Curlin Edges Street Sense To Win Preakness In Amazing Fashion

Curlin gets up on the outside in the final stride to edge Street Sense

Wow. That is not something you see every day. After insanely fast fractions that cooked the lesser talented leaders who set them, Street Sense came from way back again and made an incredible move to blow by Curlin and the rest, and once he did it looked like the race was his. But Curlin, after being passed, dug back in and fought back, and made another run at Street Sense in the final furlong, and he just got his head in front in the final stride to win by 1/2 a head in a photo finish in as exciting a race as you will see.



Street Sense seemed to ease up just a tad thinking he was clear, but what an amazing race by Curlin- perhaps he is a freak after all. Stumbled at the start, seemed to have to make his run really early into a crazy fast pace, then to get blown away by a stone closer at the top of the stretch- 49 times out of 50 a horse would not be able to fight back and regain the lead, but damn if he didn't do it. Just a great race by Curlin, who may be just like Bernardini last year, a freakish colt who goes from lightly raced to dominant right before our eyes in the major races, rather than developing in the lesser seen prep races like most horses do.

I'm just happy that they all made it around the track safely this year, although tragically that was not the case in the 10th race on the turf course, The Dixie Stakes, when the leader, Mending Fences, broke a front leg, spilled, hard, threw his jockey, and caused Robby Albarado to be thrown as well. Both jockies were OK, and Albarado came back to win the Preakness on Curlin, showing once again why jockies are the toughest, most badass athletes in the world, but the same cannot be said of the horse, who tragically had to be euthanized.

The owners of Curlin are probably celebrating with a nice red wine instead of champagne, since he is co-owned by the founder and owner of Kendall-Jackson winery Jess Jackson.

It would be great for racing if these two both wheel back and run in the Belmont in three weeks, as they definitely have developed the beginning of a great rivalry. I wouldn't be suprised if Nafzger takes a rest with Street Sense and picks his spots later in the summer, but at the end of the day it will be up to the owners, and it is a hell of a lot of money as well as prestige on the line, so we'll see.