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Did you know:

• The Preakness was named for a horse named Preakness who won a stakes race at Pimlico in 1873. The Stable name was also Preakness andwas based in Wayne, New Jersey.
• The first African American jockey to win the Preakness was George “Spider” Anderson in 1889.
• Between 1890 and 1906, the Preakness was run in Bronx, New York, at Morris Park Racetrack and at Gravesend N.Y. Racetrack.
• 1948 was the first year the Preakness was televised.
• The top Preakness winning jockeys are Eddie Arcaro, 6 and Pat Day, 5.

Now back to this year’s race.Here is how I see it, a field of five or maybe six, but still a lot of strategy for the jocks. Alex Solis up on Brother Derek will have no choice but to go to the front. After his terrible trip in the Derby, he must try to win this wire-to-wire. Solis’ biggest problem is to settle Brother Derek down so he has a kick left for the final eighth of a mile when Barbaro is breathing down his neck.

Sweetnorthernsaint will also be up close to the pace and should be stalking whoever takes the lead. Jockey Kent Desormeaux will not have the traffic problems he had in Kentucky and will be ready to strike around the final turn, with an eye over his shoulder watching for the Big Guy.

Like Now does not have a rider assigned yet, but he is in over his head and should not be a factor. However, he too may run to the front, which could make a fast pace and set it up for Barbaro, again.

Hemingway’s Key (Jeremy Rose) and Bernardini (Javier Castellano) will have to run the race of their young lives to stay with this small group of well- bred opponents.

So then we have Edgar Prado and Barbaro. Prado is made for this horse. He can rate with the best of all time and Barbaro loves to come on late.

In the Derby, Barbaro was just off the pace of .46 and then 110. for the six-furlong and he still had plenty left to finish with a rush. The only way to beat him Saturday is to try and steal the race wire-to-wire.

So what’s the pick, easy- a Barbaro-Sweetnorthernsaint exacta box.

P.S… Don’t forget on Friday the Preakness Special a $500,000 race for older horses will be run, a great race for you BetUS.com bettors.

Funny Cide, West Virginia, Wanderin Boy, Invasor (Uruguayan champion), We Can Seek, and Harlington are slated to start in a very completive race. It is on national TV Friday afternoon.

For any questions or horse picks, email me atjrclemente@hotmail.com.

To hear more fromPete Cataldo, tune in every Wednesday at 3pm EST to www.BetUSradio.com.