Leg two of the triple crown of horse racing moves to Pimlico in Maryland for the Preakness this Saturday. If the Kentucky Derby is the pride of the southern aristocrats and the Belmont in New York is the pride of New York, the Hamptons, Cape Cod and New England Eastern society then the Preakness is surely the pride of the beer drinking college party crowd.
Very strange things are happening, however, that may forever doom the Animal House image like the State of Maryland said no one can bring their own cooler full of beer this year. Last year 126 people were thrown out of the infield for disorderly conduct while six were arrested. Kids may not want to spend the big bucks for Preakness beer so they might not show up.
There is the theme, "the People's Race - the People's Party." That sounds like words out of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. Then again a state like Maryland might want to impress the new liberal Democrats in control of our nation's capitol. We may find out soon if they are the people's party.
You see there is a filly named Rachel Alexandra who has won 5 straight stakes races. The owners kept her out of the Kentucky Derby and ran her in the Kentucky Oaks for fillies instead. She won by 20+ lengths. The only way she can race in the Preakness is if other eligible horses do not run.
Twenty horses ran in the Derby. Only 14 are allowed to run in the Preakness. There were 13 triple crown horses committed to run leaving one opening if no other eligible horses filed to run. Along comes Rachael whose new owner wants her in with the big boys.
Suddenly the owners of horses eligible but not running are being called by owners in the race and asked to enter their horse in the Preakness, even if they didn't intend to run, so Rachael would not get in the field of fourteen. It seems the filly has some of the money people scared she may distort the odds and blow away any chance Derby winner Mind that Bird has for a triple crown.
Television ratings are everything. It has been 31 years since we had a triple crown winner, the longest stretch in history. During those years eleven horses won the first two, (Derby and Preakness) but lost in the Belmont. Big money wants to keep Rachael out while the People want her in.
If Rachael gets denied the chance to race it will be a result of skullduggery and collusion on the part of owners in the race. That would be a big blow to the liberal Democrats, media and Obama backers who are the self-proclaimed protectors of the "people's party". I say give the filly a chance to prove herself.
On the other hand this could all be a contrived media act to manipulate the odds as if Rachael gets in the race she will be a 1-1 favorite over all the guys. The odds on all the rest of the field will go up meaning more money will be made if any beat Rachael. The TV Ratings will increase, they are already sliding, if there is some new drama in the plot.
To top it all off, there will be a show in the infield to distract the college kids from realizing they are paying a fortune for beers. There will be man's favorite Olympic competition, Women's Beach Volleyball with the bikini clad bronzed babes like Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh, USA Olympic champions.
Add to that a concert by ZZ Top and a couple of other rock groups, all on the infield with the volleyball babes and thousands of drunk kids and you might think you just dropped acid, I mean, you were supposed to be at a horse race in Maryland and wound up in a flashback at Woodstock.
I'm for Rachael.
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