What really happened in the Preakness Stakes is the same thing that happens every day around the country. The riders on the speed horses try to roll along and they just kill each other off. In the Preakness, Cloud Computing got a perfect three-hole trip and pulled off the 13-1 upset at Pimlico.
The fact of the matter is that this is what really happened in the Preakness events in the past and it should not be very shocking.
Players cannot blame the riders of the speed horses in the Preakness. Always Dreaming is always close up and jockey John Velazquez put him in that position. Classic Empire, under rider Julien Leparoux, has always hinted of sneaky speed. All of the dirt races before the Preakness were won by runners that were on the lead or close up. The lone exception came in the Sir Barton Stakes two races before the Preakness when the winner came from dead last. Velazquez and Leparoux played the hands they were dealt with but when they turned over the cards, somebody else pulled in the pot.
As expected, the Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming was sent along through early splits of 23.16 for the quarter, 46.81 for the half, and 1:11 for the first six furlongs. This was a legit pace and considering the way this runner had trained up to the Preakness, it is not shocking that he threw in the towel.
What really happened in the Preakness is that Always Dreaming got a break when the other logical speed Conquest Mo Money didn’t show his customary zip. The son of Uncle Mo had shown the ability to go 1:11 and change in the past but he was three to four wide early while being coaxed along. He was in the middle of the pack early on in the Preakness and then went backwards.
That should have helped Always Dreaming but what really happened in the Preakness is that the second choice in the race Classic Empire took up the chase. Classic Empire had a horrible trip in the Kentucky Derby and he fired his best shot but could not hold off Javier Castellano and Cloud Computing.
Turning into the stretch it looked like last year’s champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire was headed for victory he just could not sustain his momentum.
Cloud Computing is trained by Chad Brown and what really happened in the Preakness is that this conditioner just outsmarted his rivals. Brown was last year’s Eclipse Award-winning trainer. He is basically known as a trainer of turf horses but that has changed forever now. Cloud Computing was ridden by the best rider in the country, Castellano.
Interestingly, the name Cloud Computing is inspired by the owners Seth Klarman and William Lawrence. Klarman always had a nose for money and his successful hedge fund Baupost Group has made him a billionaire.
Brown is only 38 years of age so he will only improve as his career evolves and he was giddy after the win, Brown: “It’s unbelievable. A lot of teamwork. It couldn’t happen to greater clients than Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence. Seth, he got into racing by coming to Pimlico. He was just telling me he remembers coming out as a kid to the infield. He grew up in Baltimore. They are very deserving owners. It’s just unbelievable.”
One of the reasons that Castellano is so successful is that he is a ‘thinking man’s’ jockey. He is well prepared and he reveled that fact, Castellano: “I think I always had a lot of confidence in this horse but I didn’t have the opportunity to ride the horse. Then Mr. Brown gave me the opportunity to ride the horse in the Preakness. It was a great combination and I am blessed to have the opportunity and enjoy the ride. I spoke to Mr. Brown before the race. We had a plan and we were sticking to the plan and it worked out great. We analyzed the race and handicapped the race together, we had a lot of thoughts and put them together and I think that is the most important thing in a relationship. We have a great communication together and I think that is the key to winning the race.”
For the connections of Always Dreaming, there are no real alibies. He got the trip that was expected except that what really happened in the Preakness is that he may have come back too quickly after winning the Kentucky Derby two weeks prior. His trained Todd Pletcher was honest about the performance, Pletcher: “Was the pace too fast? No. Classic Empire held on for second. He probably went pretty ambitiously at us and maybe cost himself the race. But we didn’t have an excuse. We were in the position we expected to be and I think the turnaround was a little too quick. He ran so hard in the Derby and today just wasn’t his day. He didn’t seem to relish the track, but I don’t really think that was it. It was just that he put so much into the Derby that it wasn’t meant to be. I was a little concerned coming by the wire the first time. He was there, but it wasn’t like he was dragging Johnny there, actually. It felt like he was on a loose rein by the time they turned up the backside, That’s kind of what we anticipated Classic Empire would do, take it to us, but he just didn’t have that reserve today. Initially, it looks like he came back well. We’ll savor the Derby victory.”
Basically, that is all one can do.
Cloud Computing was the least-experienced horse in the field but he ran like he had been on the big stage his entire career. The Preakness winner covered 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.98 and earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.
Cloud Computing has never run a bad race in his three career starts and he was over seven lengths clear of his nearest rival in the Gotham Stakes in only his third start. The sophomore was wide when beaten by Irish War Cry in the Wood Memorial. As far as the pedigree is concerned, Cloud Computing has some things going for him. His dam earned almost $250,000 and if you delve into the blood, Halo America becomes visible. That mare took the Grade 1 Apple Blossom and banked over $1.4 million.
Moving forward it’s possible that neither Cloud Computing or Always Dreaming will run in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. Brown is generally patient with his runners and he likes to give them several weeks between starts. The feeling is now that Cloud Computing may get some rest and aim for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga this summer.
If history means anything, Pletcher may also pass on the Belmont Stakes with Always Dreaming. Pletcher’s other Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver ran eighth in the Preakness and skipped the Belmont Stakes.
