In recent years, when a horse has been trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by jockey John Velazquez, its led to success. That was the case for 2020 Kentucky Derby champion Authentic, as well as Medina Spirit, who raced to victory at Churchill Downs this year.
Now, Medina Spirit will look to win again at the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. And while Baffert owns a record seven Preakness wins, Velazquez (a four-time Derby champion and two-time Belmont Stakes winner) has never ridden a horse to victory at the event.
Much of the attention surrounding Medina Spirit this week has revolved around the colts failed drug test following the Kentucky Derby, which revealed he had tested positive for the steroid betamethasone. However, Medina Spirit is on track to compete at the Preakness and remains the betting favorite to emerge from the 10-horse field with the win.
Baffert not only has the top two favorites to win the Preakness, but he has a pair of experienced jockeys riding the duo. Velazquez will be looking to lead Medina Spirit to another victory, while Smith is riding Concert Tour for the first time.
Although Velazquez has never won the Preakness, he came close last year with Authentic, who finished second to Swiss Skydiver. Velazquez should be poised for another strong showing with Medina Spirit on Saturday.
Smith is a two-time Preakness winner, and his most recent victory in the race came in 2018 with Justify, the Baffert-trained Triple Crown champion. Concert Tour is expected to be a top contender this year, having not raced since April 10 in the Arkansas Derby, in which he finished third.
Though Medina Spirit and Concert Tour have been trained by Baffert, the longtime trainer wont be attending the Preakness, making the decision to not go to Pimlico following Medina Spirits drug test. Instead, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes is in Baltimore with the two colts.
“He had no wear and tear,” Barnes said, per the Maryland Jockey Club Press Office (h/t Paulick Report). “He came out in excellent shape and moved right ahead, forwardly.”
“Weve basically seen everything youd want to see. No hiccups at all,” Barnes said, per the Paulick Report. “His coat is beautiful. Hes eating well. He should be ready for Saturday.”
While those two horses are the favorites, there are plenty of other talented horses in the field that could contend for the win. And theres always the possibility of a longshot racing to an upset victory.
Other than Medina Spirit, Midnight Bourbon and Keepmeinmind are the only horses that also raced in the Kentucky Derby. Midnight Bourbon, who is trained by two-time Preakness winner Steve Asmussen, could be poised for a bounce-back showing after a slow start caused him to finish sixth in the Derby.
Baffert isnt the only trainer to have two horses in the field. Chad Brown has Crowded Trade and Risk Taking in the Preakness, and either could emerge as a strong contender during the race. Brown owns one career Triple Crown victory, which came at the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing.
In just over a year, Medina Spirit is the fifth Baffert-trained horse to have failed a drug test.
Trainer Michael W. McCarthy held Rombauer out of the Kentucky Derby, so regardless of what happens with the controversy surrounding Medina Spirits Derby win, there is no possible Triple Crown champion this year.
The morning of the race, the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby on May 1, was the 9-5 favorite.
Another Baffert-trained horse, Concert Tour, was also a favorite heading into the middle jewel but finished ninth.
This years Preakness Stakes purse is $1 million, reduced from $1.5 million last year and $1.65 million in 2019. Lets take a look at the payout breakdown.
“As Medina Spirit prepares to run in the Preakness Stakes today, I want to keep the focus on this amazing equine athlete and not me, which is the primary reason I will not personally be in attendance. I do not want to serve as a distraction to what has always been of paramount importance – the joy of this great sport and the horses that make it possible.”
Medina Spirit, the betting favorite to win the 2021 Preakness Stakes, gave it a good run, leading the 10-horse field throughout the first three-quarters of the 1 3/16-mile race. But the 3-year-colt ran out of energy in the stretch, falling to third behind Rombauer and Midnight Bourbon.
Rombauer, a horse with 12-1 odds, surprised by winning the race by two lengths over second-place finisher Midnight Bourbon.
That removes any potential controversy over a tainted Triple Crown winner in 2021; though a second test has yet to confirm that Medina Spirit ran the Kentucky Derby with 21 picograms of betamethasone in his body, its still possible Churchill Downs could invalidate the horses first-place finish at the Derby. Now, regardless of whether that happens, the Triple Crown will remain unaffected.
“Weve basically seen everything youd want to see. No hiccups at all,” Barnes said, per the Paulick Report. “His coat is beautiful. Hes eating well. He should be ready for Saturday.”
Baffert isnt the only trainer to have two horses in the field. Chad Brown has Crowded Trade and Risk Taking in the Preakness, and either could emerge as a strong contender during the race. Brown owns one career Triple Crown victory, which came at the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing.
“He had no wear and tear,” Barnes said, per the Maryland Jockey Club Press Office (h/t Paulick Report). “He came out in excellent shape and moved right ahead, forwardly.”
Other than Medina Spirit, Midnight Bourbon and Keepmeinmind are the only horses that also raced in the Kentucky Derby. Midnight Bourbon, who is trained by two-time Preakness winner Steve Asmussen, could be poised for a bounce-back showing after a slow start caused him to finish sixth in the Derby.
Although Velazquez has never won the Preakness, he came close last year with Authentic, who finished second to Swiss Skydiver. Velazquez should be poised for another strong showing with Medina Spirit on Saturday.
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