Preakness to check Barbaro's superhorse credentials
by Jibberish version 2.0
The following was writen by Tom Pedulla of USA today
Thoroughbred racing may see a legend in the making when undefeated Barbaro attempts to take the second step toward a Triple Crown by winnnig the $1 million Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
"I think the horse is going to be great for our sport. I see another Secretariat-type animal" says Gary Stevens, retired jockey and now an NBC analyst.
To invoke the name of the 1973 Triple Crown champion, to compare Barbaro to one of racing's immortal, is saying an awful lot at this stage.
Hall of famer Stevens is convinced it is not saying too much.
"Any horse is beatable," Stevens says of the Preakness even money-favorite, "but with a clean trip, baring anything unexpected going wrong, I don't see this horse getting beat for a long time."
Barbaro set out to to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first scince Affirmed in 1978 by stretching his record to 6-for-6 with a 6 1/2 length romp in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago.
Edgar Prado, Barbaro's regular rider, agrees with Stevens that his 3-year-old is something special.
"We have the potential that maybe we can win the Triple Crown this year" Prado says. The colt can bcome the seventh horse to sweep the opening two legs in the last 10 years.
Lou Raffetto, the president and chief operating officer at Pimlico, says there is so much excitement building around Barbaro that "thousands of dollars" will be spent on $2 win tickets as souvenirs. "It's all part of the game" he says.
