The $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1) is the second jewel in the Triple Crown. A field of 12 three-year-olds contested this 1 3/16 mile trip around two turns at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, on a sunny day with temperatures in the mid 70's before an on-track crowd of 95,760.
As expected, Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver was sent off as the 9-5 favorite, as the only horse still eligible to become racing's 12th Triple Crown winner. In to challenge the Todd Pletcher trainee included 5-2 second choice Lookin at Lucky, last year's champion juvenile colt an unlucky 6th in the Derby last out after finishing 3rd in the Santa Anita Derby, and 7-1 third choice Paddy O'Prado, a late-closing 3rd in the Kentucky Derby after finishing second in the Blue Grass Stakes.
Down the stretch with First Dude, Lookin At Lucky, Jackson Bend, and Yawanna Twist from the rail out.
When the gate opened. 10-1 fourth choice Dublin in the far outside post, broke towards the outside rail and had to be steadied by new jockey Garrett Gomez to avoid colliding with the outrider, and trailed for the first 3/4 mile. 24-1 First Dude was sent to the front by jockey Ramon Dominguez and he set uncontested fast fractions of 22.91, 46.47, and 1:11.22 while Super Saver sat about 1 1/2 lengths back and to his outside the whole way. New jockey Martin Garcia kept Lookin at Lucky out of trouble in fifth 4-wide down the backstretch. First Dude continued to lead into the stretch, getting the mile in 1:36.26, but Lookin at Lucky, still 5th midway around the turn, quickly surged to the front by 1/2 a length at the 1/8 pole. Lookin at Lucky inched away from First Dude through the final 1/16 to win by 3/4 length in a time of 1:55.47 over the fast track. It was just a head back from First Dude to 12-1 Jackson Bend third. Favorite Super Saver encountered heavy traffic throughout, was steadied at the 3/16 pole and faded late to finish 8th beaten 11 3/4 lengths at the line.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
7 Looking At Lucky Garcia 6.80 4.60 3.80
11 First Dude Dominguez 16.60 9.20
6 Jackson Bend Smith 6.60
Winning Time: 1:55.47
$2 Exacta 7-11 188.60
$2 Trifecta 7-11-6 2,771.00
$1 Superfecta 7-11-6-5 17,126.80
$2 Super High Five 7-11-6-5-12 61,014.40
$2 BE Susan-Preakness double 89.60
Left: Lookin At Lucky in the winner's circle. Co-owner Mike Pegram said, "You see these 5 people sitting up here (3 owners, trainer Bob Baffert, jockey Martin Garcia), you're looking at lucky. You can pick any one of us and all 5 of us are luckier now to have each other and have a horse like this. That was the true meaning of the name. The horse just keeps on showing how blessed we are. When Bobby puts a saddle on the horse, you're going to be confident. He wasn't going to lead him over here unless he was ready. There were a lot of similarities between this horse and Real Quiet. Coming into this run, we knew how good Lookin At Lucky was. We knew how good a training job he did going into the Derby. The day was about redemption, and we got it. This is a great sport we're in, but it's all about the horse."
Right: The trophy presentation with owner Mike Pegram holding up the trophy.
Left: Lookin At Lucky in the post parade. His jockey Martin Garcia said, “I knew the horse outside me (Jackson Bend) had a lot of speed, and I knew that I had to get close to the rail by the first turn, that’s what Baffert told me. I tried to save the most ground to the first turn. Bob told me after that just do whatever you want. I tried to save ground, and whenever I got a chance I wanted to go outside and I’d get them from there.”
Right: Lookin At Lucky heads to the test barn after the race.
Left: Lookin At Lucky returns to the stakes barn after leaving the test barn. His trainer Bob Baffert said, "This was more of a redemption win. This horse is such a warrior. He wants to win. He tries so hard. So I wanted to win it for the horse, you know, 'cause he tries so hard every time. I mean, the Derby, he had that rough trip. Santa Anita Derby, rough trip. I didn't want him to get hit. But, you know, every time he had those rough trips, he came back. He's got a great mind. He's a cool horse. He's just a really great athlete. His birthday is May 27th (youngest horse in the field). He's just starting to grow right now. I wasn't really thinking about the Belmont 'cause, you know, 1 1/2 miles can be pretty taxing on him for the rest of the year."
Right: Lookin At Lucky walks over to be saddled for the Preakness.
Left: Second place finisher First Dude returns after the race. His trainer Dale Romans said, “First Dude is a serious, confident, aggressive horse who can compete with the best. He ran super. Ramon said he didn’t want to give up the lead. He kept his path. He just couldn’t hold off the winner. I’ll talk to the owner and we’ll discuss whether to go 1 1/2 (for the Belmont)." Jockey Ramon Dominguez added, “He broke right where we wanted him to today. He ran really well. He just couldn’t quite get there, but we got close.”
Right: Third place finisher Jackson Bend in the post parade. His trainer Nick Zito said, “He ran good. At the 1/2 mile pole he comes running again. If we can get out, it's a different story, we win.” Jockey Mike Smith added, “To be honest, and I’m not taking anything away from the winner, but I think I was on the best horse today. I just had to wait for some room, but when I got it, it was in deep stretch, and it cost me. He ran dynamite.”
Left: Eighth place finisher and beaten favorite Super Saver in the post parade. His trainer Todd Pletcher said, "It would be hard to say that we were chasing too fast of a pace. I though Calvin gave him a perfect trip. Coming off a huge effort in the Derby, the two weeks was too short. When they went to the far turn, you could see that Calvin was squeezing and asking him to go get that horse, and he just couldn’t do it. He tried hard. Now we’ve got time to come back for a big summer." Jockey Calvin Borel added, “My horse broke sharp, right where I wanted. I let the other horse go, and I was right behind him. We went 23-and-change and 46-and-change. He just wasn’t able to get there today. I will win a lot of other races with this horse. He’s a good one.”
Right: The field shortly after the start of the Preakness with Super Saver and First Dude out front. You can see Dublin, who bore out at the break, far back and on the outside.
Triple Crown quick links:
Oxbow upsets in the Preakness - Oxbow led the entire way in the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Pimlico with Itsmyluckyday second and Mylute third. Heavy favorite Orb made a mild move to finish fourth. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
Preakness undercard stakes results - There were 7 other stakes on the card, highlighted by the Dixie Stakes (G2) won by Skyring and the Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (G3) won by Summer Applause. Get the results, charts, and photos for 6 of the races here.
Fiftyshadesofhay wins the Black-Eyed Susan - Fiftyshadesofhay just got up to win the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) on Friday at Pimlico by a neck over Marathon Lady with favorite Emollient 6th. On the undercard, Last Gunfighter won the Pimlico Special (G3). Get the results, charts, and photos here.
Analyzing the Preakness Stakes Contenders for 2013 - My annual analysis using popular angles and statistical trends to see who best matches the profile of a Preakness winner. The big surprise is that Kentucky Derby winner Orb is not in the top group!
Orb wins the Kentucky Derby - Orb was far back early but took the lead in the stretch and drew off to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) by 2 1/2 lengths over longshot Golden Soul and Revolutionary. Get the results, charts, and photos here.
More Kentucky Derby Photos - More photos from the day including more of Orb, the trophy, the roses, Martina McBride, and lots of mud.
Kentucky Derby undercard stakes results - There were 5 other stakes on Derby day including the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) won by 2012 Horse of the Year Wise Dan and the Humana Distaff Stakes (G1) won by Aubby K. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 5 races here.
Princess of Sylmar upsets in the Kentucky Oaks - She rallied from far back to win the Kentucky Oaks by a half length over Beholder and Unlimited Budget, while favorite Dreaming of Julia was fourth. Get the results, chart, and photos here.
Kentucky Oaks undercard stakes results - There were 5 other stakes on Oaks day including the La Troienne Stakes (G2) won by Authenticity and the Alysheba Stakes (G3) won by Take Charge Indy. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 5 races here.
Wednesday Kentucky Derby Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 18 Derby horses, everyone on the grounds except the one in quarantine, and 6 Oaks fillies from this morning on the track.
Kentucky Oaks Entries - A field of 11 fillies will go, with Gulfstream Oaks winner Dreaming of Julia favorite at 3-1 from post 8. Get the post positions, odds, and free past performances here.
Top Kentucky Derby Contenders - my list of the top horses headed to the Derby with profiles for each with photos, stats, and link to more info like past performances and pedigree.
Analyzing the top 2013 Kentucky Derby contenders - My annual analysis of the top contenders to try and select a winner by matching each to the profile of a Kentucky Derby winner using many of the more popular angles and statistical trends. This year there were is a 3-way tie for the top spot: Goldencents, Normandy Invasion, and Overanalyze.
2013 Kentucky Derby And Oaks Security - New enhanced stricter rules will be enforced this year. Be sure to read the rules as many have changed and more things are banned. There will still be magnetic wand searches of all patrons and many things are no longer allowed. Check here to make sure you don't bring anything they will confiscate.
Review: Triple Crown Handicapper 2013 - by Jim Mazur. Includes lots of stats for all 3 races and explains how to use a system of statistically derived negative angles to eliminate the "bad" picks.
Review: Kentucky Derby Greatest Moments - Commemorative DVD from Churchill Downs with video from 27 different runnings along with interviews, photos, and historical info. Definitely recommended for any racing fan!
Review: Churchill Downs - America's Most Historic Racetrack by Kimberly Gatto. An entertaining and informative account of the history of the track and it's most famous race, the Kentucky Derby, with lots of photos. Definitely recommended.