[OC] JaguarGator9's Weird Stat Thread- Preakness Edition

Every Friday for the rest of the offseason, I’m going to be posting a Weird Stat Thread relating to a topical event and how the season turns out because of it. These threads won’t consist of individual matchups (so I’m not going to be dissecting the history of Tampa Bay/Seattle in these), but rather, seasons on the whole, whether it’s records or playoff results or any other trends.

I did one last week for Eurovision (which was fantastic- not only was there a deserved winner in Portugal, but Logo TV’s broadcast was actually tolerable this year; not great, but tolerable, and infinity times better than last year’s atrocity), and with the Preakness coming up on Saturday, I thought this would be a good time to break down the second leg of the Triple Crown with regards to weird stats. I am not a horse racing guy; I watch the three legs of the Triple Crown and that’s it, and half the time, I won’t watch Belmont if there’s no Triple Crown at stake. However, seeing as the event is coming up this weekend, I might as well try and relate it to football.

So, with that being said, let’s take a look at the weird stats involving the Preakness. Note that I am only looking at stats that can be applicable in 2017 with regards to the names of horses

• A horse with a name starting with “Al” has won the Preakness four times (Alsab in 1942, Aloma’s Ruler in 1982, Alysheba in 1987, and Afleet Alex in 2005). All four times, Washington won a playoff game. They won the 1942 NFL Championship, won Super Bowl XVII in the 1982 season, won Super Bowl XXII in the 1987 season, and then made it to the NFC Divisional in 2005. There is a horse in the Preakness field with the name Always Dreaming, who, as of this writing, was the favorite at 4/5 odds

• A horse with a name starting with “Al” has won the Preakness four times (1942, 1982, 1987, 2005). All four times, a #1 seed made it to the championship game. This was a given in 1942, when there were no playoffs and only the #1 seeds made it. In 1982, Washington (as a #1 seed) made it to Super Bowl XVII. In 1987, Denver (as a #1 seed despite a 10-4-1 record) made it to Super Bowl XXII. And, in 2005, Seattle (as a #1 seed) made it to Super Bowl XL. Again, a horse named Always Dreaming is in the field and is the favorite as of this writing at 4/5 odds

• A horse owned by a company starting with “F” has won the Preakness four times (Foxcatcher Farms owning winning horse Dauber in 1938, Fannie Hertz owning winning horse Count Fleet in 1943, Ford Stable owning winning horse Kauai King in 1966, and Frank M. McMahon owning winning horse Majestic Prince in 1969). All four times, the Green Bay Packers finished with a winning record, going 8-3 in 1938, 7-2-1 in 1943, 12-2 in 1966, and 8-6 in 1969. This year, a horse named Senior Investment is owned by Fern Circle Stables

• A horse with a name starting with “G” has won the Preakness four times (Gallant Fox in 1930, Gate Dancer in 1984, Greek Money in 1962, and Grenada in 1880). The NFL did not exist in 1880, so for the sake of this thread, a horse starting with the letter “G” has won three times (1930, 1962, 1984). All three times, the NFL team based in Minnesota finished with the second worst record in the NFL. In 1930, the Minneapolis Red Jackets finished 1-7-1, which was only ahead of the Newark Tornadoes (1-10-1). In 1962, the Minnesota Vikings finished 2-11-1, which was only ahead of the Los Angeles Rams (1-12-1). And, in 1984, the Minnesota Vikings finished 3-13, which was only ahead of the Buffalo Bills (2-14). There is a horse in this field named Gunnevera.

• Since the creation of the AFPA in 1920 (NFL era begins in 1922), a horse starting with the letter “M” has won the Preakness four times (Man o’War in 1920, Mate in 1931, Majestic Prince in 1969, and Master Derby in 1975). All four times, the Chicago Bears had the fourth best offense in their division. In 1920, the Decatur Staleys had 164 points (fourth out of 14); they changed their name to the Chicago Bears in 1922. In 1931, the Bears had 145 points (fourth out of 10). In 1969, the Bears had 210 points (the worst out of 4 teams in the Central Division). And, in 1975, the Bears had 191 points (the worst out of 4 teams in the NFC Central). There is a horse in this field named Multiplier.

• Since the creation of the NFL in 1920, a horse trained by a trainer starting with the letter “S” has won the Preakness four times (Sarge Swenke training Alsab in 1942, Smiley Adams training Master Derby in 1975, Steve Asmussen training Curlin in 2007, and Steve Asmussen training Rachel Alexandra in 2009). All four times, the team with the best record in the NFL made it to the championship. In 1942, the Bears (11-0) made the NFL Championship. In 1975, the Steelers (12-2) made it to Super Bowl X. In 2007, the Patriots (16-0) made it to Super Bowl XLII, and in 2009, the Colts (14-2) made it to Super Bowl XLIV. Steve Asmussen is training two horses in this field- Hence and Lookin at Lee

• An owner that begins with the letter “L” has won the Preakness four times (Louie J. Roussel III in 1988 with Risen Star, Lazy Lane Farms in 1991 with Hansel, and Loblolly Stable with Pine Bluff in 1992 and Prairie Bayou in 1993). All four times, the winner of the Super Bowl was an NFC team that had already won multiple Super Bowls before then, and the loser of the Super Bowl was an AFC team that had previously made an appearance in the game, but never won it.

This year, Lookin at Lee is owned by L & N Racing, so if they win, the options for who wins the Super Bowl are pretty limited. It would be between the NY Giants, Washington, Dallas, Green Bay, and San Francisco, while the loser would be between Buffalo, Tennessee, Cincinnati, and the LA Chargers

• An owner that begins with the letter “L” has won the Preakness four times (1988, 1991, 1992, 1993). All four times, the NFC Championship was played between the #1 seed and the #2 seed. In 1988, it was played between #1 Chicago and #2 San Francisco. In 1991, it was played between #1 Washington and #2 Detroit. In 1992, it was played between #1 San Francisco and #2 Dallas, and in 1993, it was played between #1 Dallas and #2 San Francisco. Again, Lookin at Lee is owned by L & N Racing, so if they win, expect chalk in the NFC playoffs

• An owner that begins with the letter “K” has won the Preakness four times (King Ranch in 1946 with Assault, Katherine Price in 1961 with Carry Back, Karen L. Taylor with Seattle Slew in 1977, and Kenneth Opstein with Gate Dancer in 1984). All four times, the team with the best record in the regular season won the championship against the team with the second best record. In 1946, the Chicago Bears (8-2-1) defeated the New York Giants (7-3-1). In 1961, the Green Bay Packers (11-3) defeated the New York Giants (10-3-1). In 1977, the Dallas Cowboys (12-2; point differential of 133) defeated the Denver Broncos (12-2; point differential of 126) in Super Bowl XII. And, in 1984, the San Francisco 49ers (15-1) defeated the Miami Dolphins (14-2) in Super Bowl XIX. This year, Cloud Computing is owned by Klaravich Stables, so if Cloud Computing wins, then expect a relatively chalk year

• A horse with three capitalized words in its name has won the Preakness three times in the NFL era (Bee Bee Bee in 1972, Lookin At Lucky in 2010, I’ll Have Another in 2012). All three times, the Buffalo Bills finished fourth in the AFC East (4-9-1 in 1972, 4-12 in 2010, 6-10 in 2012). There’s a horse in this field named Conquest Mo Money, so if this horse wins, then you know where the Bills are finishing

• A horse whose first name starts with the letter “A” and has multiple words in its name has won the Preakness three times (Aloma’s Ruler in 1982, Afleet Alex in 2005, American Pharoah in 2015). All three times, the #1 seed in the NFC made the Super Bowl, with Washington making Super Bowl XVII, Seattle making Super Bowl XL, and Carolina making Super Bowl 50. Always Dreaming is a horse in the field this year

• A horse whose first name starts with the letter “A” and has multiple words in its name has won the Preakness three times (1982, 2005, 2015). All three times, including playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs finished the season with exactly 6 losses. They lost 6 games in 1982 (3-6), 6 games in 2005 (10-6), and 6 games in 2015 including playoffs (12-6). Again, Always Dreaming is a horse in the field this year

• A horse that begins with the letter “L” has won the Preakness three times since the creation of the NFL (Little Current in 1974, Louis Quatorze in 1996, Lookin At Lucky in 2010). All three times, there was a tie for first place in the NFC East between two teams that finished with 10 wins. In 1974, the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington tied for first at 10-4. In 1996, Dallas and Philadelphia tied for first at 10-6. And, in 2010, Philadelphia and the New York Giants tied for first at 10-6. Lookin at Lee is a horse in this year’s field.

• And finally, a horse that begins with the letter “L” has won the Preakness three times since the creation of the NFL (1974, 1996, 2010). All three times, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their division, and the team that came last in their division finished with exactly 4 wins (Browns went 4-10 in 1974, Ravens went 4-12 in 1996, Bengals went 4-12 in 2010). Lookin at Lee is a horse in this year's field.