The 2019 Preakness Stakes is set to run Saturday 18th at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, MD. With plenty of newcomers entered after skipping the Run for the Roses, we will see who can match the talent of the returning Kentucky Derby veterans Improbable, War of Will, Win Win Win and Bodexpress.
The Preakness Stakes (G1) first ran in 1873. The middle jewel of the Triple Crown finds its home at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland and is traditionally run on a Saturday. The race is preceded by the Black-Eyed Susan for fillies and mares on Friday.
The Preakness Stakes winner is awarded the famous Woodlawn Vase, originally created by Tiffany and Company in 1860, and adorned with a blanket fashioned from Black-Eyed Susan flowers.
A unique long held tradition of celebrating the Preakness winner is to paint the weather vane that sits on top of the Old Clubhouse copula replica.
Live Odds
| Horse | PP | ML Odds | Trainer | Jockey |
| War of Will | 1 | 4-1 | Mark Casse | Tyler Gaffalione |
| Bourbon War | 2 | 12-1 | Mark Hennig | Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
| Warrior’s Charge | 3 | 12-1 | Brad Cox | Javier Castellano |
|
Improbable |
4 | 5-2 | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith |
| Owendale | 5 | 10-1 | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux |
| Market King | 6 | 30-1 | D. Wayne Lukas | Jon Court |
| Alwaysmining | 7 | 8-1 | Kelly Rubley | Daniel Centeno |
| Signalman | 8 | 30-1 | Ken McPeek | Brian Hernandez |
| Bodexpress | 9 | 20-1 | Gustavo Delgado | John Velazquez |
| Everfast | 10 | 50-1 | Keith Desormeaux | Joel Rosario |
| Laughing Fox | 11 | 20-1 | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana, Jr. |
| Anothertwistafate | 12 | 6-1 | Blaine Wright | Jose Ortiz |
| Win Win Win | 13 | 15-1 | Michael Trombetta | Julian Pimentel |
2019 Preakness Stakes Contenders
Notes and Information about the Preakness Stakes Contenders
There are typically 10 horses that enter the gates for the second leg of the Triple Crown, which is half the number found in the Kentucky Derby. With plenty of new comers running in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, after skipping the Run for the Roses, we will see who can match the talent of the returning Kentucky Derby veterans Improbable, War of Will, Win Win Win and Bodexpress. The race may fall to pace and running style.
The 2019 Preakness Stakes is set to run on May 18th at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, MD. NBC will be offering its full blown coverage of the event beginning at 2:30pm ET, with TwinSpires also broadcasting the event on desktop and mobile devices. Below is a rundown of the field of probable contenders.
Free Brisnet Past Performances
Improbable (Derby Veteran – 5-2 to win 2019 Preakness)
Improbable receives classic heft from his dam’s side. He is the first surviving foal from the four-time winner Rare Event, a daughter of Hall of Famer and stamina influence A.P. Indy. Rare Event is herself out of a half-sister to $2.6 million-earner Hard Spun, the 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) runner-up. This is the further family of Little Current, the 1974 Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1) champion, as well as 1963 Derby and Belmont star Chateaugay and his champion sister Primonetta.
War of Will (Derby Veteran – 4-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
War of Will is bred for greatness, too. He is by top sire War Front, who is responsible for at least 79 stakes winners and eight champions. Though War Front was a dirt specialist who never raced on the green, the top progeny of the Grade-2 winning son of Danzig have mainly been turf standouts, both here and abroad.
Win Win Win (Derby Veteran – 15-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
The lone Florida-bred in the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1), Win Win Win is a homebred who grew up at Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud. The 4,500-acre spread near Ocala is home to a commercial cattle operation along with the Thoroughbred farm and training facility.
Bodexpress (Derby Veteran – 20-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Over the winter, Remsen (G2) hero Maximus Mischief appeared well on his way to the first Saturday in May, only to sustain an injury and end up being retired. And a Mulholland-bred who was totally off the radar until his surprising second in the Florida Derby (G1), the maiden Bodexpress, was still on the outside looking in – until the scratch of morning-line favorite Omaha Beach.
Anothertwistafate (Automatic Birth – 6-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
The dark bay colt didn’t show much on debut at Santa Anita Park in November when facing maiden special weight foes in a sprint. He showed some interest at the break before stopping early and finishing 15 lengths behind the winner while ninth.
Alwaysmining (Automatic Birth – 8-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
The son of Stay Thirsty graduated in his fourth career start in June, driving home a clear maiden winner at Laurel in a 5 1/2-furlong dash. Following a pair of unplaced results, the Maryland-bred was a 10-length allowance victory at Laurel, and the gelding led throughout in a pair of subsequent stakes tallies to conclude his juvenile campaign.
Laughing Fox (Automatic Birth – 20-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Trained by Steve Asmussen, the son of classic winner Union Rags was unplaced in a pair of one-turn maidens as a juvenile. He finished seventh on debut at Saratoga followed by an improved effort while fifth at Churchill Downs, both coming at seven furlongs.
Signalman (New Shooter – 30-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Bred by Monticule, the breeder of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness (G1) champion Big Brown, Signalman was sold to trainer Kenny McPeek for $32,000 as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October. The price was modest, but a good one in the context of his parents. General Quarters had already been exported to Turkey when Signalman was a weanling, around the same time that dam Trip South brought a scant $1,700 at Keeneland November.
Bourbon War (New Shooter - 12-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Bourbon War debuted at Aqueduct in November in a race that was originally scheduled for the turf. The son of Tapit tracked the early tempo before proving to be much-the-best in the one-mile maiden special weight event, crossing the line more than two lengths clear in a smart showing. He concluded his brief juvenile campaign with a fourth-place run in the Remsen (G2) behind Blue Grass (G2) winner Vekoma.
Owendale (New Shooter - 10-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Owendale didn’t send signals that he would be a classic performer early on in his career. The son of Into Mischief finished fourth at Ellis Park in each of his first two outings in the summer before ultimately graduating third time out at Indiana Grand going one mile.
Warrior’s Charge (New Shooter - 12-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Warrior’s Charge has won or placed in each of his five lifetime assignments. The son of Munnings ran well in his lone juvenile outing at Churchill Downs in November. He broke slowest of all from the 11 post but rallied into contention to finish a nice third, two lengths adrift subsequent multiple stakes winner Gray Attempt.
Market King (New Shooter - 30-1 to win 2019 Preakness Stakes)
Distant third to Omaha Beach and Game Winner in the second Rebel (G2) division exits an 11th in the Blue Grass.
Preakness Stakes Results
Justify fought through slop, rain and fog to pass his second test on the Triple Crown trail with a resilient 2018 Preakness Stakes victory. By far one of the most thrilling Classic runs at Pimlico in recent memory as unusual foggy conditions brought an air of tension to the event.
Throughout the early stages of the second jewel of the Triple Crown, Good Magic would run toe-to-toe with his rival Justify, driving Justify to provide his best effort from the moment the gates cracked open.
The camera angles changed rapidly to try and catch any action through dense, white fog blanketing Pimlico as Justify led the field early. Good Magic was right on Justify’s heels as the group soared through fractions of :23.11, :47.19 and 1:11.42.
At the top of the final turn, the tv race angle appeared to show Justify building a lead, but the traditional homestretch view revealed not to be the case.
Good Magic eventually gave way, but an entire field of late runners rocketed from behind to close the gap. Justify narrowly edged out a surging Bravazo, who had flown four wide only to come up a half length short of the eventual winner. Tenfold blitzed at the last moment, catching a tiring Good Magic for third place.
Justify secured the 2018 Preakness win in a time of 1:55.93.
It was an intense, unique and thrilling race that paid tribute to the eerie overcast that had descended on the track.
“That was a nail-biter,” Bob Baffert said after claiming his record-tying sixth win in the Preakness. “They put it to us. That was a good horse,” Baffert continued regarding Good Magic, “and it was like they had their own private match race. Somebody had to give, and I’m glad it wasn’t us. He had to really work for it, Good Magic, I tip my cap to him. He made us really work. He’s a really good horse.”
The finish for Good Magic, who is likely to skip the Belmont, was a gut punch as Tenfold caught him at the wire. This was the first time that the colt finished out of the top-three.
“I didn’t want the horse on the lead. I’m disappointed with the trip,” Chad Brown noted. “The post didn’t help. We were inside the whole way. Unfortunately, our horse took the worst of it being on the fence and getting pressed the whole way. He’s not a horse that runs on the lead, so I’m pretty disappointed. He didn’t give up. I know this horse very well, and he’s not a horse to be on the lead. No way.”
Baffert echoed Brown’s sentiments to a certain extent, because a battle so early in a race can wear down a horse no matter his quality. However, Justify proved his mettle under incredible circumstances for the second time in two weeks.
His performance in the 2018 Preakness may have been closer than the Kentucky Derby, but his ability to rally a heroic effort in adverse conditions should still send a clear message.
“These great horses, they find themselves when they get in that situation,” Trainer Bob Baffert continued, ”and today he showed he’s not only this big, beautiful, gorgeous horse, but he is all racehorse. And that’s what it took today.”
With a sloppy Kentucky Derby and a blindingly foggy 2018 Preakness Stakes behind him, Justify now has the exclusive Triple Crown in plain sight with a trip to the 2018 Belmont Stakes.
The History of the Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes (G1), the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, is run on the dirt at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race distance is one and three-sixteenth miles long, slightly shorter than the first jewel of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby (G1). Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57kg) and fillies 121 pounds (55kg) as they race for the Woodlawn Vase.
Limited to 14 runners and with an average field size of nine, the Preakness is an intriguing wagering challenge. It almost always features the Kentucky Derby winner, seeking to earn a chance at the Triple Crown, running against other Derby runners and a collection of new horses. These fresh horses typically have more than the two weeks of rest which Derby runners face.
First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes was for a time staged in Gravesend, New York, and it was run at different times of the year. It was staged 11 times before the Kentucky Derby, and twice on the same day, before settling on its current position two weeks after the Derby in 1932. It wasn’t until the 1930s that the term “Triple Crown” to describe the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes came into common usage.
The most celebrated winners are the 12 Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), and American Pharoah (2015). They produced some of great memories, such as total dominance by Count Fleet and Citation, and Secretariat’s amazing last-to-first move within 300 yards around the first turn.
But numerous other Preakness victories deserve to be remembered. Man o’War, one of the all-time greats, missed the Derby but won the 1920 Preakness easily on his seasonal debut. Native Dancer put his Derby defeat behind him to win the 1953 Preakness, as did another of the greats, 1967 winner Damascus, while few editions were more memorable than 1989, when Sunday Silence narrowly beat Easy Goer.
In more recent years, Smarty Jones scored a record-margin 11 1/2 length victory in 2004. Afleet Alex won in 2005 after nearly being knocked over on the final turn, while Rachel Alexandra became the fifth filly to win when she held off Derby winner Mine That Bird in 2009.
fonte : https://www.kentuckyderby.com/racing/preakness-stakes
