The Preakness Stakes 2016: Deja-vu All Over Again?

Questions, Questions, Questions

The Preakness Stakes 2016 are with us, the Second Jewel in the Triple Crown! It brings a lot of questions, questions, questions! Will Nyquist win , as he did in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago? Or will one of his old challengers — or a “new shooter,” as they call a contender who did not participate in the last race — beat him?

Or will it be “déjà vu all over again”?

The second-place finisher, Exaggerator, as well as Lani, are coming back to test Nyquist again. And 8 new shooters have been added to the fray. Why do their connections think they can beat him? Why doesn’t Nyquist get the respect an undefeated thoroughbred and potential Triple Crown contender should get?

What light can astrology shed on these questions?

Kentucky Derby Analysis

Reviewing my analysis of the Kentucky Derby Stars, it seems clear to me that Nyquist was aided by the fact that he was born on a New Moon day (in Pisces) and the race occurred a day after a New Moon (in Scorpio). The New Moon in his natal chart signifies his ability to renew himself over and over again.

As I wrote in my Kentucky Derby column, I believe that I have found a natal configuration which may signify an outstanding horse: aspects to the natal Fortuna (an asteroid ruling good and bad fortune, named after the Classical World’s goddess of Fortune, famous for her Wheel of Fortune, which goes up and down). An example is a trine (harmonious, easy 120-degree link) to natal Mercury (planet of communication and speed, which I believe rules horseracing), Fortuna conjunctions with the Aries or Capricorn points, and so on and so forth. I found this new indication by studying the charts of champion horses such as American Pharoah, California Chrome, Secretariat, and more.

To answer one reader, yes, this is what is in the natal chart; not what transiting Fortuna is doing. A related comment I must make is that even horses (and individuals) with great charts do not win every time. That, I believe, depends on what the transiting planets are doing at the time. . . .

So how did Exaggerator, for whom I had found no Fortuna aspect, come in second? (He has come in second to Nyquist four times.) Another look showed me that it could be because his Fortuna is conjunct his Neptune (see the table below). Neptune is sometimes considered a higher order of Jupiter — but WAY OUT there. Jupiter is the Great Benefic. He is clearly a very Lucky Planet. Perhaps, when Neptune is behaving, he confers an Ideal Version of Luck. Maybe he is giving the horse such a positive view of himself, so much self-confidence, that he is close to being a winner!

Of course, Neptune can be deceptive. He has a habit of giving us a glimpse of Paradise, and then taking it away. In any case,  I think it is this Fortuna-Neptune conjunction which potentially makes Exaggerator a winner.

What about Gun Runner? Didn’t he have a twin in Outwork? Both with the same Fortuna-Aries Point conjunction as Nyquist? Well, yes, but neither of them are New Moon horses. And, as I have pointed out numerous times in these predictions, we do not know the birth times of these horses. This severely hampers our ability to make detailed analyses and comparisons.

But we can safely conjecture the difference between Gun Runner and Outwork was a different birth hour, giving them different rising signs (the Sun goes through the zodiac each 24 hours) and significantly different chart configurations.

It is no mistake that the two horses with the May 2nd birthdays, Mohayman and Suddenbreakingnews finished 4th and 5th in the Derby. I didn't count a Fortuna aspect for them, but actually, Fortuna and Mercury are only 3 degrees apart — but in different signs (Aries and Taurus). Astrology strikes again! (As for the other horses with Fortuna conjunct Mercury, you would have to know more about their rising signs to make a judgment. But we must remember that they did win other big races in order to get there in the first place.)

Preakness Race Day Transits

And now for the bad news. There are some really hard aspects centering on Preakness day. First, two Malefics of the Zodiac, Mars and Pluto, are at a 45-degree angle at 12:53 AM EDT in the morning. This is an aspect of hostility, rage, and upsets. Yikes! I sure hope no one and no animal gets hurt. But I am worried.

The Universe follows this up with Huge Jupiter going down at the mouth with Bountiful Ceres, at 8:18 AM EDT. This is more of a Money Lost Aspect than anything else, as is Mars in Sagittarius opposing Investment-oriented Vesta in Gemini at 9:49 AM EDT. As with all such "negative" links, sometimes they can let out some Luck Juice, like in lottery wins. But I still don't like them in terms of the morning people are going to have.

Wait. We're not finished yet. Pluto in Capricorn comes along and bangs Vesta in Gemini at 4:20 PM EDT. This is Very Heavy for home and hearth — the fundamentals — if also potentially lucky.

Then, Kapow!!! The Full Moon in Sagittarius hits at 5:14 PM EDT! We've never had this for a Triple Crown race before in recent memory! Full Moon Madness just before a major race!

Perhaps this would not be so bad if Mars were not involved. But Mars is right there, and the Moon conjuncts him at 6:43 PM EDT. Just at post time, which is 6:45 PM EDT.

Now this can be Very Energetic for someone, but it is way too explosive for my taste. I have to remark that the Sun in Gemini opposes Mars in Sagittarius at 7:17 AM EDT the next morning, Sunday morning, too — also explosive — and sometimes these fast aspects can hit early.

Who Will Be Affected?

The question is, which of the horses might be most affected by this cavalcade of Tough Aspects? The most obvious one is Exaggerator. His Mars is at 1 degree of Pisces and you really have to worry with Mars and the Full Moon exactly squaring his speed planet. His Fortuna and Neptune are close by too. Now squares can cause Action, and it could light a fire and send Exaggerator to the Winner's Circle, but truthfully, if he were my horse, I would scratch him.

Then what about Nyquist? What happens when a New Moon Horse meets up with a Full Moon? Well, for one thing, the New Moon is not a close square to his Sun in Pisces. In fact, the Full Moon-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius trines (a positive 120-dgree link) his Fortuna at 0 degrees Aries. For another, the Full Moon could mean a Culmination for Nyquist, with the Full Moon approaching the zenith of his solar tenth house, actualized proof of the fullness of his abilities and his career.

The other thing about Nyquist speaks to those original questions I posed. Why do people think he can be beat? Well, he not a powerful-looking horse. He looks unassuming, quite passive even. How is it that he wins all of the time? It's because he is a Shape Shifter. His New Moon in Pisces gives him elusive quality. Now you see him, now you don't. Then you see him making the front. A Pisces Shape Shifter for sure. That is why he is my number one pick for this race.

How It Falls Out

How does it fall out astrologically for the spots after Nyquist (and Exaggerator, if you think that he will benefit by the pressure on his chart)? I am still betting on the horses with Fortuna conjunct Mercury. Lani is still there; Cherry Wine and Uncle Lino also fit the bill.

The other aspects to Fortuna, such as Collected's Fortuna conjunct Uranus, did nothing in the Kentucky Derby.

The order of finish? 1- Nyquist, 2 - Exaggerated, if he makes it, 3, 4 & 5 - Cherry Wine, Uncle Lino, or Lani (box). Uncle Lino and Lani would be my long-shot picks — I just like them.

We wait with baited breath, as Mercury hangs stationary in the sky, only to go direct the next day, at 9:20 AM EDT Sunday.

Again, please, if you bet, do not wager more than $8-10 a day. Remember, this is for entertainment purposes only. But you can only win if it's "Your Lucky Times"! Good luck!

Yours in Good Fortune,

Lucky Star

* Please do not use these as the post numbers, if you are playing. Consult your own cards to lay any bets.

** Sextile = 60 degrees, an "initiating" angle that "gets things started"

*** Aries point is 0 degrees Aries, a "World Point," like 0 degrees Capricorn