BALTIMORE – At the same time Silverbulletday was 1-9 on the board for the Black-Eyed Susan yesterday, she was the biggest price she’ll ever be in her life – 85-1 – in advance betting for the Preakness.
Wagers were still being taken on the champion filly for today’s race even as she crossed the finish line in the Black-Eyed Susan. That’s because trainer Bob Baffert hadn’t offically withdrawn her by filling out a scratch slip.
Vicar, who also wasn’t officially scratched yesterday even though trainer Carl Nafzger swore he wouldn’t run from post 13, was 60-1. Nafzger has until 45 minutes to post time to change his mind.
If he does, and if Vicar won, it would make for a great headline: ”Scratched Horse Wins Preakness.” *Trainer D. Wayne Lukas couldn’t care less that Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic is a longshot in the Preakness.
”We don’t make our money betting,” he said. ”Maybe those guys at the other end of the barn do [meaning Baffert and Silverbulletday’s owner Mike Pegram], but we make it by getting them there.
”I’ve won four Derbys, four Preaknesses and three Belmonts, and I don’t know what any of them paid. The only one I know is Charismatic because he was the last.”
Lukas said that even if the public ignores Charismatic, horsemen don’t.
”Breeders will endorse this horse,” he said. ”He has a beautiful pedigree, perfect conformation and he won the most important race in the world.” *Back in 1991, trainer Nick Zito clipped a newspaper column that said Strike the Gold wouldn’t win the Kentucky Derby and taped it next to the colt’s stall, much like a coach posting an offending quote in his team’s locker room. Of course, Strike the Gold won.
Now Zito is trying the same tactic. Washington Post columnist Andy Beyer recently wrote that Stephen Got Even has no shot in the Preakness. That column adorns the barn wall.
”’Stephen’ sees it every single day,” Zito said. ”What Beyer didn’t know is he’d have a relative riding him. Gary Stevens and Stephen Got Even. Am I right or wrong?”