A Cat Picks the 2014 Preakness

By Adele

Only the most heartless brute would want to dash the hopes of a horse with a shot at winning the Triple Crown, so I’m betting my treats on Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, the odds-on favorite at 3-5 in the 10-horse field, to win the Preakness Stakes May 17 at Pimlico (4:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

But as always with horse-racing, there’s a bit of drama going on in the barn. “Chromie,” as they call him, has a blister in his throat that makes him cough. His trainer said it was there for the Derby and didn’t get him down, so let’s keep our paws crossed.

Also, it’s been raining, uh, cats and dogs in these parts, and the track may be muddy. Chromie has never run in mud, but he’s never been finicky about the surface, so I hope he’s good with getting his hooves dirty.

He drew the 3rd post position in a field of just 10 horses.

I’ve got a couple of other favorites. A filly named Ria Antonia is the only girl in the race, running from pp 6 with Calvin Borel on her back. They say she’s no Rachel Alexandra (who beat the boys back in 2009) and she has the worst odds at 30-1, but if Chromie can’t pull it off, I hope Ria does.

My pick to show is Ride on Curlin (odds 10-1), although he not only drew the widest post position (10), but he’s in for a rude surprise when he’s mounted this time by Joel Rosario and sees his Derby jockey, Calvin Borel, on Ria Antonia’s back.

Another horse to watch is Pablo Del Monte in pp 9 (odds 20-1). He had earned a last-minute spot in the Derby when Hopportunity got scratched, but took a pass. More rested between his races, he’ll be fresher than Chromie, but does he have what it takes to win a Triple Crown race?

May the best horse win, and all cross the finish line safely.

Virginia Derby Going to the Cats

By Adele

Excitement at Cats Working is off the charts because THREE sons of Kitten’s Joy will be running in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on Saturday, July 13. Kitten’s Joy won the Va. Derby in 2004.

The 3 half-brothers include my Kentucky Derby favorite (who regrettably ran 9^th), Charming Kitten, and Max’s pick, an alternate who didn’t get the chance to run, Fear the Kitten.

The third brother running is Redwood Kitten.

All three horses were bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, but the Ramseys sold Fear the Kitten last fall. This morning, Ken Ramsey was quoted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch as saying he hopes the whole litter wins, but that Fear finishes 3^rd.

How’s that for being jinxy and mean?

The favorite to win with 9-5 odds is Rydilluc in post position 4, ridden by Edgar Prado. Prado has won the Va. Derby 3 times, and was Charming Kitten’s jockey in the Kentucky Derby.

Redwood Kitten will be in pp 2 at odds of 10-1. Charming Kitten is in pp 3 at 7-2. Their jockeys is a mystery because both horses are listed with Joel Rosario on top. It’s true they’ll be running side by side, but doing it under the same jockey is never a good idea.

Fear the Kitten is near the outside in pp 9 with odds of 15-1, but he’s not the longest shot (Bethel and Readyshakego are 30-1). Max, with all the confidence of youth, is sure Fear will stun everyone and pull off a win.

(Don’t tell Max, but Fear the Kitten hasn’t won once this year in 6 starts, and this will be his first time feeling turf under his hooves. On the other hand, Fear will have Horacio Karamanos on top, Colonial Downs’ leading jockey.)

Max’s certainty this year probably comes from seeing the 2012 Va. Derby won by a horse named Silver Max.

The course is 1 1/4 miles, with a 10-horse field. Talking heads say this race is mainly between Charming Kitten and Rydilluc, because the Kitten has been runner-up to Rydilluc twice before. But the distance may favor the Kitten.

If you want to catch the race, it will be shown on HRTV and live-streamed at http://www.drf.com/. Post time is 8:12 p.m. ET.

We’ve got our claws crossed that all the kittens horses run safely, and the best one wins!