1/ST BET // WAGER GUIDE PREAKNESS 146 MAY15/2021 PIMLICO RACE COURSE PREAKNESS 146 POST POSITIONS RAM (30/1) Owner: William Mack & ROMBAUER (12/1) Owner: John & Diane Fradkin Christina Baker Trainer: Mike McCarthy 1 Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas 6 Jockey: Flavien Prat Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr. KEEPMEINMIND (15/1) FRANCE GO DE INA Owner: Cypress Creek Equine, Spendthrift Farm & (20/1) Owner: Yuji Inaida Arnold Bennewith 2 7 Trainer: Hideyuki Mori Trainer: Robertino Diodoro Jockey: Joel Rosario Jockey: David Cohen UNBRIDLED HONOR MEDINA SPIRIT (9/5) Owner: Zedan Racing Stables (15/1) Trainer: Bob Baffert Owner: Whisper Hill Farm 3 Jockey: John Velazquez 8 Trainer: Todd Pletcher Jockey: Luis Saez CROWDED TRADE RISK TAKING (15/1) (10/1) Owner: Klaravich Stables Owner: Klaravich Stables Trainer: Chad Brown 4 Trainer: Chad Brown 9 Jockey: Jose Ortiz Jockey: Javier Castellano MIDNIGHT BOURBON CONCERT TOUR (5/2) (5/1) Owner: Gary & Mary West Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds Trainer: Bob Baffert 5 Trainer: Steve Asmussen 10 Jockey: Mike Smith Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Odds listed are Pimlico morning line odds. 1ST.COM/BET // XPRESSBET.COM 2 1/ST BET // BET PREAKNESS 146 $10 CREDIT+$500 BONUS • FAST, EASY WAGERING • AI PICKS + CUSTOMIZE YOUR HANDICAPPING • HD VIDEO & REPLAYS SIGN UP PROMO CODE: SPORTOFKINGS THE OFFICIAL APP OF: PREAKNESS // PIMLICO // LAUREL PARK // SANTA ANITA GULFSTREAM PARK // GOLDEN GATE FIELDS // PEGASUS WORLD CUP Promotional offer valid through 12/31/2021. 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MEET THE PREAKNESS CONTENDERS By Johnny D., @XBJohnnyD MEDINA SPIRIT: The Kentucky Derby winner arrives in Baltimore with a bullseye on his back and plenty of drama around the barn following a questionable post-race drug test. He’s unlikely to enjoy another relatively uncontested front-running victory. The most serious early challenge could come from Medina Spirit’s Bob Baffert-trained stablemate and Grade 2 Rebel Stakes winner Concert Tour. It’s unlikely these two will engage in a premature, head-to-head battle, because that would be foolish. Neither the trainer nor fellow Hall of Fame jockeys – John Velazquez on Medina Spirit, Mike Smith on Concert Tour – are likely to fall into that trap. Depending on who breaks best, one of Baffert’s two likely will set the pace with the other in close attendance. Medina Spirit wears roses (for now) and along with that goes respect; so he’ll likely be favored in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. CONCERT TOUR: As we learned in the Kentucky Derby (for a record seventh time), a Bob Baffert-trained horse always is dangerous in a Triple Crown race; extra deadly when the trainer has the luxury of time to aim a horse for a specific target. Such is the case with Concert Tour in Preakness. Unbeaten in his first four starts and a disappointing third as the heavy favorite in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, this colt’s connections have had the Preakness winner’s circle squarely in sight for several weeks. The son of Street Sense comes into the race rejuvenated; Hot Springs flop forgotten. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Concert Tour for the first time, replacing Joel Rosario. The colt has speed and is expected to use it from the start as definitively as Medina Spirit used his in the Kentucky Derby. MIDNIGHT BOURBON: He ran a bit of a strange race in the Kentucky Derby. Instead of showing the kind of speed he had displayed in recent starts, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith permitted this son of Tiznow to settle and find his own rhythm. The plan saw the colt racing about mid- pack for much of the race. He closed ground late, passing some tired foes, but it wasn’t the type of effort many expected at 13-1 contender’s odds. Smith has jumped ship to ride Concert Tour in the Preakness and it will be interesting to see how the immensely talented Irad Ortiz, Jr. approaches the saddle assignment aboard this colt. Will he put ‘Bourbon in the race earlier? The Steve Asmussen-trained colt has a pair of 96 Beyer Speed Figures to his credit, so he’s quality. He won the Lecomte in January and was a close third and then second in the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, respectively. CROWDED TRADE: A winner first time out at Aqueduct, this son of More Than Ready is trained by multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who upset the Preakness applecart in 2017 with Cloud Computing at 13-1 odds. This colt is inexperienced with just three starts. In his second career journey, he was second in the Grade 3 Gotham at one mile. He then was third in the slowly run Grade 2 Wood Memorial at one mile and one-eighth. There was some question about this colt’s ability to get the one mile and one-quarter Derby distance, and his connections are hoping that the one mile and three-sixteenths Preakness path will be more to his liking. He has little early speed, so he’ll need matters to quickly combust for his best chance in Old Hilltop’s signature event. 1ST.COM/BET // XPRESSBET.COM 4 MEET THE PREAKNESS CONTENDERS By Johnny D., @XBJohnnyD KEEPMEINMIND: After a start at gigantic 49-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby, don’t expect this son of Laoban to attract much wagering support in the Preakness. However, close replay observers noticed that this colt ran pretty well in the Derby. Last early, he closed considerable ground on the leaders and not many runners in the race were able to do that. His 2-year-old form is strong, boasting respectable, in-the-money finishes behind freshman champ and Derby favorite Essential Quality in both the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity and in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club in his final 2020 start. His sophomore campaign hasn’t progressed as smoothly, but his late run in the Derby could hint at a better performance in Baltimore, especially if things get hot up front early. FRANCE GO DE INA: This Kentucky-bred son of Will Take Charge invades Charm City off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 UAE Derby in Dubai. That was his first start of 2021 and he broke a bit slowly and was squeezed at the start. That left him a well-back last of 14 into the first turn. A ground-saving, rail-skimming ride had him blocked a bit on the turn, but he was able to gain some on the leaders in the stretch. However, there was no way he could gain back what was lost at the start. At two, he romped by more than four lengths in two mile and one-eighth races in Japan. Top jock Joel Rosario, who rode the colt in Dubai, will return in the saddle hoping for a better break from the Pimlico gate than the duo experienced last time. ROMBAUER: He earned an all-fees paid Preakness entry by virtue of an exciting victory in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. That afternoon he roared home from last in a field of eight to get up by a neck in the shadow of the wire. That was his first start of 2021 and he returned to finish third in the Grade 2 Blue Grass last out at Keeneland. At two, he broke his maiden first out on turf and was second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita on dirt. To end his 2-year-old season, he proved he could act with the best of his generation as he was fifth in the Grade 1 BC Juvenile, behind Derby favorite and fourth-place finisher Essential Quality, Derby third-place runner Hot Rod Charlie and Preakness foe Keepmeinmind. Top West Coast jockey Fravien Prat, who commandeered Mandaloun to a runner-up effort in the Derby, will ride Rombauer for the first time for up-and-coming conditioner Michael McCarthy. PREAKNESS CHALLENGE HANDICAPPING TOURNAMENT • $1,500 BUY-IN ($1,000 BANKROLL + $500 ENTRY FEE) • WIN PWCBC SEATS, NHC SEATS + CASH • FEATURES RACES 1 – 13 FROM PIMLICO • PLAY AT XPRESSBET, SANTA ANITA OR GULFSTREAM REGISTER NOW Void where prohibited. National Gambling Support Line 800.522.4700. 1ST.COM/BET // XPRESSBET.COM 5 HANDICAP PREAKNESS LIKE EDDIE OLCZYK ? DID YOU KNOW? The 1/ST BET app uses more than 50 factors in evaluating each horse in a race, drawing from a library of more than 200,000 previous races to match past success with future success. 1/ST BET automatically matches and ranks the proven, most successful factors in each race, while Just as we did 2 weeks ago for the Kentucky Derby, we asked renowned 1/ST and it also gives you the ability to select NBC handicapper Eddie Olczyk which handicapping angles he applies when your own set of factors to make analyzing the Preakness Stakes.