The 137th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland is quickly approaching and so are the two 3 year old colts turned superstars - I'll Have Another and Bodemeister.
The Preakness Stakes began in 1873 and has 3 year old thoroughbred race horses running 1 3/16-mile with a purse of $1 million.
While I'll Have Another comes into the Preakness as the prestigious Kentucky Derby winner, Bodemeister has emerged as the 8-5 morning line favorite for this Saturday's race.
It's fair to say that I'll Have Another wants another - win that is. Trainer Doug O'Neill has his sights set on a Preakness win and is confident the chestnut Kentucky Derby winner will accomplish the mission.
"We're going to win," isn't just a line Tom Hanks said in the popular movie A League of Their Own, but also the words of Doug O'Neill himself looking toward this Saturday's big race.
The Preakness Stakes is a shorter race than the Kentucky Derby, which has raised questions as to whether Bodemeister will be the horse of hour when post time comes for second leg of the Triple Crown. Bodemeister was alone in first place for most of the run at the Kentucky Derby until the last few lengths of the race. However, Bodemeister set some of the fastest fractions in Kentucky Derby history.
The posts for Saturday's race were drawn on Wednesday night with I'll Have Another at 5-2 odds comfortably ready at post 9 and Bodemeister breaking from post 7.
The field of 11 horses is the smallest since 2007, when Curlin surpassed Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in a field of nine horses.
If Bodemeister pulls off a win at the Preakness, it will be trainer Bob Baffert's sixth Preakness victory as his last win was with Lookin At Lucky in 2010. A win for I'll Have Another would be trainer Doug O'Neill's first Preakness win. Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas is also looking for his sixth Preakness win with his 30-1 shot horse named Optimizer.
Since the Kentucky Derby, I'll Have Another has gained quite a fan base even connecting with upwards of 2,700 supporters via a twitter account set up by the I'll Have Another team. Winning jockey Mario Gutierrez has even gained a wave of over a thousand twitter followers since the Kentucky Derby win aboard I'll Have Another.
According to tweets by the Derby winning horse, he is ready for the Preakness and has looked strong in his morning gallops at Pimlico. The champion chestnut colt is even being kept in a barn away from the other Preakness contestants for less commotion. Mario Gutierrez says he is also ready for Saturday's race and has a clear head.
However, trainer Wayne Lukas said recently according to media reports, "When the sun sets after the Preakness, if he hasn't won it, that fan base will absolutely disappear."
It's safe to say many sitting in the stands at Pimlico on Saturday, and horse racing fans around the globe, are hopeful they will get to witness the making of the next Triple Crown winner. There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since 1978, when Affirmed won the Belmont Stakes on June 9, and I'll Have Another could be following in his horse shoes.
Six of the horses in Saturday's race were Kentucky Derby competitors.
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