Betting a long-shot horse at a Triple Crown race is always fun, exciting and sometimes quite lucrative. It will be no different this year at the 2012 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Track. This is a place with a history of horses that no one is respecting coming through and winning. Tiger Walk and Teeth of the Dog are two such long-shots in this year's Preakness Stakes and we will take a look at both horses below.
Tiger Walk (30-1)-- Record: 2-0-1 in 7 Races...Trainer: Ignacio Correas, IV... Jockey: Kent Desormeaux... Sire:Tale of the Cat... Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank owns this high-profile horse, which is why there is so much publicity around him compared to some of the other competitors in the field. Sagamore Farm’s Tiger Walk is a 30-1 chance in the May 19 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) after drawing post 1 for the second jewel in the Triple Crown. The dark bay or brown colt was a longer shot than that to even make it to the racetrack, according to his breeder. But with time to grow into his gangly body and to outgrow some early health and physical issues, the son of Tale of the Cat will enter the gate at Pimlico Race Course off consecutive mid-pack finishes in the New York Racing Association’s Triple Crown prep series: the Feb. 4 Withers and March 3 Gotham stakes (both grade 3). Giving Tiger Walk a shot is the fact that he is on his home turf here. Both of his career wins have come in Maryland, at Laurel, and he shows a series of very sharp works at Pimlico in preparation for what will be the biggest test of his career. For the challenge, Tiger Walk will team with a two-time Preakness-winning rider, Kent Desormeaux, who took the classic in 1998 with Real Quiet and again in 2008 with Big Brown. Tiger Walk is also appealing as a fresh horse since this will be his ?rst start since ?nishing fourth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial on April 7. He ?gures to start as one of the longshots, and while a win seems unlikely, he could spice up the exotics. He’s got a home-court advantage and a Hall of Fame rider, and he seems worthy of using in the bottom legs of trifectas and superfectas.
Teeth Of The Dog (15-1)-- Record: 1-1-2 in 4 Races... Trainer: Michael R. Matz... Jockey: Joe Bravo... Sire:Bluegrass Cat... Michael Matz, the trainer that helped Barbaro conquer the 2006 Kentucky Derby, is the man who has been working with this horse. Joe Bravo, a great jockey who has over 4,000 career wins and has been dominant in New Jersey—although he has yet to find success at a Triple Crown race—is riding him. This lightly raced colt has improved with each successive start and certainly held his own making a giant leap from maiden to Grade 1 company in the Wood Memorial Stakes. Teeth of the Dog ?nished third in the Wood behind the two choices, Gemologist and Alpha, despite early trouble. He won his maiden on the lead going nine furlongs but showed some ability to rate and pick up horses in his last start, suggesting a mile and three-sixteenths should not be beyond his range. Looks like a horse sitting on his best yet. Although he ran well in the Wood, his performance was certainly not ?attered by the fact that Gemologist and Alpha were badly outrun in the Kentucky Derby. It’s also hard to get too enthused in any Triple Crown race about a horse who is still eligible for a ?rst-level allowance condition. Teeth of the Dog’s pedigree is strong for middle-distance events, but he won his maiden going nine furlongs at Gulfstream and acts as if the Preakness distance is within his scope. On bloodlines alone, he is somewhat questionable at this trip, but the gut feeling is that he will handle 1 3/16 miles.
The 137th Preakness is scheduled to take place on May 19, 2012 at Pimlico in Baltimore, Maryland. Preakness Stakes Post Time: 6:18pm EDT. Television: 4:30-6:45 on NBC. Location: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Type: Thoroughbred. Track: Dirt, Left-handed. Purse: $1 million Distance: 1 3/16 miles (9.5 furlongs). Qualification: 3-year old. Weight: 126 pounds (Colt/Gelding) / 121 pounds (Filly). Expected Weather Conditions: 77 degrees and sunny (click for updated Preakness weather). Pimlico Track Conditions: Fast. Turf Condition: Firm.
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"Teeth of the Dog" Odds - Preakness Contenders 2012 - Free Picks Handicapping
Pregame.com Pro Marco D'Angelo and Dave Tuley from the Daily Racing Form discuss "Teeth of the Dog" in the 2012 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico - including odds, post postions, handicapping tips, favorites, and long shots!