentucky Derby. Instead, they circled the Preakness. Departing has done nothing but
come forward since his Dec. 22 debut. He has made three starts around two turns now; took an intensely educational loss in the Louisiana Derby (a race that, post-Kentucky Derby, looks the strongest of the later Derby preps); and successfully stretched out to 1 1/8 miles. Departing has passed horses in all
of his races, and his Illinois Derby was a stronger performance than most people realize. He raced very wide both turns and won pulling clear anyway in a good time for deep, tiring Hawthorne. The Beyer Speed Figure of 93 probably underrates the effort. Departing was good without Lasix, and better with it for the first time last out.
Departing still is not a finished product though. He shied slightly away from strong-finishing foes in the Louisiana Derby, and briefly threatened to blow the
first turn at Hawthorne. The strongest race in which he has yet participated leaves little room for such errors. That strong development pattern from debut
through Triple Crown start has been compressed to five months, and there’s a meaningful chance Departing already has peaked.
Departing handled nine furlongs just fine despite losing ground throughout in the Illinois Derby. His pedigree and attitude indicate that he will handle the
extra sixteenth of a mile without much fuss.
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Preakness Stakes Betting Preview: Departing
What horse racing bettors need to know about betting Departing in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday (5/18/13) with insight from Dave Tuley and Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo.