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Belmont Stakes Day Belmont Festival Friday Eclipse Stakes Day Hollywood Gold Cup Preakness Stakes results |
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Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard Fort Washington after winning the Dinner Party Stakes on the 2026 Preakness undercard. | |
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Fans in attendance at Laurel Park for the Preakness Stakes (G1) were treated to a marathon 14-race card with the first race off at 10:34am. Eight stakes races (three graded) were included on the undercard. Conditions were typical for mid May, with overcast skies, a fast main track, firm turf, and a daytime high of 82.
A field of 5 older horses (after 2 scratches) contested the $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes (G3) over 1 1/8 miles on the turf. Cruise the Nile was sent off as the 2-5 favorite off a 4 race winning streak including the Henry S. Clark Stakes last out at Laurel. In to challenge him included 11-4 second choice and last year's winner Fort Washington off a 4th place finish in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream, and 13-2 third choice A Bourbon for Toby off a 3rd place finish in an allowance at Aqueduct.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione sent 10-1 Harrow to the lead first time by through fractions of 24.53, 49.19, and 1:12.53 while pressed by Cruise the Nile and stalked by 14-1 longest shot What Say Thee. Into the lane Harrow tired as Fort Washington, 4th early, came out 3 wide and swept to the lead through 1 mile in 1:35.68. Kept to task by Junior Alvarado, Fort Washington held off late-running A Bourbon for Toby by 3/4 length in 1:47.15. It was another length back to favorite Cruise the Nile third. He is the first back-to-back winner of the Dinner Party Stakes since Hall of Famer Sarazen in 1925 and 1926.
Full results chart from DRF
Left: Fort Washington in the winner's circle. Reeve McGaughey, assistant to his father and winning trainer Shug McGaughey said, "I thought he ran great. His last race in Florida wasn't exactly what we wanted, but I think there were a couple little excuses there. We mainly just were worried about the [Cruise the Nile], We didn't want to let him get too far away. I was pretty comfortable down the backside, and we figured we could wear him down as long as we were close enough to him. He ran really well today."
Right: Fort Washington gets hosed off after the race. Winning jockey Junior Alvarado said, "Slow pace. He put himself in a good spot. When we turned for home, he finished up the job very good. I didn't have to do anything, really. He broke out of there and he put himself in that position. I knew we were traveling in a slow pace, and I was fine with where I was. I didn't have to be too far back. He is an old pro. He keeps showing up. Hopefully, he stays sound. He seems like a horse who is pretty happy and likes doing his job."
The horses break from the gate for the Dinner Party Stakes. Irad Ortiz Jr, aboard runner-up A Bourbon for Toby said, “He did everything right. I can’t complain. He got the chance to make up ground and the other horse [Fort Washington] kept digging in at the end, so it was tough.”
Jorge Ruiz aboard third place finisher and beaten favorite Cruise the Nile said, “It was too long for him. At the quarter pole, I asked him. He was not the same as the other races.”
Left: Big Cuddle in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Gary Capuano said, "He was in a perfect position, and you know, you're just kind of worried about whether or not he gets through there. It got a little tight there for a minute, but Hazelwood rode a great race. He's loved him from the start, and you know he's been a really good horse."
Right: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Final Story in the post parade. The Brad Cox trainee improved his record to 1 win and 2 seconds in 3 starts, earning $99,070 for owner-breeder Gary and Mary West.
Left: Obliteration returns after the race. Winning trainer Steve Asmussen said, "He's an extremely talented horse who's remarkably versatile that's given us very good days. For him to make the trip to Saudi, go through quarantine, come back and beat a quality field the way you expected him to, couldn't be happier. I thought he performed extremely well [in the Saudi Derby], the way the racetrack was playing, the times they were throwing up for the day, I thought it was a true test of the mile. But I think the value to create with him now is to race him shorter. Obviously, the Allen Jerkens [at Saratoga], races like that, we feel he's of that caliber."
Right: Obliteration in the post parade. Winning jockey Jose Ortiz said, "He was traveling very good every step of the way. When I asked him to go, he was there for me. Usually when they go overseas, they take a little bit to get back. I trust Steve 100 percent. He has done this a thousand times and knows what he is doing. I rode him before on the turf and I rode him in the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile Turf Sprint) and he ran good. I'm glad I landed on him here. He had plenty of horse. He won easy today; hopefully we've got bigger things coming."
Jockey Junior Alvarado sent 17-2 Ribaltagaia to the lead fist time by through fractions of 23.95, 48.12, and 1:12.05 while pressed by 4-1 fourth choice Austere and stalked by Awesome Czech. Into the stretch Ribaltagaia tired as Austere inherited the lead through 1 mile in 1:35.38. 9-1 Warming, 6th early under John Velazquez, came out 4 wide and rallied to win by a length over late-running Child of the Moon in 1:41.10. It was another 3/4 length back to 16-1 longest shot Cheetah Lady third, while favorite Awesome Czech finished 6th beaten 3 lengths.
Full results chart from DRF
Left: Warming heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Graham Motion said, "We've always loved this filly. She was my best 2-year-old. I had a lot of issues with her early on, but we always thought she was this kind of filly. I think finally we saw her today. I mean, obviously she won the race in California. But this was different, this was a different level today. Johnny said today he was just going to leave her alone. He was determined just to let her settle. She's been a little bit hard to place. She won't be so hard to place now that we know she's proper graded caliber."
Right: Warming heads back to the barn after the race. Winning jockey John Velazquez said, "She was loose reins, she relaxed really well and she finished well. I was going to make one move with her no matter what. I waited until the quarter pole and someone came up on my outside and I said it's time to go and she responded. It's nice when they do what you want them to do and she responded really well. I rode her in a race in Del Mar and the track was really fast that day, she got caught really close to the pace and she didn't like that."
Kicking off the stakes action at 12:21pm, the $125,000 Skipat Stakes featured a field of 5 older fillies and mares (after 2 scratches) sprinting 6 furlongs. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. sent 15-2 longest shot Striker Has Dial to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 22.47 and 45.76 while pressed by 3-2 favorite Modo and stalked by 7-1 fourth choice Benedetta. Turning for home Striker Has Dial continued to lead through 5f in 57.79 and drew off to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Benedetta in 1:10.44. It was another 3 lengths back to 8-5 second choice Passage East third.
Left: Striker Has Dial heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Horacio De Pax said, "She's always a forward-running filly. It was just a matter of if we had enough fitness. She'd been training so good. Ricardo fit her perfect. He'd been begging me for a year to get on this filly. There's not a better rider than Ricardo riding the front end on a speed horse. Now we've got to plan the next spot. We have to see how she comes out. Obviously, she runs well at Saratoga, and we'll give that a try. We have options."
Right: Striker Has Dial heads back to the barn. Winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. said, "She was going so easy today. She had been training good and today it paid off. The pressure never got to her. She was nice and relaxed throughout. When I asked her to go, she did it so easy. She was much the best today."
Immediately before the Preakness, the $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint featured 7 older horses (after 2 scratches) going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Jockey Flavien Prat sent even-money favorite Jean Valjean to the lead through fractions of 22.10 and 44.37 while pressed by 25-1 Fore Harp and stalked by 10-1 Determined Kingdom. Into the stretch Jean Valjean tired allowing Determined Kingdom to briefly lead through 5f in 55.55. 7-2 second choice Chasing Liberty, 6th early under Irad Ortiz Jr., came through on the inside and outfinished 17-2 Outlaw Kid to win by a nose in 1:01.37. It was another 2 lengths back to 23-1 Card Trick third, while favorite Jean Valjean checked in 5th beaten 2 3/4 lengths.
Left: Chasing Liberty in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Rob Atras said, "This horse has been everywhere. He has been on the road a lot. We are always trying to find the best spots for him. We just want to try to find the spots where he will be most competitive, that's all. Even when he has run fourth or fifth, it wasn't because of him. He always runs a big race. He always runs hard. He is a dream horse to have. He shows up every single time."
Right: Chasing Liberty returns after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I broke good. I feel like there was not too much pace in the race. We were able to be able to be in contact with the field, maybe five or six lengths. And I just bided my time. I had great position going to the turn. I was saving ground and I could see everything happening right in front of me. I asked my horse and he gave me a good turn of foot."
Faster Gator was quickest away through an opening quarter of 22.08 before Haileysfirstnotion took over through a half in 45.09 while pressed by 4-1 fourth choice Faust and stalked by Celtic Contender. Turning for home Haileysfirstnotion continued to lead through 5f in 57.52 but 7-1 Bring the Smoke, 5th early under Tyler Gaffalione, came out for his rally and outfinished Faust to win by a neck in 1:10.73. It was another neck back to Haileysfirstnotion third, and 3 1/4 lengths more to favorite Celtic Contender fourth.
Full results chart from DRF
Left: Bring the Smoke heads to the winner's circle. Winning co-owner Brent Berry said, "Chris Gracie called us after he won [his first start at Laurel], and they said it's a horse we need all to buy into, and that's what we did. So it's a big team effort with all of us, so that's credit to him."
Right: Bring the Smoke in the post parade. Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, "I was fairly confident my horse was just starting to make his run. Just had to work through some traffic, but as soon as I popped him out, he got another gear and really responded well. Last time, he had an outside post and didn't break the sharpest, but maybe about a furlong into the race, he really grabbed it and wanted to go. Didn't really take a breather that day, kind of used himself up early, but today was the complete opposite."
Left: Turf Star in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Graham Motion said, "We had to regroup with him a little bit. I'm just so proud of Jorgie [Ruiz]. He made the decision we need to take him back and give him a chance, and that's what he did. He rode him beautifully. He didn't run poorly in the Breeders' Cup, but then in his first two races back this year we really got off track. He's a very cool horse. He's just the kindest horse. We really rushed him in his last two races, and I don't think that's what he wanted to do. This was huge."
Right: Turf Star returns after the race. Winning jockey Jorge Ruiz said, "I was really happy to get the chance to ride him today, very happy for the owner, the whole team, and very happy for me getting the opportunity. It unfolded like I thought it would. It looks like he needs horses to go out in front of him. When I asked for run at the quarter pole, he responded very well. My first ride on the horse and I'll be watching his races from here on."
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