The Alabama has a big time match up. Secret Oath was the divisional leader before she was crushed by Nest last month in the Coaching Club American Oaks. If either Nest or Secret Oath win the Alabama today – they will be the three year old filly divisional leader heading into the Fall.
Happy Belmont Day! Welcome to the best race card of the year this side of The Breeders’ Cup. It features eight grade 1s punctuated by the Manhattan, the Met Mile, and the Belmont Stakes. The wide open Belmont Stakes features the return of Derby winner Rich Strike, and the Met Mile has a great showdown between Flightline and Speaker’s Corner. I’ll tackle the Met Mile and the Belmont Stakes.
Race 13 – The Preakness – Grade I – One Mile and Three Sixteenths on the Dirt for Three Year Olds
We have nine entered here with three coming out of the Kentucky Derby, led by Epicenter who was a very good second two weeks ago.
D. Wayne Lukas goes for his record tying seventh Preakness Stakes with the filly Secret Oath. She would be the seventh filly to win the Preakness Stakes. While two fillies have won this race recently (Swiss Skydiver in 2020 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009) – Rachel’s win was the first filly win in the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924. By chance, 1924 was the last year that this race was run at a mile and an eighth.
The 2022 Derby prep trail began last September in the Iroquois Stakes when the first Derby points were awarded. But now all the preps are done, all the points have been counted, and today the road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby ends.
