13-1 long shot Cloud Computing won the Preakness Stakes today in an upset. Cloud Computing ran down Classic Empire on the back stretch, edging out the thoroughbred many thought was Always Dreaming's main competition.
Always Dreaming, the Kentucky Derby winner, meanwhile finished in 8th place. Halfway through the race, it looked like Classic Empire and Always Dreaming would have a classic finish, as Classic Empire stuck his nose in front.
Cloud Computing Edged Out Classic Empire
Then the improbable happened, as Cloud Computing ran down Classic Empire on the outside. The Preakness winner was one of five fresh horses in the race, which might have given Cloud Computing the edge in the final strides.
Javier Castellano rode Cloud Computing on a 1 and 3/16-mile run. The ride took 1:55:98, while a winning ticket paid $28.80 to win.
The Preakness event was only the second career victory for Cloud Computing.
Classic Empire: 2nd Place at the Preakness
Classic Empire finished in 2nd place, while a pair of lesser known racehorses finished in 3rd and 4th place. Senior Investment, a 30-1 proposition, finished in third place. Looking At Lee, a 33-1 shot to win the race, finished in 4th place.
The Preakness results confirm the general consensus before the Kentucky Derby, that there is no single overpowering favorite in this year's field of 3-year old thoroughbreds. Though Always Dreaming was the favorite to win at Churchill Downs, the race drew 20 entries. A high number of entries indicates that many ownership groups and/or trainers believe the field is wide-open.
142nd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico
That certainly proved to be true at the 142nd running of the Preakness, which took place as it always does at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Preakness Stakes is 1/16th of a mile longer than the Kentucky Derby, which was the margin needed for Cloud Computing to run down Classic Empire.
In the lead-up to the race, many believed Classic Empire had a chance to reverse the results of the Kentucky Derby. The race at Churchill Downs was characterized by ran and mud, so Classic Empire's trainer believed this would be the first real test between his horse and Always Dreaming.
Cloud Computing Information
Cloud Computing won the race in only the fourth start of his career. The Preakness winner is owned by Klaravich Stables & William Lawrence and trained by 38-year old Chad C. Brown, the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer of 2016. Chad Brown is from Mechanicville, New York, and has trained other Eclipse Award winners like Flintshire, Stacelita, and Big Blue Kitten.
In retrospect, Cloud Computing's success was predictable. Cloud Computing's sire is Maclean's Music and his dam is Quick Temper, the multiple stakes-placed daughter of A.P. Indy. AP Indy was the 1992 American Racehorse of the Year, after winning the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders Cup. A.P. Indy is tied with Easy Goer for the second-fastest time ever at the Belmont Stakes, behind only Secretariat.
Cloud Computing's Odds at the Belmont Stakes
That could be a good sign for Cloud Computing's chances at the 2017 Belmont Stakes, which will be run at Belmont Park in New York on June 10. Secretariat is the broodmare sire of A.P. Indy, so Cloud Computing is bred from a line of horses with brilliant finishes at the Belmont Stakes.
The Belmont Stakes is 1 and 1/2 mile race. Coming as the final leg of the Triple Crown after a grueling six weeks of world class racing, the Belmont Stakes often produces the most unpredictable results of the three races. Over a dozen Triple Crown challengers failed to win at Belmont Park during the 37-year drought for a Triple Crown winner, from 1978 to 2015.
Cloud Computing's debut in racing was on February 11, 2017, a victory at Aquaduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The colt finished second in the Gotham Stakes and third in the Wood Memorial. With those finishes, Cloud Computing had enough points to enter the Kentucky Derby, but his connections decided not to enter him in the race.
