The Preakness vs. The Kentucky Derby - Tale of the Tape

Part II of East Coast Bias' ongoing Preakness coverage. Part I was an overview of rules for attending Preakness.

It seems to be "common knowledge" that the Kentucky Derby is the premier race of the Triple Crown. Sure, there will always be those arrogant New Yorkers who claim the Belmont is better solely by virtue of being held in the great state of New York. But by that logic, the Knicks wouldn't be in their current "situation." True Triple Crown aficionados know that when debating the relative merits of the three races, no infield = no dice. Belmont doesn't allow rowdy fans to pollute its pristine infield, so we can immediately rule it out of the best race discussion, even though I love its length (double entendre intended).

But what about the Preakness vs. Derby debate? It seems like a slam dunk for the Derby at first glance, but the only way to be sure is to break it down, Nick Bakay style:

	Kentucky Derby	Preakness	Advantage
Official Drink	Early Times Mint Julep 2 cups sugar 2 cups water Sprigs of fresh mint Crushed ice Early Times Kentucky Whiskey Silver Julep Cups	Black Eyed Susan 1 part Cointreau 1 part Mount Gay rum 1 part Vodka Pineapple Juice Orange Juice	The Black Eyed Susan's connotations of domestic violence certainly didn't help its cause, but in the end, how do you pick a Rum and Vodka based drink over a Whiskey one? Advantage: Derby
Unofficial Drink	Jack Daniels	Natty Boh	Blue collar whiskey vs. blue collar beer Advantage: Push
Distance	1¼ miles	1 3/16 miles	Who doesn't love odd fractions? Advantage: Preakness
Celebrities	Queen Elizabeth II, Vince Young, Kid Rock, Gary Williams	The Junkies	Gary Williams tips the scales. Advantage: Derby
Eye Candy			It's times like this I feel like a blackjack dealer who just busted. "Everyone's a winner!" Advantage: Push
Crowd Profile	Old and stuffy	Young and partying	Advantage: Preakness
Location	Louisville, KY	Baltimore, MD	This is a totally unbiased selection. Advantage: Preakness
Architecture			Classic spires vs. what looks to be an abandoned auto parts factory Advantage: Derby
Crazy Incident	OJ Simpson gets thrown out of a steakhouse	Crazy man runs on track and tries to punch horse.	Advantage: Preakness
Quirky Tradition	Crazy hats	Paying locals to park in their yards	Much as I love high society ladies in ugly hats, I like turfing lawns in the ghetto better. Advantage: Preakness
Motives for Attending	Socializing, see and be seen,	Drinking, gambling, yelling "Show your tits!"	Advantage: Preakness
Triple Crown Allure	It's all about the race	It's all about a horse trying to make history (except Bernadini)	No one is thinking about the Triple Crown before the Derby, and the Belmont is often meaningless for Triple Crown purposes, but the Preakness always has the sense that this could be the year. Advantage: Preakness

The final tally:

• Preakness: 7
  
• Derby: 3
  
• Push: 2
  

There you have it. The numbers never lie, The Preakness is better than the Kentucky Derby. Now go out and buy your infield tickets, it's going to be a beautiful day Saturday.

Photo Credit: paulsisler, Carrie J, Mosdurf, Speedy314.