Bodexpress trying to buck history as maiden in Preakness

Last year, the undefeated Justify came into the Triple Crown looking to buck the “curse of Apollo” and became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby without having raced as a juvenile since 1882. This year, a far less accomplished horse, the maiden Bodexpress, is looking to overthrow another century-plus of precedent.

Six horses have won their maiden in the Preakness, but none since 1888. After Survivor won his maiden in the inaugural Preakness in 1873, he was followed by the maidens Culpepper (1874), Shirley (1876), Cloverbrook (1877), Saunterer (1881), and Refund (1888). Saunterer and Refund were both trained by R.W. Walden; Refund, who raced as a homebred, was his trainer’s seventh Preakness winner, establishing the record that Bob Baffert tied last year with Justify and will try to break Saturday with Improbable.

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Walden owned Bowling Brook Farm in Middleburg, Md. A century after Refund’s Preakness win, the farm was purchased by Mark Gross, who told the Carroll County Times last year that Bowling Brook’s history, including stories of Walden’s love for Refund, helped interest him in the property.

“He and his wife used to hook Refund up to the carriage, and they would take a ride every evening that it was suitable, a ride around Middleburg and the farm,” Gross said. “When Refund died, he had Refund buried in the back off the back farm lane, and he had him buried standing up attached to the carriage.”

Bodexpress, trained by Gustavo Delgado for Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred, and GDS Racing Stable, has three second-place finishes from six career starts. He finished second in the Florida Derby to Maximum Security, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. Five weeks later, he finished 14th but was elevated to 13th in the Kentucky Derby after he was forced to take up sharply when caught in the chain reaction behind the disqualified Maximum Security.