With the 2011 Preakness Stakes a mere 24 hours away, the story lines are focusing in on Animal Kingdom's run for the Triple Crown and the stacking of the favorites into post positions eight through eleven. However, as we look through the full list of starting positions and odds, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the longshots in the race. This isn't so much a matter of figuring out who might pull a monster upset, but rather to give some of these unknowns a spot in the sunlight. Horse racing generally focuses in on the favorites and some of the more intriguing underdogs. But America is all about the long shot and they deserve some love too!
Here is a rundown of the post positions and odds for each horse in Saturday's 14-horse field:
No. 1 Astrology - 15-1
No. 2 Norman Asborjson - 30-1
No. 3 King Congie - 20-1
No. 4 Flashpoint - 20-1
No. 5 Shackleford - 12-1
No. 6 Sway Away - 15-1
No. 7 Midnight Interlude - 15-1
No. 8 Dance City - 12-1
No. 9 Mucho Macho Man - 6-1
No. 10 Dialed In - 9-2
No. 11 Animal Kingdom - 2-1
No. 12 Isn't He Perfect - 30-1
No. 13 Concealed Identity - 30-1
No. 14 Mr. Commons - 20-1
The biggest longshots at Pimlico will be the 30-1 horses, which include Isn't He Perfect, Concealed Identity and Norman Asborjson. Isn't He Perfect is making his 13th career start and seventh of 2011. According to preakness.com, the horse got his name from "the feeling the owner and trainer had upon first seeing the horse." His sire won the Breeders' Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup, and his dam, Reciclada, was a Grade/Group 2 winner in the U.S. and Chile.
Concealed Identity is the gelded son of former Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones and was bred and raced exclusively in Maryland. A Maryland horse hasn't won the Preakness since Deputed Testamony in 1983. Concealed Identity has four wins under his belt and career earnings of $120,780.
The final 30-1 longshot is Norman Asbjornson who holds two career wins and has grossed $167,200 in career earnings. The colt is the son of 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Real Quiet. He is named after the 75-year-old president and CEO of AAON, a leading manufacturer of premium heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment headquartered in Oklahoma. The horse's owner, Harry Nye, chose the name because he had known and worked with Asbjornson for 20 years.
While it would be shocking for one of these three to finish in the money on Saturday, they all bring intriguing tales worth learning more about in advance of the Preakness Stakes.
The 2011 Preakness Stakes gets underway on May 21 at Pimlico racetrack. Stay with our 2011 Preakness Stakes StoryStream for odds, contender profiles, post positions and more. To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby and Preakness fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.