LITTLE ROCK — A strain of Derby Fever, Triple Crown disease infects only horsemen and hangs on for five weeks.
Symptoms include a willingness to ignore the negatives and a stout case of optimism. Badly beaten in the Arkansas Derby, Cozzetti and Optimizer are examples. So, too, a colt named Zetterholm. Fourth and ninth behind Bodemeister at Oaklawn Park, Cozzetti and Optimizer are signed on for the Preakness next Saturday. The folks who own Isn’t He Clever, eighth in Arkansas, are on the fence. Zetterholm, a 20-1 shot in a much lesser race in New York today, will be scratched if his trainer is positive the colt will qualify for a spot in the Preakness field. Teeth of the Dog is in a similar spot — entered in New York while hoping to run in Maryland.
“We’re in this game to take a shot,” said Jason Loutsch, one of the owners of Cozzetti. He has every right to do just that, but that attitude is rampant and assures a full field of 14 in Baltimore when Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another attempts to secure leg two of the Triple Crown.
The sheer number of participants is one of the factors that makes winning the Triple Crown one of the most difficult feats in sports. When Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978, he defeated a total of 20 horses. The year before, Seattle Slew beat 29 horses in the three races. Before that, Triple Crown winner Secretariat defeated 21 horses in the three races in 1973.
A week ago, I’ll Have Another had 19 opponents; there were only six horses in the Derby when Citation won the Triple Crown in 1948. Arkansas Derby winner Smarty Jones beat 17 horses in the 2004 Kentucky Derby, and nine more in the Preakness before finishing second in the Belmont. In 2008, Big Brown finished in front of 30 horses in the first two legs and then was last in the Belmont.
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The ganging up is thoroughbred racing’s version of “Kill the man with the ball.” The strongest, toughest kid in the neighborhood will fight off challenger after challenger until they pile on and drag him down.
More than a half-dozen horses who were in the May 5 Derby want another shot at I’ll Have Another and there will be plenty of new shooters. That is the norm — more than half of the starters in the Preakness since 1997 did not run in the Derby. But, research by the Daily Racing Form shows that only three of those 15 Preakness winners were new to the Triple Crown.
With that in mind, peruse Bodemeister, Dullahan, Went the Day Well, Creative Cause and Liaison — two through six at Churchll Downs — and all deemed likely for the Preakness. In addition, Hansen (ninth), Optimizer (11th) and Trinniberg (17th) are possible.
No doubt, connections of those thoroughbreds have concluded that the Derby winner had a perfect trip, securing a good spot early, passing a couple of tiring horses on the turn and running down Bodemeister, who was spent after setting a fast pace. The Pimlico linemaker has already said that Bodemeister will be the morning line favorite if he runs in the Preakness.
On the other hand, there is a camp that claims if Bodemeister had slowed down a bit early in the race, I’ll Have Another would have been closer and still would have won.
I’ll Have Another’s only bad race as a 2-year-old was in the mud. Unbeaten in three starts, he has the running style to fall in behind the leaders at Maryland and win again. If he does, there will be fresh opponents in the Belmont on June 9.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.