Diamond King

STRENGTHS: Consistency. Aside from a race in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill last year when he clipped heels and lost his rider in an early scrum, he has never been worse than third. That makes him seem a horse that bettors can trust to give his all. He also possesses the positional speed to sit within range of Derby winner Justify, though for how long remains to be seen. He has won on the lead, from a pressing position, and stalking the pace in his four victories.

WEAKNESSES: He is questionable against this level of competition from both a class and speed-figure perspective. He was all out to win the Federico Tesio on April 21 at Laurel by three-quarters of a length against ungraded stakes foes, and he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of just 84. By comparison, Justify regularly runs Beyer Speed Figures of 100 or more, including a 103 in the Derby. Diamond King’s other races suggest he is a cut below Preakness favorites Justify and Good Magic. He ran third in the Grade 3 Swale this winter at Gulfstream in his only graded stakes appearance as a 3-year-old, and though Swale winner Strike Power possesses potential as a stakes sprinter, there was little else to the field. Gotta Go, the runner-up, has recorded three consecutive rear-half finishes in graded stakes, most recently finishing last of six in the Peter Pan on May 12.

BETTING VALUE: Those that have faith in him will get a price. He is expected to be 20-1 or higher. – Byron King

SIRE: Quality Road was a multiple Grade 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles and was Grade 1-placed at 1 1/4 miles. Ten of his 13 career starts came at a mile or longer. His average progeny winning distance is 7.24 furlongs, which puts him in the middle of this year’s Preakness sire class. He had a career season in 2017, led by a pair of champions – Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Caledonia Road. Other runners of note include City of Light, a Grade 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles; and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny. Diamond King would be Quality Road’s first Preakness starter.

DAM: Akron Moon is stakes-placed on the turf at 6 1/2 furlongs, and all but two of her eight career starts were shorter than a mile. Diamond King is her first foal. He won the Federico Tesio Stakes in his first attempt at 1 1/8 miles. His three other wins have come between 5 1/2 and seven furlongs, and he is Grade 3-placed at seven furlongs.

OUTLOOK: Quality Road carries the class and stamina in this mating. Winning in his first attempt at nine furlongs is promising, but Diamond King’s best distance appears shorter than what he will face at Pimlico. – Joe Nevills