Sway Away, who was sired by 2005 Preakness winner Afleet Alex, will start in the second leg of the Triple Crown tomorrow after just missing out on a bid for the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Sports Betting Odds have the colt listed as the favorite among non-Derby participants in the 2011 Preakness Stakes, with the horse currently garnering +1000 moneyline odds to win the event.
Sway Away has not won a race since 
breaking his maiden last June, but the three year bay did capture second place finishes at the Grade 2 Best Pal and San Vicente Stakes. The horse had its worst career finish, sixth, at the Rebel Stakes on March 19th and it placed fourth in its only Grade 1 turn, the April 16th Arkansas Derby.
Two of the three colts that edged Sway Away at Oaklawn Park, Archarcharch and Nehro, both ran in the Kentucky Derby; the other horse, Dance City, will start tomorrow's race from Post No. 8.
Sway Away, who is trained by Jeff Bonde, will break from gate six at Pimlico when the 2011 Preakness Stakes officially get underway on Saturday. Veteran jockey Garret Gomez, who handed the great Zenyatta her only career loss after guiding Blame to victory in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic, will have the colt's mount tomorrow.
Gomez was aboard the horse at both the San Vicente Stakes and Rebel Stakes.
The six post has not yielded a Preakness victor since 1999, but the hole does have a good track record, with such notables as Affirmed (1978), Tank's Prospect (1985), Louis Quatorze (1996), and Charismatic (1999) all winning the race after a gate six start.
Sway Away's racing manager, Mersad Metanovic, was pleased with the spot.
"It was excellent," Metanovic said. "We're happy. I believe, as we discussed with Jeff (Bonde), that we'll reserve off the pace and make one run with the horse. It's up to Garrett (Gomez), as well. he's a nice, patient rider and he's got all the credentials. Nobody has to tell him how to do it."
Sway Away 2011 Preakness Stakes Odds:
To Win +1000
To Finish in the Top Three +300
