BALTIMORE (AP) — Bob Baffert choked back tears and his voice broke as he tried to reconcile the feelings of one of his horses winning the Preakness Stakes and another being euthanized on the same course.
“This business is full of twists and turns, ups and downs,” he said. “Winning that – losing that horse today really hurt. … It was a very emotional day.”
National Treasure won the Preakness on Saturday when Baffert returned to the Triple Crown trail after a suspension, but it came just hours after another three-year-old colt, Havnameltdown, was euthanized with a left leg injury in an undercard race. The win ended Mage’s attempt to win the Triple Crown in a contradictory scene similar to that two weeks earlier when he won the Kentucky Derby after seven horses died at Churchill Downs in a span of ten days.
National Treasure, second pick 5-2, held off the hard-attacking Blazing Sevens down the homestretch to win the 1 3/16 mile, $1.65 million race by a margin of 1:55.12.
“He was fighting all the time,” said jockey John Velazquez. “He fought really well. … That’s what champions do.”
National Treasure paid $7.80 to win, $4 to place and $2.60 to present. Blazing Sevens paid $5 for placement and $2.80 for presentation.
Mage finished third after being the 7-5 favorite for $2.40. His defeat, caused by a much slower pace than the derby, means there will be no Triple Crown winner for the fifth straight year.
“I followed every step of the way, winner,” said Mage jockey Javier Castellano. “But these horses, with pace, without speed in the race, difficult to catch.”
Much like Castellano won the derby in his 16th attempt, Velazquez broke through a 0-on-12 drought in the Preakness.
“It’s been a while,” Velazquez said. “The success I’ve had in other races after not winning this one – it was definitely missing, it’s special to have.”
Baffert had a roller-coaster day at Pimlico Race Course after being unable to compete with a horse at the Preakness last year due to a suspension. The thrill of National Treasure’s victories at Preakness and Arabian Lion in a previous stakes race contrasted with the pain of Havnameltdown’s death.
Black barriers were in place on the dirt road while the horse was set down. Meanwhile, 2Pac’s “California Love” blared through the infield speakers at an annual all-day celebration of thoroughbred racing.
In the evening, Baffert was celebrated for winning the preakness for the eighth time, breaking a tie with 19th-century coach R. Wyndham Walden. In 2018, Baffert Walden’s seven wins at the Baltimore race tied him with Justify, who went on to become the sport’s 13th Triple Crown winner — and Baffert’s second after American Pharoah ended a long dry spell for the sport in 2015.
This was Baffert’s first preakness in two years as a suspension for 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s drug test failed resulted in disqualification in that race. Medina Spirit was Baffert’s youngest Preakness horse and placed third.
Baffert only arrived in Baltimore on Thursday this week, trying to keep a lower profile than usual in the face of the issues that plagued him and tarnished his reputation. A Hall of Famer and longtime face of horse racing, Baffert was attempting to overcome his suspension when asked Friday.
“We just keep going,” he said. “We have other horses to worry about. A lot of it is noise, so keep the noise out and keep working.”
While horse racing fatalities in the US are at their lowest since records began in 2009, another fatality at the track hosting a Triple Crown race will only add to the industry’s internal and external scrutiny. The organization’s members have said they accept the reality of horse deaths at the racetrack, while also recognizing that more work needs to be done to prevent as many deaths as possible.
With this in mind, new national medication and doping rules are to come into force on Monday. The federal agency for equestrian integrity and safety, which already regulates racetrack safety and other measures, will oversee drug testing requirements for horses, which aims to standardize the sport nationwide for the first time.
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