Emblem gets luck of draw for Preakness

Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem will have a favoured draw when he bids to win the second leg of the American triple crown, the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico tomorrow.

Connections of the colt, who made all at Churchill Downs, won first choice of post position on Wednesday for the 127th renewal of the Preakness and went for stall eight of 13.

‘‘We wanted the six, seven or eight, or outside,’’ trainer Bob Baffert told the Bloodhorse. ‘‘We won’t change our tactics. He likes to bounce out of there and we want to let him run his race.’’

Baffert believes War Emblem could be as good as last season’s ‘‘horse of the year’’ Point Given.

The trainer said War Emblem’s powerful Kentucky Derby victory proved that he is a special horse.

‘‘He showed that he’s as good as any horse that I’ve ever had,’’ Baffert said. He added that his sweeping statement included Point Given, last season’s beaten Kentucky Derby favourite who went on to win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes and earn an Eclipse Award as ‘‘Horse of the Year.’’

Local oddsmaker Frank Carulli made Edmund Gann’s Medaglia d’Oro, a strong-finishing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, the 5-2 favourite with War Emblem a 3-1 chance.

‘‘He is one of the few excuse horses from the Derby,’’ explained Carulli. ‘‘I think the public will migrate to Medaglia d’Oro.’’

The connections of Booklet chose post position 10 and trainer John Ward said: ‘‘Booklet should be able to establish a front-running position and let Pat Day use his talents to get the horse to relax.’’

Trainer Wayne Lukas will have two Preakness runners in Table Limit and Proud Citizen.

Prospects of War Emblem getting as soft a lead as he had at Churchill Downs appear unlikely as Table Limit, twice a winner over seven furlongs at Keeneland recently, is expected to vie for the lead right from the start.

Proud Citizen was made the 6-1 fourth choice behind Kentucky Derby favourite and seventh-placed finisher Harlan’s Holiday, who was quoted at 9-2.