The $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown, is Saturday, May 17, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The US Racing team has published profiles on each horse in the race, updated with post positions and Preakness Stakes betting odds.
It's a Preakness Stakes (G1) tradition to introduce “new shooters,” most of them being obscure horses who sat out the Kentucky Derby (G1). The lightly raced Gosger earned his chance with an impressive victory April 12 in Keeneland's Lexington Stakes (G3). Gosger ran down pacesetting longshot Bracket Buster and drew off by two lengths in his two-turn debut.
“He's got a lot of maturing to do -- he's still a little raw,” trainer Brendan Walsh said after the race. “But I love what I saw today. I think he's got some big days in front of him. I think he's a very nice horse in the making. He was still a little green but beat a couple of really nice horses today.”
Gosger will be facing much nicer horses on May 17 as he takes a significant class jump in his fourth career start. He's 2-for-3 with a second, so he hasn't done anything wrong, although he's rather light on speed figures. The 1 3/16-mile Preakness will be a furlong farther than he's ever gone, but he surged through the wire and galloped out strongly. His pedigree (Nyquist out of a Tapit mare) says the extra distance should be within his scope.
He's been training well since the Lexington, breezing 5 furlongs in a minute flat May 1 at Churchill Downs.
“He looked really good,” Walsh said. “He's not giving me much reason not to go (to the Preakness). The winner (Sovereignty) of the Derby is not going. The third horse (Baeza) is not going. If the horse has a realistic chance of being in the first three, then we've got to take a shot.”
It feels like too much, too soon for Gosger, who could be a player down the road. No bet.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
