All articles tagged with #preakness stakes
Sovereignty won the 2025 Belmont Stakes, completing a rare Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes double without racing in the Preakness Stakes, after skipping it to prepare better, and beat favorite Journalism in a thrilling race, marking a significant achievement in horse racing history.
Maryland lawmakers have approved a plan to rebuild Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, and transfer the track to state control. The $400 million plan involves using state bonds to rebuild the facility and transferring ownership to a newly formed nonprofit. The Preakness will temporarily relocate to Laurel Park in 2026 while the new facility is being built, before returning to Pimlico. The bill addresses concerns about the state assuming liability for operating costs and aims to revitalize the historic racetrack, which has faced challenges in recent years.
Funny Cide, the winner of the 129th Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, has passed away at the age of 23 due to complications from colic. The horse, known as the "Gusty Gelding," had a significant impact on the racing world and will be greatly missed by fans and those involved in his career. Funny Cide spent his retirement years at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he enjoyed visiting fans.
Bob Baffert-trained horse Havnameltdown was euthanized after suffering an ankle injury in an undercard race during the Preakness day at Pimlico Race Course. Jockey Luis Saez was also injured but released from the hospital. This marks the third horse death on Preakness day in the last seven years. The horse racing industry has come under scrutiny for the fatalities that have occurred, and calls for sweeping reforms have been made.
A horse trained by Bob Baffert, Havnameltdown, was euthanized on the track due to a leg injury during the undercard at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, several hours before another one of the Hall of Famer’s 3-year-old colts, National Treasure, won the Preakness Stakes. Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey Luis Saez off his back during the day’s sixth race, then continued running around the final turn in some distress. Saez was conscious and taken to Sinai Hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain.
National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert, won the 148th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, holding off a hard-charging Blazing Sevens down the final stretch. Kentucky Derby champion and third-place finisher Mage took third place. Baffert wins his record eighth The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez completes the career Triple Crown with his first Preakness win in 13 attempts. The race was overshadowed by the death of Havnameltdown, another Baffert-trained horse, who broke his ankle and was euthanized.
Despite accusations of doping and a high rate of horse deaths in his stable, Bob Baffert remains a top trainer in horse racing, with multi-millionaires eager to give him their high-priced Thoroughbreds. Baffert's National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes, while Derby winner Mage finished third. However, the Preakness was marred by the death of Havnameltdown, who was euthanized after breaking down in an earlier race. Baffert's stable has the highest rate of horse deaths in California since 2000, but his charisma and success training Triple Crown winners have kept him in demand.
Trainer Bob Baffert won his record eighth Preakness Stakes with National Treasure, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, who won all three legs of the American Classics. Baffert was emotional after the win, having lost one of his colts, Havnameltdown, earlier in the day. The horse broke his left front fetlock and was euthanized on the track. The win comes amid increased scrutiny of horse racing after a spate of horse deaths at Churchill Downs.
The 148th running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore highlighted the great conflict in horse racing, which has recently faced national scrutiny: The sport is dramatic, exhilarating and a part of Maryland’s very fabric. At the same time, it causes young, otherwise healthy horses to die. Two horses trained by the famed-but-controversial Bob Baffert had cruelly disparate fates at Pimlico on Saturday. Havnameltdown was quickly euthanized after suffering a leg injury during a race early in the day. Then, in the marquee race, another Baffert horse, National Treasure, won an enthralling finish as tens of thousands of racing and concert fans flocked and reveled at Baltimore’s most iconic annual event.
National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, giving trainer Bob Baffert a record eighth Preakness win. The win came hours after Baffert had to put down an injured horse and upon his return to the race after being banned last year. The recent string of horse deaths has overshadowed this year's Triple Crown races, with seven horses dying in the eight days leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
Bob Baffert's National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes, but it came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized due to a left leg injury in an undercard race. The victory ended Mage's bid for the Triple Crown, and Baffert won the Preakness for a record eighth time. Baffert had a rollercoaster day, back at Pimlico Race Course from a suspension that kept him from entering a horse in the Preakness last year.
National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert, won the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown, with jockey John R. Velazquez earning his first victory in the race. Mage, attempting to become the first horse since Justify in 2018 to win both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finished third, ending his Triple Crown bid. The smallest field in the Preakness Stakes since 1986 saw seven participants, with First Mission being scratched due to an issue with his left hind ankle.
Bob Baffert's National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his record eighth win in the race. However, the victory was overshadowed by the death of Baffert's horse Havnameltdown earlier in the day. The fatality was another blow to a sport already reeling from recent horse deaths. Baffert, a Hall of Famer and longtime face of horse racing, returned to the Preakness after a suspension stemming from a failed drug test by his horse Medina Spirit in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Trainer Bob Baffert's horse, National Treasure, won the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes, marking Baffert's record-breaking eighth win in the second leg of the Triple Crown series. Jockey John Velazquez rode National Treasure to victory in a thrilling stretch duel against Blazing Sevens. The win came after Baffert's horse, Havnameltdown, suffered a catastrophic ankle injury earlier in the day. The victory ensured the sport will go a fifth straight year without a Triple Crown winner.
Trainer Chad Brown will attempt to win back-to-back Preakness Stakes with Blazing Stevens in the 2023 Preakness Stakes field. Blazing Stevens is well-rested, having bypassed the Kentucky Derby despite qualifying. Blazing Stevens is 6-1, giving him the third-lowest 2023 Preakness Stakes odds. The favorite, Mage (8-5), and the Baffert-trained National Treasure (4-1) have shorter odds than Blazing Sevens. Elite horse racing handicapper Jody Demling is high on Blazing Sevens, despite the fact that he's outside the top two favorites at 6-1. Demling has also locked in his 2023 Kentucky Derby picks for Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner and 2023 Preakness Stakes favorite.