"Make a case for an on-the-pace Preakness horse."
The case I'd make is that of all the horses in the Preakness, Social Inclusion is the one we know the least about as far as upside is concerned. We know he can run an extremely fast 8.5 furlongs when he has his own way. We know that when challenged for the lead for the 1st time in his 3rd lifetime race, he didn't have enough left to win at 9 furlongs.
Maybe we've seen Soc Inclusion's best, but I wouldn't be surprised to see enough improvement off the Wood to make the difference here.
IMO, the Derby was a more likely candidate for pace meltdown, and it didn't happen. Might not happen Saturday, either.
I'll bet Soc Inclusion if the odds are at least 7-1.
--Dunbar
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Curlin and Hard Spun finish 1,2 in the 2007 BC Classic, demonstrating how competing in all three Triple Crown races ruins a horse for the rest of the year...see avatar
photo from REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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