Preakness: True riders' race just hours away

As he wakes up this morning in Baltimore, there's one thing Bob Baffert is glad of.

"I'm just glad I'm not riding my horses," said the Hall of Fame trainer, who began his career in racing as a jockey, riding Quarter Horses but also “a few” Thoroughbreds. "I'd be a wreck. My horses were usually around 30-1, and 28 of it was me. I'd get really nervous."

Baffert rode his first winner in a sanctioned race in 1970 at Flagstaff in his native Arizona. Some 45 years later, the horseman will keep his feet firmly planted on the ground as he legs up Victor Espinoza aboard Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah and Martin Garcia on third-place finisher Dortmund. Once the choir strikes up “Maryland, My Maryland,” his job is done, the race out of his hands. And this particular Preakness – with the smallest field since 2000 and the Derby hero drawn on the rail – is very much a riders’ race.

"In a short field, you need to rely on your skills more," Baffert said. "Everyone has a plan, but the gate comes open, and I've seen some wild stuff here."

“Wild” may not begin to cover the scope of the events that have occurred in Baltimore, in neighborhoods just miles from Pimlico, over the last month. On April 12, 25-year-old Freddie Gray sustained injuries while in police custody and died seven days later. Against the backdrop of national conversations on racism and police force, his death triggered demonstrations and civil disorder in the city, with unrest in some areas resulting in the deployment of the Maryland Army National Guard, the declaration of a state of emergency, and the establishment of a curfew. Gray's death was ruled a homicide, and six Baltimore police officers now await trial.

So, Preakness Day still dawns as it has 139 times before - but perhaps with a little more thoughtfulness this year, a little more meaning.

"I've really come to appreciate what the Preakness means to Baltimore," the Rev. William Lori, archbishop of Baltimore, said while delivering the invocation at the traditional Alibi Breakfast this week. "It's more than a sporting event. It unites us in a way that is especially applicable this year. May [Baltimore] be a place of peace, justice, and opportunity for all."

The atmosphere was indeed peaceful Saturday morning, as the eight entered in the Preakness went about their final preparations. American Pharoah paused to nuzzle stable pony Smokey as he walked the shed row, keeping to the same quiet race-day routine as Derby morning.

D. Wayne Lukas, his familiar cowboy hat in place, takes a leisurely stroll down the horse path with Mr. Z, whom he’ll get to saddle for the Preakness after Calumet Farm purchased the colt away from American Pharoah’s owner, Zayat Stables, just in time to enter the classic.

Derby runner-up Firing Line, his eyes bright, and Triple Crown newcomer Divining Rod both walk to the track to jog alongside flashy paint track ponies, their footfalls landing silent on the wood-chip horse path as the sunrise streaks the sky pink and gold over Old Hilltop.

"I remember the first time I came here, with Cavonnier," Baffert said. "You'd see it on television growing up, and you'd see everything, the history. Still, to this day, when I walk up to the grandstand, there's something about it, the history. It's like walking into an old ballpark or whatever."

Pimlico has been kind of Baffert, delivering him five Preakness victories in the shadow of this old grandstand. One more would tie him with Lukas – "who I've been chasing all my life" – for the second-most all time in the race. Of course, Lukas could add a seventh win to his own résumé, which would tie him with R. Wyndham Walden for the record.

The Preakness has also been kind to Espinoza, who will seek his third Preakness victory, and Garcia, looking for his second.

"It's all about confidence,” Espinoza said after the Derby. “You know, I went to [the Derby] with so much confidence with American Pharoah. Especially for Baffert, the way he trains, his horses are ready to go. … In the paddock, I told [the connections], ‘Just enjoy the show.’ "

Gary Stevens, who is seeking his fourth Preakness win aboard Firing Line, also plans to put on a show.

"That's what it's all about,” Stevens said. “[The Derby] was a great show, and it was a great race to be a part of. ... We're gonna try and turn the tables on Saturday. We're here to put on a show. I'm sure you guys are gonna see another exciting race."

While it may be a good show for the six-figure crowd expected to pour into the stands and the raucous infield today, it's deadly serious business for the eight riders who will find themselves staring down an empty track with highly charged young Thoroughbreds in their hands when the gates spring open before them this evening.

Espinoza, aboard the tactically gifted Derby winner, will be forced to make crucial decisions early, with a rail to his left and stablemate Dortmund – who carried Kaleem Shah’s colors on the lead through the early stages of the Derby – to his immediate right. Mr. Z, likely to press the pace in his new colors, is squarely next to the Baffert duo in post 3; meanwhile, Firing Line may secure the catbird seat from the outside post.

"I think it's going to force [Espinoza’s] hand a little,” Stevens said. “Then, with Mr. Z drawn to the outside, I don't think it's any secret, Wayne wanted his horse up close in the Derby. … It's really going to force their hand down inside, and I'll have options."

Adding to the unpredictability: No one knows what the Pimlico strip will look like at post time. The day dawned warm and clear, but there’s a 50 percent chance of rain by this evening, with scattered thunderstorms also possible. One horse who might relish a wet strip is the Derby winner, who romped on a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park two months ago.

It's less than 12 hours to a race that will take less than two minutes to run. But according to Baffert, the outcome will be decided in mere seconds by the eight men on the backs of eight horses.

"What happens going into the first turn will settle everything,” Baffert said. “He's ready. But I think so are Firing Line and Dortmund."