ELMONT, N.Y. – In case you haven’t heard, this is the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown tour de force.

And while those five weeks will always be memorable to racing historians and fans, so too is the five-week battle staged between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer 34 years ago. The stretch drive of the 1989 Preakness still resonates when people think about one of the best rivalries in racing. The nose victory by Sunday Silence over Easy Goer in the Preakness is something Easy Goer’s trainer, Shug McGaughey, says he still thinks about quite often.

Coffeewithchris, who is trying to become the first Maryland-bred in four decades to win his birth state’s biggest race, has already been a breakthrough horse for current National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney, as the first stakes winner he has bred.

The magic long associated with one of America’s most prominent classic sirelines glittered through with Kentucky Derby winner Mage. He is by champion Good Magic, the latest wizard in this family, as the second son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in a row to sire the Derby winner from his first crop. The 2023 Triple Crown now moves on to the Preakness Stakes, a race with which this family has worked particular alchemy.

BALTIMORE – Twenty-three horses entered the Kentucky Derby. Twenty were permitted to run. After five scratches, 18 actually did compete at Churchill Downs on May 6.

Of the 18, only the winner, Mage, was entered to run in Saturday’s 148th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Mage was expected to head an eight-horse field entered Monday in the Preakness, post positions for which were to be drawn early Monday evening.

On the day Kentucky Derby winner Mage was confirmed as a starter for the Preakness so too was potentially one of his sternest challengers in National Treasure.

After working Friday morning at Santa Anita, National Treasure was declared a "go" by Bob Baffert, the seven-time Preakness-winning trainer who returns to the Triple Crown stage for the first time in two years.

Officially, National Treasure was credited with a half-mile in 47.40 seconds, though Baffert said it was a five-furlong drill from the half-mile pole. Baffert said he had 59.60 on his watch.

There are not many trainers who are excited at the prospect of running their horses back in the Preakness two weeks after they were beaten by Mage in the Kentucky Derby.

Keith Desormeaux is one trainer who does want to run back. He just wants his horse Confidence Game to share that enthusiasm.

“I definitely want to run,” Desormeaux said. “We’re going to wait and make that final decision after we train him this weekend. I’ll have a final decision by Saturday or Sunday. I just want to see some vibrance in his training, a good appetite and all the typical things you know.”

While the thrill of winning the Kentucky Derby is still sinking in to his connections, Mage seemingly just wants to get back to business.

Mage returned to the track Tuesday at Churchill Downs, where he jogged a mile and galloped a mile over a sloppy track. Wednesday, he did a bit more, galloping 1 1/2 miles.