Voices from a Stranger

The fellas are back from HK Stables to give you a recap of the Preakness this past weekend.

The H from HK Stables

Two down and one to go for Big Brown's chase at the elusive Triple Crown of horse racing.

HK stables again, back to recap everything that went down this weekend involving the Preakness and local live racing at Canterbury Park.


Preakness-

Once again, Big Brown, showed on Saturday why he is currently considered the best horse in the country. Big Brown in his past two races has won by a combined total of 10 lengths over the competition, and has looked unstoppable. Most who caught the race on Saturday from Maryland noted that Big Brown actually took it easy coming down the stretch and the jockey has been quoted as saying "I eased him up. There was no reason to keep pushing him; he had the win wrapped up". Big Brown is still searching for competition and may find it in a Japanese import known as Casino Drive in the final race towards horse racing history.

The win was pretty inevitable as all who took note could have told you and this was no clearer than in the winner's payouts. Big Brown was the clear 1-5 favorite and only paid out $2.40 for the win bet. He also was the lead horse in the following payouts: $36.60 exacta, a $336.80 triple and a $1,192.30 superfecta. Big Brown has made it hard for all of us bettors out there to make money and this will continue into the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

HK stables does not want any credit for those who took our advice and played Big Brown in the favorite over the field bet, but congratulations to those who took it. As for the two of us, we split up a fairly hefty Trifecta bet (see photo) only to come out slightly ahead. This is what will happen when there is a heavy favorite and a weak field; just how the Preakness shaped up.


Canterbury-

Members of HK and Bluewater Stables were in attendence for this past weekends live racing at Canterbury Park, with some members attending the races Friday through Sunday. There were two major races on Saturday with the 10,000 Lakes stakes and the Lady Slipper stakes. Both races paid $50,000 to the winners.

In the 10,000 Lakes Stakes (boys only), Bankers D Light edged out the competition winning over Trickeyville Dew and Bee o Bee Bob. The filly paid out nicely for those who had here parlayed into exotic bets such as Exactas, Trifectas and Superfectas, as she was a long shot going in at 10-1 (morning line)

In the girls' race, the Lady Slipper Stakes, it was A.J. Banks and jockey Scott Stevens brining the win home for trainer Todd Hoffrage. A.J. Banks (7-2 morning line) beat out Hills of Ireland and Pretty as a Smile to claim the $50,000 stakes at Canterbury.

On a side note a new partnership was formed at Canterbury on Sunday afternoon with the newly named Tres Borrachos (named after the horse in the Preakness race) all holding winning Trifecta tickets. H, K and Moe all bet the same trifecta combination (without knowing it) in race 6 yesterday paying off $110.80 for the $1 investment! Needless to say the Oil Cans (Fosters Beer) were flowing after that, and the Tres Borrachos all left the track Sunday with cash in our pockets.


The K from HK stables says:

I couldn't have thought of a better weekend to take in the races. The official formation of Tres Borrachos was one of the highlights of my young horsemen career and I couldn't have been more proud of the handicapping we completed that race. That seemed to be the start of something good, the very next race, we didn't handicap the same race but Borracho Moe's horse beat mine out by a nose in a photo finish for the show and he won another, smaller trifecta. Even though I lost, it's always more fun when the horse you liked at longer odds makes a run for the money. Borracho Moe and I are also on the lookout for the owner of a certain horse that absolutely screwed us both on a rich trifecta. When we find that horse, it's going to the glue factory. Borracho Moe wasn't the only hot handicapper this weekend, I managed to pick A.J. Bakes in the Lady Slipper, a nice $68 exacta payout. And finally, Borracho Hill hit the biggest winner of the weekend, taking the field over Trickeyville Dew in 10,000 Lakes Stakes. Unfortunately, after a few too many Oil Cans on Saturday, I was literally a Borracho and threw the damn ticket away. I got you on that Borracho Hill.

As for Big Brown, nobody is going to beat this horse. End of story.


Three weeks until we find out if Big Brown can end the 30 year Triple Crown drought...