The Triple Threat
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/406/1/The-Triple-Threat.html
Megan Tomlin
Megan Tomlin is a senior journalism major at Penn State University. She is also a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. Megan is a lifelong fan of the Nittany Lions and the New York Yankees.
By Megan Tomlin
Published on 05/19/2006
Barbaro was dominant in the Kentucky Derby, but Atomic Sports writer Megan Tomlin says no one should be surprised if the Preakness favorite joins a long list of horses that couldn't complete racing's triple crown.
Barbaro has been jogging and galloping about a mile to a mile and a half each day over the Fair Hill grounds in anticipation for Saturday’s Preakness. His win at the Kentucky Derby is just a peek at what Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz, and jockey, Edgar Prado, think their horse is capable of accomplishing.
However, there are many other horses, jockeys and trainers that are striving to make sure Barbaro follows the same path as Smarty Jones last year, Funny Cide the year before, and every horse that has tried for the triple crown since Affirmed in 1978.
Sweetnorthernsaint is going to be a tough competitor for Barbaro. The horse galloped a mile-and-a-half at the Laurel Park and according to trainer, Mike Trombetta, “He was absolutely perfect at the gate.”
Another horse to beat will be the fourth-place finisher from the Kentucky Derby, Brother Derek.
Brother Derek, who along with Sweethnorthernsaint are the only two horses to challenge Barbaro in both the Debry and the Preakness, may seem like a contender that won’t be a huge problem for Barbaro, but the horse/jockey duo is a strong pair.
Brother Derek was the Santa Anita Derby winner; he has been jogging and galloping up until Tuesday, when he traveled to the Pimlico barn.
By purely looking at the numbers, Barbaro looks like a big favorite at Preakness. But by looking at history, the sure winner doesn’t always win a race, let alone a triple crown.
The past two Kentucky Derby winners have taken the Preakness, yet neither was able to win at Belmont. But honestly, does the same horse really need to win all three races to prove that he/she is the best one?
It has been 18 years ago and we still think it’s important to have a Triple Crown winner. Maybe it’s so exciting because it never happens, and we’re waiting to see what miracle horse can accomplish this seemingly impossible task.
Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby by a huge margin, and if he takes the Preakness, too, I don’t really think he needs a third win against to prove that he really is the best horse out there.
I get the point that one win could seem a fluke if the anticipated winner doesn’t win, especially in the always unpredictable Derby, but why do we hold the ponies to a loftier standard than track-and-field runners? Last time I checked, Justin Gatlin won’t have to win the 100 meters three times in a row to earn the gold medal in the Summer Olympics, so it’s really not fair that Barbaro is expected to win three in a row to earn the gold-medal equivalent for horse racing.
In all truth, even though the triple crown may not seem fair as a way of determining the “best,” but isn’t it the reason so many people are interested to begin with? Everyone wants to see the same horse prove his superiority over and over again. People root against the Yankees and Patriots, but when it comes to horse racing, we want domination. We want dynasties.
And when it doesn’t happen, we all hold our breath and forget about horse racing… until next year.
Megan Tomlin is a columnist for Atomic Sports Media. She is a junior journalism major at Pennsylvania State University and works in the Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. Megan can be reached at megan.tomlin@atomicsportsmedia.com.
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Barbaro was dominant in the Kentucky Derby, but Atomic Sports writer Megan Tomlin says no one should be surprised if the Preakness favorite joins a long list of horses that couldn't complete racing's triple crown.
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Barbaro has been jogging and galloping about a mile to a mile and a half each day over the Fair Hill grounds in anticipation for Saturday’s Preakness. His win at the Kentucky Derby is just a peek at what Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz, and jockey, Edgar Prado, think their horse is capable of accomplishing.
However, there are many other horses, jockeys and trainers that are striving to make sure Barbaro follows the same path as Smarty Jones last year, Funny Cide the year before, and every horse that has tried for the triple crown since Affirmed in 1978.
Sweetnorthernsaint is going to be a tough competitor for Barbaro. The horse galloped a mile-and-a-half at the Laurel Park and according to trainer, Mike Trombetta, “He was absolutely perfect at the gate.”
Another horse to beat will be the fourth-place finisher from the Kentucky Derby, Brother Derek.
Brother Derek, who along with Sweethnorthernsaint are the only two horses to challenge Barbaro in both the Debry and the Preakness, may seem like a contender that won’t be a huge problem for Barbaro, but the horse/jockey duo is a strong pair.
Brother Derek was the Santa Anita Derby winner; he has been jogging and galloping up until Tuesday, when he traveled to the Pimlico barn.
By purely looking at the numbers, Barbaro looks like a big favorite at Preakness. But by looking at history, the sure winner doesn’t always win a race, let alone a triple crown.
The past two Kentucky Derby winners have taken the Preakness, yet neither was able to win at Belmont. But honestly, does the same horse really need to win all three races to prove that he/she is the best one?
It has been 18 years ago and we still think it’s important to have a Triple Crown winner. Maybe it’s so exciting because it never happens, and we’re waiting to see what miracle horse can accomplish this seemingly impossible task.
Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby by a huge margin, and if he takes the Preakness, too, I don’t really think he needs a third win against to prove that he really is the best horse out there.
I get the point that one win could seem a fluke if the anticipated winner doesn’t win, especially in the always unpredictable Derby, but why do we hold the ponies to a loftier standard than track-and-field runners? Last time I checked, Justin Gatlin won’t have to win the 100 meters three times in a row to earn the gold medal in the Summer Olympics, so it’s really not fair that Barbaro is expected to win three in a row to earn the gold-medal equivalent for horse racing.
In all truth, even though the triple crown may not seem fair as a way of determining the “best,” but isn’t it the reason so many people are interested to begin with? Everyone wants to see the same horse prove his superiority over and over again. People root against the Yankees and Patriots, but when it comes to horse racing, we want domination. We want dynasties.
And when it doesn’t happen, we all hold our breath and forget about horse racing… until next year.
Megan Tomlin is a columnist for Atomic Sports Media. She is a junior journalism major at Pennsylvania State University and works in the Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. Megan can be reached at megan.tomlin@atomicsportsmedia.com.