Kristufek's top 3 horses in Preakness Stakes

Posted May 15, 2014 11:00 am

Daily Herald Staff Report

Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome heads to his stable after workout Thursday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The colt is favored to win The Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Associated Press

Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome is the odds-on favorite for the Preakness Stakes, and Daily Herald handicapper Joe Kristufek believes the Art Sherman-trained horse will handle the 10-horse field to win the second stage of racing's Triple Crown.

California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, will break from the No. 3 post for the 1 3/16-mile race. The colt has won five straight races by a combined 26 lengths.

Kristufek likes two other horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby — Ride On Curlin and General a Rod — to finish in the money at Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Ride On Curlin, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. This time, however, Joel Rosario will ride. General a Rod was 11th at Churchill Downs.

In order of predicted finish, here's a look at Joe Kristufek's early selections for the Preakness with post positions listed first:

PP Horse (Jockey/Trainer) odds, comment

3 California Chrome (Espinoza/Sherman) 3-5, Fingers crossed

10 Ride On Curlin (Rosario/Gowan) 10-1, Fast pace sets table?

2 General a Rod (Castellano/Maker) 15-1, Adventurous Derby

1 Dynamic Impact (Mena/Casse) 12-1, Illinois Derby winner

8 Social Inclusion (Contreras/Azpurua) 5-1, Likely falls short

7 Kid Cruz (Pimentel/Rice) 20-1, Local hope closes

5 Bayern (Napravnik/Baffert) 10-1, Learning lessons

9 Pablo Del Monte (Sanchez/Ward) 20-1, Forces the issue

4 Ring Weekend (Garcia/Motion) 20-1, Notch below these

6 Ria Antonia (Borel/Amoss) 30-1, Filly doesn't belong

After a disappointing finish in the Kentucky Derby, Ride On Curlin is looking to rebound in Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Associated Press

Preakness Stakes hopeful General a Rod finished 11th in the crowded Kentucky Derby field two weeks ago. Associated Press

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