THE dust has cleared from both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness runnings this year, and it’s clear we won’t be having a Triple Crown champion.
The jewels of the Triple Crown are being hotly contested among the elite Thoroughbreds colts, with nary a strong filly contender in the offing.
Let’s recap. The KY Derby this year was won by Always Dreaming. According to the horse’s jockey John Velasquez in an item in Daily Racing Form, the horse was “obviously a very young horse—and without a lot of experience,” yet he raced well against a tough field.
On a sloppy track, Always Dreaming ran in second position to State of Honor, who was racing in front. Halfway through the race, Always Dreaming moved up and easily grabbed the lead, though chased by the rest of the pack, he showed no tension and kept striding under an easy hand ride.
Down the stretch, Velasquez resorted to the whip and hard scrubbing to bring Always Dreaming over the finish line. A classic off-the-pace race.
In the Preakness, Always Dreaming got the early lead, but lost it by the clubhouse turn to Classic Empire. Always Dreaming tired at the far turn, giving Cloud Computing, who ran off the pace, a chance to rally down the stretch and nip Classic Empire by a head.
There were 20 runners in the KY Derby and 10 in the Preakness. Always Dreaming, Classic Empire, Lookin at Lee, Gunnevara, and Hence ran in both races. Of these competitors, both Classic Empire and Lookin at Lee have had the best campaigns so far. If I were looking for any consistency among the competitors thus far, I’d find it in these two.
At two, Classic Empire, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), Breeders’ Futurity S. (G1), and Bashford Manor S. (G3). He was Eclipse Champion 2YO Male in 2016. At three, he won the Arkansas Derby (G1), placed second in the Preakness (G1), third in the Holy Bull S. (G2), and fourth in the KY Derby.
At two, Lookin at Lee won the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes and placed second in the Breeder’s Futurity S. (G1) and the Iroquois S. (G3). At three, he placed second in the KY Derby (G1) and third in the Arkansas Derby (G1).
Always Dreaming had a winless 2YO season but won the KY Derby and the Florida Derby in his third year. Cloud Computing also had a lackluster juvenile campaign but won the Preakness at three, placed second in the Gotham S. (G3), and third in the Wood Memorial S. (G2). Were their major wins this year flukes, ascribable to the breaks of the game, or a sign of developing skills and physiques?
In any case, if they are all going on to the Belmont, I’ll be looking carefully at Classic Empire’s chances. Hopefully he and his jockey Julien Leparoux will have learned their lessons from their past two Triple Crown outings.
There isn’t any confirmation yet on whether Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing will run in the Belmont on June 10, though DRF’s Jay Privman quoted Classic Empire trainer Mark Casse as having hinted that they will not miss the race. Privman also noted that Lookin at Lee and Senior Investment (third in the Preakness) are shipping to Belmont.
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Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Facebook: Gogirl Racing and Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @gogirlracing and @jennyortuoste, and Instagram: @jensdecember and @artuoste