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Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. It is preceded by the iconic Kentucky Derby and followed by the Belmont Stakes at the series final race. It is run annually on the third Saturday of May, exactly two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland. The Preakness Stakes is the one of the most-attended races in North America, second only to the Kentucky Derby. The distance of the Preakness Stakes has been changed many times since the race was introduced, the current distance of 9.5 furlongs was determined in 1925.
The race is also known as the 'Run for the Black-Eyed Susans', as a blanket of black-eyes Susans - the state flower of Maryland - is draped over the winning horse. This tradition has been upheld since the Preakness Stakes' inaugural running in 1873. Another ritual associated with the race is the singing of "Maryland, My Maryland" which is usually led by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club with passionate support from the ranks of spectators. Since 1909 the winner of the Preakness Stakes is 'immortalised' immediately on the weather vane of the Old Clubhouse, at least until the next running of the race. As soon as the winner has been determined a painter alters the image of a horse and jockey on the weather vane to match the new winner's silks.
As all races part of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes is open to thoroughbreds aged three only, colts and fillies alike. In the 134 years of Preakness history only five female contenders have managed to snatch the victory: Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), Rhine Maiden (1915), Nellie Morse (1924) and modern legend Rachel Alexandra (2009). In terms of human champions the Preakness Stakes was one of the signature races of jockeying icon Eddie Arcaro, who won the race six times in 1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955 and 1957. The trainer's record has remained unchanged since the late 1800s, when trainer R. Wyndham Walden produced seven winners of the Preakness.
Recent Winners of the Preakness Stakes:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
2010 |
Lookin At Lucky |
Martin Garcia |
Bob Baffert |
1:55.47 |
2009 |
Rachel Alexandra |
Calvin Borel |
Steve Asmussen |
1:55.08 |
2008 |
Big Brown |
Kent Desormeaux |
Richard E. Dutrow Jr. |
1:54.86 |
2007 |
Curlin |
Robby Albarado |
Steve Asmussen |
1:53.46 |
2006 |
Bernardini |
Javier Castellano |
Tom Albertrani |
1:54.65 |
2005 |
Afleet Alex |
Jeremy Rose |
Timothy F. Ritchey |
1:55.04 |
Preakness Stakes Odds and News
7 Jun 2010: Drosselmeyer Gets The Last Piece Of Pie – Belmont Stakes Results
The last leg of the US Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, became the scene of a surprise win when Drosselmeyer unleashed his inner warrior and raced to a narrow victory.
Saturday 5th June saw the last race of this year’s United States Triple Crown series take its course at Belmont Park – concluding a strangely anticlimactic series of races. Neither Lookin At Lucky, winner of the Preakness Stakes, nor Super Saver, winner of the Kentucky Derby, had been entered into the Belmont Stakes; meaning that there was no hope of a spectacular double win.
However, while a lot of spectators criticised the lack of previous winners on the track, their failure to appear meant the last trophy was free for the taking to any runner on the track. Still, no one expected the winner to be quite as random as Drosselmeyer.
The 12-1 odds three-year-old was rarely noticed during the course of the race. He was neither part of the leading field, comprised of First Dude, Game On Dude, Fly Down and Interactif; nor was he struggling at the end of the chasing field, alongside favourite Ice Box, Make Music For Me and Dave In Dixie. It was not until the final three furlongs that Drosselmeyer’s jockey Mike Smith gave his mount the signal to charge.
Taking to the far outside of the track Drosselmeyer sprinted his way past the field, incredibly managing to get into a showdown position with First Dude and Game On Dude, who went literally head to head with the new leading element. The William Mott-trained surprise contender crossed the line with a narrow ¾ length to spare ahead of Fly Down, gifting spectators a true working class victory. There was perhaps little grace involved in Drosselmeyer’s win, but it was a gutsy effort and testament to the runners determination and great staying power.
Favourite Ice Box never managed to break away from his position in the end of the field and managed only a lowly eighths place. Uptowncharlybrown, who initially recorded fifth place, was retrospectively disqualified for disobeying the weight conditions set for the race.
The 2010 Belmont Stakes recorded a winning time of 2:31.57 min/secs; the slowest winning time for the Belmont Stakes in fifteen years.
| Place | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1 | Drosselmeyer | Mike Smith | William Mott | 12-1 |
| 2 | Fly Down | John Velazquez | Nick Zito | 4-1 |
| 3 | First Dude | Ramon Dominguez | Dale Romans | 4-1 |
| 4 | Game On Dude | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 8-1 |
| 5 | Stay Put | Jamie Theriot | Steve Margolis | 25-1 |
| 6 | Interactif | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 14-1 |
| 7 | Stately Victor | Alan Garcia | Michael Maker | 12-1 |
| 8 | Ice Box | Jose Lezcano | Nick Zito | 2-1 |
| 9 | Make Music For Me | Joel Rosario | Alexis Barba | 8-1 |
| 10 | Dave In Dixie | Calvin Borel | John Sadler | 22-1 |
| 11 | Spangled Star | Garret Gomez | Richard Dutrow | 30-1 |
| DQ | Uptowncharlybrown | Rajiv Maragh | Kiaran McLaughlin | 15-1 |
DQ = Disqualified
2 Jun 2010: The Belmont Stakes – Final Battle Of The US Triple Crown
18 May 2010: Lookin At Lucky Gets Lucky At Last
14 May 2010: Witness The Preakness – The U.S. Triple Crown’s Second Round
