Todd Pletcher will look to make some music with Dance City at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday and the bloodline of this horse will make him a part of a lot of 2011 Preakness Stakes picks. Dance City’s pedigree boasts a dose of speed over a strong helping of class and stamina. Nine furlongs shouldn’t be out of the question for the lightly-raced Dance City, but that extra sixteenth of a mile may be a small issue to overcome. That is a clear red flag because it doesn’t matter how quick the horse gets to the home stretch if he’s going to cough up the lead at the last minute. Dance City is a 9-1 favorite to win the Preakness and I like his chances coming out of the number eight post.

Dance City has improved his Beyer Speed Figure significantly with each subsequent outing. He showed that he can handle an off track when he won at a sloppy/sealed strip at Gulfstream. Then, he took his show on the road to Oaklawn, where he finished third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. His only other loss came when he ran second to future Wood Memorial runner-up Arthur’s Tale in his debut. I really think that Dance City’s horse racing odds at Bodog.com will stay at a solid 9-1 or maybe even better, especially if there is sloppy weather on race day.

The one weakness this horse brings to the table is the fact that he has done all of his running on or near the front end, and there should be a very fast pace in the Preakness. This is something that may soften him up as he has yet to win a stakes race. His accomplished trainer however, has won a Kentucky Derby and a Belmont, but not a Preakness, so let’s see maybe this is the day that Pletcher brings his career in full-circle. Established jockey, Ramon Dominguez, will mount this horse for the Preakness and that is just one more thing in Dance City’s favor.

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