Pioneer of the Nile has a shot at it I do believe and he is one of my picks just because I think he’s a great horse. If I had the money and felt confident in betting on such contentious races I would probably box a exacta between Pioneer of the Nile and Rachel Alexandra…I would want Rachel Alexandra to blow away the field, of course, so I could see history in the making and give the filly her due respect…and fillies in general.

Now…everyone is almost writing off Mine that Bird but I would probably count him on being there in the end somewhere. The Derby proved that he does have what it takes to go the distance and is in the proper condition to have plenty of gas in the tank at the end. If you get a chance to see the replay of the Derby from an overhead shot you will see this horse absolutely take off like a Ferrari when Calvin asked him to. No, Calvin isn’t riding him today but Mike Smith definately is a world class jockey and that is why I count Mine That Bird in as part of a good solid trifecta. He has shown what he’s got and this horse has a lot to offer and Mike is the guy to get the best of out him…

I think if I were to want to play the Superfecta I would put Papa Clem in there somewhere also. He was another horse that I really liked for the Derby so I wouldn’t count him out.

One thing I’ve noticed about Rachel Alexandra from looking at her and Calvin’s performance at The Oaks and comparing that to a couple of other races is that she seems to run faster if she isn’t whipped. Now, I am not opposed to a jockey whipping a horse. I don’t believe that it’s the same as whipping a human or something like that and I see the value in whipping with the right horse….but it’s rare to see a horse destroy a field like Rachel Alexandra did at the Oaks and Calvin didn’t touch her…the two or three other races that I saw he did use the whip…she still won but not by 20 1/4 lengths….just some food for thought and I could be wrong but I think that Calvin has this filly figured out and I wish her and him all the best today at the Preakness.

We’ll see how it all plays out but I do believe that we may see history being made today in Maryland. And as much as I love to be right and how much I enjoy winning, I wish more than anything that all the horses and jockeys arrive at the finish safe and sound…safety above all else…