Sharp Cookies Serve Up Some Preakness Fare

There are some sharp cookies out there in horse racing land.

One, Dan Needham wrote an incredibly interesting piece about Preakness viewership, with several great arguments. It's a must read. Funnily enough, it is probably the only horse racing blog article retweeted by someone with 750,000 followers.

The second sharp cookie in today's horse racing bakery is my pal @keenegal:

@pullthepocket @thorotrends I think Departing as Orb’s “nemesis” needs to be played up more.Things are too kumbaya for great tv and sports
— Melissa Nolan(@KeeneGal) May 15, 2013

I think she is so right. As Shanklin wrote about, that we linked yesterday, the storyline between Orb and Departing is as compelling as anything in our sport, and many others. It is so horse racing. It is exactly what this sport was always about, and for purists like me and many of you, what it will always be about. This is horse racing, not horse coronation, and even if it hits someone in the pocketbook, you bet that person or persons will try and beat you.

We usually rely on tangential storylines with Afleet Alex or Funny Cide (and I do not belittle them). This storyline is pure horse racing.

This year's Preakness might not have the sheer brilliance and magnificence of a filly trying to stop a Derby winner. It might not have a Sunday Silence, Easy Goer rivalry, but it has a lot going for it. I will be glued this year and I feel no matter what, I will not be disappointed.