Tag: Preakness Stakes

148th Preakness Stakes 2023: Finding a winner of Preakness nothing but a National Treasure

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National Treasure, right, with jockey John Velazquez, edges out Blazing Sevens, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., to win the148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

A horse trained by controversial Bob Baffert, National Treasure, won the 148th Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on Saturday.

National Treasure took an early lead and held it for most of the race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. He held off Blazing Sevens’ late surge, and pulled ahead just before the finish line. Blazing Sevens came in second, and this year’s Kentucky Derby winner Mage came in third. National Treasure’s finishing time was 1 minute, 55:12 seconds.

Baffert has now won eight Preakness Stakes and has 17 Triple Crown victories.

It was the first Preakness win for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, and marked his sixth Triple Crown.

National Treasure won hours after another one of Baffert’s horses, Havnameltdown, hurt his left front ankle in an undercard race and was euthanized while still on the track.

“We’ve been totally wiped out after (Havnameltdown) got hurt, so the emotions of this game, there’s so many responsibilities a trainer has: employees, horses, jockeys, safety,” said Baffert.

“And then, to win this – losing that horse really hurt, but I’m happy for (Velazquez). He got the win. I have a great team, I got my boy with me.”

Emotional, Baffert said, “I’m sorry, but it’s been a very emotional day.”

Baffert recently received multiple suspensions, including for his horse Medina Spirit, which won the 2021 Kentucky Derby but tested positive for an anti-inflammatory drug. Medina Spirit died in December of that year after a workout. The 148th Preakness Stake was Baffert’s first Triple Crown race in two years.

2023 Preakness Stakes results:

  1. National Treasure
  2. Blazing Sevens
  3. Mage
  4. Red Route One
  5. Chase the Chaos
  6. Perform
  7. Coffeewithchriss

The Election has been decided Early Voting wins the Preakness

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Jose Ortiz atop Early Voting wins the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

A favorite among politicians, Early Voting won the 147th Preakness Stakes race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday evening.

Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, Early Voting edged out the favorite, Epicenter, who came in second, and Creative Minister who took third. Early Voting followed the leaders for much of the running before taking first in the final turn and finishing 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Epicenter. Epicenter came in second, just as he did in the Kentucky Derby.

Early Voting won five years after his trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman won the race with Cloud Computing.

“We thought he needed a little more seasoning, the extra rest would help him,” said Klarman. “He was pretty lightly raced – only three races before today. And as it turned out, that was the right call. We wanted to do right by the horse, and we’re so glad we waited.”

Early Voting, with a 1:54:54 winning time, paid $13.40, $4.60 and $3.60. Meanwhile, Epicenter paid $2.80 and $2.40. Creative Minister paid $4.20.

Early Voting’s team originally planned for him to try to take the lead. However, when Armagnac took the lead held Early Voting back as Epicenter ran inside the rail.

“I was never worried. Once we had a good target, I actually preferred that,” said Brown.

“We were fine to go to the lead, but I thought down the back side it was going to take a good horse to beat us. And a good horse did run up on us near the wire and it was about the only one that could run with us.”

It is Early Voting’s third win in four career races taking the $900,000 winner’s share of the $1.65 million purse.

“Early Voting is the winner of the Preakness and deserves all the credit for doing so, and nothing but,” Epicenter’s trainer Steve Asmussen said.

The final race of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, takes place on June 11.

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Preakness Stakes 2020: Swiss Skydiver first filly to win a race since 2009

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Filly Swiss Skydiver wins the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Sat Oct 3, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The only filly in the race, Swiss Skydiver, won the Preakness Stakes on Saturday afternoon, claiming her place in history as only the sixth female horse to do so, and the first in 11 years.

Swiss Skydiver beat all the boys in thrilling fashion, in a stretch duel with Kentucky Derby champion Authentic. The two-horse race was close, but the three-year-old filly held Authentic off and beat him by a nose.

She was the first filly, or young female horse less than four years of age, to win the race since Rachel Alexandria in 2009.

“Just a real honor to be around a horse like this,” Swiss Skydiver’s trainer Kenny McPeek said. “It’s a special moment.”

Swiss Skydiver’s jockey Robby Albarado said he “had an opportunity” when Authentic’s Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez abandoned the rail at the far turn.

“I took advantage of the rail. Johnny stayed off the fence there, made a conscious decision to move at that time. Give or take now,” Albarado said. “If I make that move now or I wait and get smothered.”

With odds of 11-1, Swiss Skydiver upset 3-2 favorite Authentic. Jesus’ Team at 40-1 took third place and Art Collector at 2-1 finished fourth.

Swiss Skydiver was the first filly to compete in the Preakness since 2014, when Ria Antonia came in last. Swiss Skydiver raced in Kentucky, New York, Florida, Louisiana, California and Arkansas this year, and was constantly hungry and eager to train.

“She never gets tired,” McPeek said.

McPeek won the Preakness for the first time and celebrated his second victory in a Triple Crown series after last winning the Belmont Stakes in 2002.

By defeating Authentic and Thousand Words, Swiss Skydiver denied their trainer Bob Baffert of a 17th Triple Crown race win and prevented him from setting a record with eight Preakness victories.

The spectator-less 145th running of the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, came just four weeks after the Kentucky Derby. For the first time, the 1 3/16th-mile-long race was the third leg of the Triple Crown, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The backwards schedule this year kicked off with the Belmont Stakes on June 20, followed by the Kentucky Derby on September 5.

Authentic upset Belmont Stakes champion Tiz the Law, who did not compete in the Preakness as he was not ready, according to Sackatoga Sable managing partner Jack Knowlton. The most recent Triple Crown winner was Justify, trained by Baffert, in 2018.

2020 Preakness Stakes results:

1. Swiss Skydiver – 11/1 2. Authentic – 3/2 3. Jesus’ Team – 40/1 4. Art Collector – 2/1

War of Will bounces back in the Preakness Stakes

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Photo credit: @PreaknessStakes

By: Ana Kieu

After clashing with Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby, War of Will bounced back in the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. War of Will’s jockey was Tyler Gaffalione.

This year’s Preakness Stakes was rather unusual. It was the first to not include a Kentucky Derby winner in 23 years. Maximum Security was initially this year’s Kentucky Derby winner until the controversial disqualification occurred at the hands of the officials. Maximum Security didn’t race. Country House, the designated winner, also didn’t race. That being said, there was no contender for the Triple Crown.

Among the horses War of Will held off was a jockey-less one, who threw his rider off right out of the gate. Fans in attendance and at home were shocked by that particular moment.

At the 144th Preakness Stakes Winners Party, Horseware provided the coolers for the winning horses, including War of Will. Everyone at the Winners Party toasted to the glorious success achieved Saturday.