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Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas watch horses get troubled trips in the Preakness
AP Sports Writer — Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas saw their horses endure some troubled trips Saturday in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes . Baffert's Goal Oriented finished fourth after bumping with winner Journalism down the stretch. A stewards inquiry was briefly posted to take a look at the contact, and then it was removed with no changes.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas watch horses get troubled trips in the Preakness
Nik Juarez, atop American Promise, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) American Promise trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Flavien Prat, atop Goal Oriented, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Goal Oriented's trainer Bob Bafert looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) Nik Juarez, atop American Promise, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) American Promise trainer D. Wayne Lukas looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Flavien Prat, atop Goal Oriented, looks on after participating in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Goal Oriented's trainer Bob Bafert looks on prior to the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Jockeys compete during the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) AP Sports Writer (AP) — Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas saw their horses endure some troubled trips Saturday in the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes. Baffert's Goal Oriented finished fourth after bumping with winner Journalism down the stretch. A stewards inquiry was briefly posted to take a look at the contact, and then it was removed with no changes. Advertisement American Promise was eighth in a field of nine after going through similar struggles two weeks earlier in the Kentucky Derby led to finishing 16th. Baffert and Lukas, who have combined to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, each lamented not getting what they hoped for from their colts in the Preakness. 'He didn't get to run his race,' Baffert said. 'I wanted to see him on the lead, Maybe he would have stopped, I don't know. He is lightly raced. He ran well, but he is still green. He was not used to being behind horses and he got intimidated.' American Promise's jockey, Maryland native Nik Juarez, said the horse 'just didn't have it.' Advertisement 'When he got bumped and roughed up a little bit, he kind of threw his head and quit on us,' Lukas said. "I didn't like the way he responded. ... I just think that attitude-wise, we've got to change it a little bit.' Gosger surprises Irish trainer Brendan Walsh's Gosger went off at odds of 15-1, third-longest in the Preakness. He also was poised to pulled a big upset if not for Journalism's remarkable run from the middle of the pack to the finish line. 'I thought we were home when he opened up,' Walsh said. 'I'm disappointed not to win it, but I'm not disappointed in the horse. He ran a great race. He is an improving horse and he will improve off this.' Advertisement Jockey Luis Saez said they 'had no excuses' and hopes Gosger will learn from the experience. 'Luis said at the end he just got a little bit lackadaisical, and he was out on his own maybe a little too long and the other horse came by and flew by him,' Walsh said. 'Maybe we will get our turn the next time.' Malcolm celebrates the 'Middle' NBC Sports' leadup to the race included an introduction from actor Frankie Muniz, known for his childhood role on the show 'Malcolm in the Middle.' Muniz espoused the virtues of the Preakness as the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, which for the fifth time in seven years went off without a shot at a Triple Crown for various reasons. Advertisement 'People don't talk about the middle enough,' Muniz said, bringing up middle seats on planes, the middle ages and how nobody wants to peak in middle school. 'When you're in the middle, you've got to fight for attention." The attention was on Pimlico Race Course, hosting the Preakness for a final time before the structure that opened in 1870 is demolished and rebuilt. 'Beginnings and endings get all the credit, but life happens in the middle on a journey from here to there," Muniz said. 'That's where you prove what you're really made of. On a day like today, at this ancient racetrack all dressed up one more time, there's absolutely no place better to be than the middle.' ___ AP horse racing:
New York Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Journalism claims 150th Preakness Stakes with remarkable comeback
Journalism won the 150th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. Journalism, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, was the favorite to win. Saturday's race, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, was not run by this year's Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, as trainer Bill Mott opted not run Sovereignty in order to prepare for the Belmont stakes. Advertisement Only three horses from the field at Churchill Downs raced Saturday: Journalism (6-5), American Promise (10-1) and Sandman (5-1). D. Wayne Lukas trains American Promise and was seeking his record-tying eighth Preakness win. Lukas trained last year's winner Seize The Grey. The 89-year-old's horses have also won in 1980, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2013. Already the Preakness Stakes' winningest trainer, Bob Baffert was vying for his record breaking ninth Preakness win with Goal Oriented. Baffert's horses have claimed victory in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2018 and most recently 2023. This story will be updated.
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Journalism is the horse to beat in the Preakness. But recent trends show it won't be easy
BALTIMORE (AP) — Leave it to two seasoned, Hall of Fame trainers with 15 combined Preakness Stakes victories to turn up the heat on a competitor a few days before the big race. D. Wayne Lukas said to Michael McCarthy, 'I think, Mike, it's your race to lose.' Bob Baffert jokingly piled on, 'Yeah, Mike, it's your race to lose.' McCarthy's Journalism is the 8-5 morning line favorite to win the 150th rendition of the Preakness on Saturday after finishing a strong second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty is not running after his team decided to skip it for extra rest and aim for the Belmont Stakes next month, a notable absence that makes the Derby runner-up the top choice in a field of nine. 'There's some other very talented horses, but the horse to beat without a doubt is Journalism,' said Mark Casse, trainer of Preakness contender Sandman, who opened at 4-1 and is set to be ridden by accomplished jockey John Velazquez. 'Everybody's got to beat Journalism. It's how everybody can rebound and come back in two weeks.' Journalism, Sandman and Lukas' American Promise are the only Preakness horses who ran in the Derby two weeks ago. Sandman was seventh after struggling with mud getting kicked up into his face, and American Promise finished 16th after running into trouble early and late in the 19-horse race at Churchill Downs that is typically chaotic. Baffert has won the middle leg of the Triple Crown a record eight times and would make it nine if Goal Oriented gets the job done from the inside No. 1 post. Lukas has seven victories in this race and can tie Baffert if American Promise helps him go back-to-back in the Preakness after winning last year with long shot Seize the Grey. 'He's better this week than he was the week before the Derby,' the 89-year-old Lukas said of American Promise, a son of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify, who was trained by Baffert. 'Whether that helps us or not, I don't know but we got no excuses in this barn. It might be when Journalism gets down with us. I don't know. We'll see.' In his next breath, Lukas said, 'I think Journalism is beatable.' How so? 'Well, we don't know how he's going to bounce back in two weeks,' Lukas said. 'That's the first thing, but it's a different race. It's nine (horses). It means everybody will probably have a shot at him. It's a different surface. Obviously it's shorter. It may not fit him too well.' The Preakness at 1 3/16 miles is slightly shorter than the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, but there's optimism about close-to-normal conditions after nearly a week's worth of rain fell on Baltimore and mucked up the dirt track at Pimlico Race Course. After Journalism galloped through the mud earlier this week, McCarthy quipped of the surface, 'I think everyone would hope it's better by Saturday.' Journalism did just fine in the slop in Louisville two weeks ago, and everything from his pedigree — he's a son of 2007 Preakness winner Curlin — to his wins in major stakes races in California make him a worthy favorite. 'I have a lot of confidence in my horse,' McCarthy said. 'He's coming back in two weeks. Sometimes with good horses, it's a lot harder to tell when they're not on top of their game because they can handle it and they handle these things so easily. We'll see on Saturday, but my gut tells me we're in for good things.' Casse's War of Will in 2019 is the most recent horse to win the Preakness after running in the Derby. The past five, including McCarthy-trained Rombauer in 2021, did not, though Seize the Grey had the same two-week turnaround last year from racing on the undercard on Kentucky Derby day. The new faces on the Triple Crown trail in the Preakness are Todd Pletcher-trained River Thames (9-2), Steve Asmussen's Clever Again (5-1), Jamie Osborn's British import Heart of Honor (12-1), Brendan Walsh's Gosger (20-1) and local long shot Pay Billy (20-1). Pletcher has never won the Preakness. Rombauer pulled off an upset at 11-1 four years ago, and McCarthy called him and Journalism 'two totally different types of horses.' This time, there's the weight of expectations for Journalism, again ridden by regular jockey Umberto Rispoli, with the pressure on. 'I think it's a great spot to be in,' McCarthy said, noting he'd love to have a Kentucky Derby victory under his belt to go with this. 'But it's a tough race to win. Any of these Triple Crown races, they're not easy to win. We've brought a horse here who seems like he's good enough to get the job done on Saturday.' ___ AP horse racing:
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The 150th Preakness is the last at old Pimlico before demolition. Winners share their top memories
The wrecking ball is coming to Pimlico Race Course, a long-awaiting demolition of the dilapidated racetrack that opened in 1870 and for decades has seen better days. A section of grandstand has been condemned since 2019, ceiling tiles are missing from the part of the structure that is still safe to occupy and there is a crack in one of the large windows looking out at the track. The Preakness Stakes will move to nearby Laurel Park in 2026 while construction of the new Pimlico takes place, with the aim of the second jewel of horse racing returning to its historic home in Baltimore in 2027. But first is the 150th running of the Preakness this Saturday, one that without the Kentucky Derby winner will be a tribute to a century and a half of some legendary races and horses who made their mark on the sport. Much like Belmont Park in New York when it reopens after getting knocked down and rebuilt, Pimlico will not be the same. 'I'm going to really miss it,' 89-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas said. 'It's always been one of my favorites, and I speak for the other trainers, too. I have never talked to a trainer that worked through the Preakness that didn't enjoy this the most." Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert had to make sure, 'They're keeping the track, right?' Most horsemen would love to see the old-fashioned, close-together barns stay the same, as well. 'It's a different vibe: It's chill," Baffert said. 'It has a lot of charm to it.' Before contemplating the future, five Preakness champions share their favorite memories at the place nicknamed 'Old Hilltop.' Bob Baffert No one has won the Preakness more times than Baffert's eight, from Silver Charm in 1997 through National Treasure in 2023. 'Five of them were really exciting because we went for the Triple Crown,' Baffert said. 'When Silver Charm won, I was just hoping to hit the board. And then he wins it and then I'm like, 'Oh wow, what do I do now?' I'll never forget that.' Silver Charm finished second in the Belmont Stakes, then Real Quiet the next year gave Baffert consecutive Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. The 1998 race was just as memorable for the power outage caused by a transformer fire in the area and another smaller blaze in an air conditioner in the jockeys' room on a 96 degree day. 'It was so hot,' Baffert said. 'I loved Real Quiet coming in. He was doing so well. ... I just really felt really confident about him, and for him to win it and we were going for the Triple Crown and I'd just gone through it with Silver Charm. It was just weird that back to back, like, 'Wow, how lucky am I?'' Real Quiet was also second in the Belmont, and in 2002 Baffert hit the Derby-Preakness double with War Emblem before an eighth-place finish stopped the Triple Crown bid. Baffert was lucky enough to sweep all three races in 2015 with American Pharoah and then again with Justify in 2018 — a Preakness run in sloppy, foggy conditions. 'I hope that big white face is in front when we come out of the fog,' Baffert said during the race. 'And he was.' D. Wayne Lukas Entering thoroughbred racing from the sprinting world, Lukas at the 1980 Preakness was referred to by his fellow trainers as 'the quarter-horse guy.' That year brought his first of seven wins, saddling a record 48 horses in the race through 2024, as he became a staple of the race. 'The one that probably made the biggest impact on me was Tabasco Cat (in 1994),' Lukas said this week. 'That was the horse that ran over my son and eventually cost him his life." Jeff Lukas was run over when Tabasco Cat got loose in the stable area at Santa Anita in California on Dec. 15, 1993, and the 36-year-old was still in a coma for the Preakness. He suffered permanent injuries, dying nearly three decades later in 2016. 'When he won, it was kind of unexpected,' Lukas said of Tabasco Cat. "For them to lead that horse in (to the winner's circle) and everything, that probably had the biggest impact. There was a lot of emotion with it with Jeff involved.' Jerry Bailey The Hall of Fame jockey had not won a Triple Crown race more than a decade into his riding career when he had the Kentucky Derby favorite in Hansel in 1991. They finished 10th. 'Never showed up at all,' Bailey said. 'He was such a disappointment." Trainer Frank Brothers initially wanted to skip the Preakness before deciding to run Hansel after all. Bailey didn't know what to expect, and Hansel galloped away from the field, winning by one of the biggest margins in the race's history. 'He was so dominant,' said Bailey, now an NBC Sports analyst. 'I won by seven lengths or something, and I was embarrassed that I hit him as many times as I did because he didn't need it, obviously, but maybe I did.' Mark Casse 'You want to know my worst one?" Casse said. "Classic Empire getting beaten at the wire.' That was 2017, when Cloud Computing finished a head in front of Casse's Classic Empire. Two years later came a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime. Son Norm put his arm around his father during the Kentucky Derby and told him he's about to win it with War of Will. Then Mark Casse's horse clipped heels with Maximum Security, who crossed the finish line first and was disqualified for interference. War of Will miraculously stayed up and kept running on the way to finishing eighth. 'I was just happy that he was safe,' Casse said about avoiding what could have been a series of horses and jockeys going down. 'That would've been just devastating for racing. I was just happy that he was OK.' OK but not without some pain. Each of War of Will's front feet were bruised, and he was almost scratched from the Preakness unbeknownst to everyone but his trainer. "The week after the Derby was pretty nip and tuck," Casse said. "You know when I decided for sure — I never told anybody — that I was going to run him? About 10 o'clock Preakness morning. Until that point, I was not 100% sure I was going to run him.' During the week, D. Wayne Lukas, from his usual seat in the corner of the stakes barn, defended War of Will when someone looked at the horse and said he had no chance. 'Wayne said, 'You just watch him run,'' Casse recalled. 'And Wayne was right.' Steve Asmussen Curlin beating Street Sense in the 2007 Preakness was the 'turning point in our barn's trajectory,' according to Asmussen, who now has the most career wins of any trainer in North America. It got even better two years later when he won it with filly Rachel Alexandra. 'I had never experienced when we walked out of the barn with Rachel for the 2009 Preakness: Everybody was on her side,' Asmussen said. 'You go to the races and people have their favorites and who they're rooting for. But running Rachel was different than anything I had done previously or since.'
