Once was, a whole lot of Kentucky Derby runners would run back two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes. But with modern-day horsemen preferring more time between races, it has become increasingly common for just a handful of Derby starters – if not fewer – to resurface in the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.
At age 49, John Velazquez may be riding fewer mounts, but he feels he's riding as well as he did when he was in his 30s. The results bear that out. The day after he won the Kentucky Oaks, Velazquez guided Medina Spirit, a 12-1 shot, to a front-running victory in the Kentucky Derby, his fourth win in the world's most famous race and third in the last five years.
After being run in October as the third leg of the Triple Crown and in front of an empty grandstand in 2020 due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Preakness has been restored to its rightful place on the calendar – the third Saturday in May. There will be fans allowed on-site, albeit just 10,000 on a day when typically more than 100,000 are in attendance. Yet, Saturday's 146th Preakness will be conducted under a cloud of controversy.
Over the last quarter-century, the Preakness has been the most accurate predictor of which 3-year-old will wind up being named the divisional champion – even more than the Kentucky Derby.
One day before Rombauer runs in the Preakness Stakes, his older half-brother Treasure Trove will contest the Grade 3 Pimlico Special.
Several Maryland-breds, including defending winner Harpers First Ride, will fly the flag for their home state in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special on Friday.
Mandy Pope has spent well over $50 million on broodmares for her Whisper Hill Farm operation in the last nine Novembers at Kentucky's elite sales. The total purse of Saturday's Preakness Stakes is $1 million, with $600,000 going to the winning connections. But a victory by Pope's homebred Unbridled Honor would be priceless.
On an otherwise quiet morning amidst the chaos hovering over Saturday's Preakness Stakes, France Go de Ina, the Japanese invader, gave his connections a bit of a scare at the conclusion of his training session Wednesday at Pimlico.
The two-day Preakness weekend amounts to a horseplayer's delight as Pimlico will offer a wide variety of wagers Friday and Saturday.
D. Wayne Lukas has been coming to Pimlico for the Preakness for more than 40 years, so he's not concerned with what people think about him running a horse that's sure to be the longest shot in the field Saturday.
