More Preakness

Calvin Borel seemed to have made the right decision by riding Rachel Alexandra, but quite honestly, Mine That Bird was forced wide and had to make up a ton of ground in the homestretch.

Mine That Bird came damned close to winning today.

She took the lead early and held off MTB's late charge.

More Preakness coverage can be found at the Baltimore Sun site.

Rachel Alexandra

became the first filly in 85 years to win the 134th Preakness Stakes. Mine That Bird, however, closed in very fast to place second. Another couple of jumps and he would have nipped the filly at the wire.

It is number two for Calvin Borel. I wonder if he wins the Belmont whether he will get the Triple Crown trophy.

Here is the video, courtesy of yours truly and my brother:

134th Preakness

I wish her connections hadn't entered her, but Rachel Alexandra is the heavy favorite for this afternoon's race.

And how do turf writers see it?

Answer here. Not all of them believe she will win:

However, a swift sale after the Oaks to new owners, a change of trainers, taking on colts for the first time and the widest draw in post 13 are all factors that add to the imponderables Rachel Alexandra must face in the Preakness. She will be very poor value for the wagering dollar on Saturday as the masses jump on her bandwagon.

The filly may very well be better than the 3-year-old colts this season, but she will have a tough trip and faces by far her sternest test to date.

With the Derby winner unlikely to repeat and a false favorite in Rachel Alexandra, this edition of the Preakness shapes up as a great betting race.

Kentucky Derby 2009 [Updated]

Not since Spend A Buck skipped the Preakness in 1985 has any healthy Kentucky Derby winner done it, but it is possible Saturday's winner Mine That Bird may not go to Pimlico.

Update: Mine That Bird will go to Pimlico, after all.