The Preakness

The 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes is tomorrow at Pimlico Race Course. As everyone knows, the heavy favorite is Big Brown who is 1/3 of his way to a Triple Crown and he has drawn the #7 post. Of course I have to insert this here - Big Brown could be "the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years" (Affirmed, 1978). Every year during these 2 weeks between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness practically every single racing article you read begins with this quote, seriously. I always thought this seemed really silly and a little over-hyped since it is inevitable that one horse will be 1/3 of their way to the Triple Crown after EVERY Derby. The media hype hasn't diminished much, but my personal thoughts on this have changed since Visa dropped their sponsorship of the Triple Crown in 2005, along with the $5 Million bonus. Following this, we have seen a steady decline in the # of horses who race in all 3 races of the Triple Crown, highlighted by this year's Preakness field that includes only 2 horses from the Derby - Big Brown & Gayego (finished 17th in Derby). It appears the excitement and rivalries that were witnessed in the past during these 5 weeks of spring that begins with the Kentucky Derby and ends with the Belmont Stakes, has all but vanished......at least for now. Since Visa dropped its sponsorship of the $5 Million Triple Crown Bonus, there have been no other offers to sponsor the prize. Without this huge incentive for horses to race in all 3 races, many trainers have opted to hold their horses out of the Preakness due to the high costs required to have a horse race in all 3 races. While this is certainly understandable from the trainers' standpoint, it means the wonderful rivalries of years past may be forever a memory. We may never again witness the likes of Affirmed & Alydar and Easy Goer & Sunday Silence. Hopefully, both of the original Triple Crown bonuses will find a sponsor in the next few years and these 5 weeks can be returned to their past glory and excitement.