The Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., has become, against odds and biases, one of the premier training facilities in all of horse racing. Success for horses trained by Fair Hill's Graham Motion has become a regular occurrence, and hopes are naturally high for Went the Day Well in the 137th Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
Went the Day Well overcame a rough start and long odds to finish fourth in the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Team Valor International, which owns one of two barns at Fair Hill, is eyeing a win for its horse this week, over heavy favorites Bodemeister and Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another.
Success is nothing new for horses trained at Fair Hill. Motion trained last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, which finished second in the 2011 Preakness. Motion's horse have earned more than $8.8 million in winnings.
The facility also prides itself on an incredible safety record for its horses. A profile in the Baltimore Sun cites a study in which Motion's horses were injured or broke down 0.5 times per 1,000 starts in three years. The national average is 5.1.
For more on the Preakness Stakes and the race for the Triple Crown, stay with this StoryStream and check out SB Nation's horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come. There, you'll also find a A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.