BY THE GAP
by Joe Riddell
| Post | Horse | Hoof Size | Mud | Bends |
| 1 | Like Now | 2+ | M | Bs |
| 2 | Platinum Couple | (3-) | (M-) | ? |
| 3 | Hemingway’s Key | 2+ | M+ | B |
| 4 | Greeley’s Legacy | 2+ | M | B |
| 5 | Brother Derek | 2+ | M | |
| 6 | Barbaro | 3+ | M | |
| 7 | Sweetnorthernsaint | 2+ | M | |
| 8 | Bernardini | (2) | (M+) | ? |
| 9 | Diabolical | (2+) | (M) | ? |
Data’s Meaning
Hoof Size:
Hoof size ranges from 1 to 5. Number 1 is a small hoof, about the size of a
small tea cup (3.5 inches in diameter), while a number 5 is the size of a salad
plate (8 inches in diameter).
Mud:
M- means the bottom of the horse’s hoof, the frog, is flat on the ground.
Horses with this conformation have problems with grabbing the track when it is
wet.
M means the frog is slightly elevated off the ground. These horses have minimal
problems with wet tracks.
M+ means the frog is high and these horses love mud.
Bends:
The back of horse shoes are “bent” down a quarter of an inch at about a 30-45
degree angle. Bends are very important on rainy days! When the track is
wet, bends help the horse grab the track like cleats on track shoes.
The parenthesis ( ) behind numbers 2, 8 and 9 indicate my guess of hoof size
through an analysis of the horses’ pedigrees.
Preakness Thoughts
In the past, horses with small hooves (2+ or smaller) have loved Pimlico. The
biggest obstacle between Barbaro and the Triple Crown may be the Pimlico
surface.
A horse that should excel at Pimlico is Bernardini. His mother had small
mud-loving hooves (2M+) and his sire begets many foals with 2M+ hooves. I think
he will LOVE Pimlico. I give him the biggest shot of upsetting Barbaro.
My Preakness top three picks in order are: Barbaro — Bernardini — Brother
Derek
Other exotic possibilities are: Like Now — Greeley’s Legacy —
Sweetnorthernsaint
***We hope you enjoy this new feature
offered to help sort out Triple Crown contenders and would love to
get feedback from you. Please e-mail
editstaf@brisnet.com with
any comments, suggestions or anecdotes you might have.