The Preakness

Strange as it may sound we will probably know the winner of today's Preakness horse race before we "officially" know who won the Kentucky Derby. That's because the owner of Maximum Security has filed a lawsuit to overturn their horse's DQ in the Derby after finishing first.

I feel for those who backed Maximum Security but I'm firmly against turning to the courts to decide what should and always has been decided on the field of play. I feel for fans of the New Orleans Saints but getting the courts to order a replay of the NFC Championship game because of an obviously missed pass interference call by the referees is ridiculous.

In the case of the Kentucky Derby - would backers of Country House be forced to refund their winnings? If they are not forced to return that money - then who pays the backers of Maximum Security? And what about people who have already thrown away their tickets on Maximum Security? How is that resolved? A whole can of worms which should never be opened.

Neither Maximum Security nor Country House are racing today (which I think is BS). A matter such as this could easily be settled on the track or better yet go completely "old school" and let the owners of Maximum Security and Country House resolve the issue with dueling pistols at 20-paces.

As an aside I was told last night a story of a local Mass guy who bet $40 on Country House to win and who ran that ticket 80 times! His take was over $240,000. I'm guessing that guy definitely doesn't want the outcome changed by the courts.

As far as who I'm betting on today - I've learned over the years that if I post my picks they rarely win. I've become a convert to the Al Swearagen dictum that the best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans (or in this case your Preakness picks).