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(Originally published in the May 25, 2013 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.) By Eric Mitchell - @BH_EMitchell on Twitter In the days leading up to the May 18 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), jockey Gary Stevens had been wrestling with a lot of doubts. His return ...

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“Come on, Lukey! Come on, Lukey! Come on, Lukey!”You don’t witness it very often, but one of those cheering the loudest for D. Wayne Lukas and Oxbow in the final quarter mile of the May 18 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) was one of his opponents in the race.Once Bob Baffert realized that his colt, Govenor Charlie, was not going to overcome a slow start ...

(By Avalyn Hunter)The last time Gary Stevens sat on the winner of a classic race, Point Given had taken him to victory in the 2001 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes (both gr. I). The last time Wayne Lukas had trained a colt of that caliber was in 2000, when Commendable won one of the more forgettable editions of the Belmont. And the last time a ...

The Preakness is rarely if ever the wagering opportunity the Kentucky Derby is.The field is half the size, and the public has relevant information staring it in the face, namely the Derby result.From a betting perspective, my favorite Preakness' are when I don't like the Derby winner. That is not the case this ...

This year’s Preakness is all about Orb. And then there are his eight opponents, most of whom are worthy adversaries, with a case to be made for any of them to step up and run a big race. Big enough to beat Orb is another matter.You can look at the race from a selection standpoint or a betting standpoint. We really haven’t had a chance to see much ...

Following are images from the first two days at Pimlico. There has been little activity on the track, with only Goldencents galloping. Orb in the traditional Derby winner's stall -- as alert as ever. Orb knows a patsy when he sees one and Alison McGaughey loves spoiling the Derby winner, who would have gone right into Shug's office to get ...

The name Preakness has been right at the top of the racing vernacular for years, as the second leg of the Triple Crown, yet many people have no idea what or who Preakness is. There just might be a reason why the Preakness Stakes has been the scene of some of the most bizarre occurrences in the annals of the Triple Crown. Sloppy tracks, muddy ...