When the Kentucky Derby Winner chooses to run in the Preakness most horse racing aficionados (whether they admit to or not) are hoping the Derby Winner can cross the wire first at Pimlico, which would then set up a potential Triple Crown bid.
Should the first two jewels be taken by the same horse, interest from casual horse racing fans is ratcheted up for the three weeks leading up to the Belmont Stakes, and rightfully so.
In recent years some Derby Winning horses didn’t even bother with the Preakness, which certainly takes a little wind out of the thoroughbred racing sails.
But this year MYSTIK DAN and his trainer Kenny McPeak decided to take their shot at immortality.
On Saturday there was anticipation in the air as well as some heavy rains. The last Triple Crown Winner was JUSTIFY in 2018.
In the six years since the last Triple Crown Winner, 3 of the Derby Winners didn’t run in the Preakness and three did not Win.
So there was reason for the excitement surrounding the 149th Preakness. But the race over a muddy track didn’t deliver on the Triple Crown excitement and dashed were the dreams of MYSTIK DAN.
But, even without the chance at a Triple Crown, a compelling, feel-good storyline won this day.
A 9-1 speed horse who relished the off going went straight to the front, contenders who were expected to press him weren’t up to the task or couldn’t get good footing, and the hard-trying MYSYIK DAN, despite enjoying a no-excuse stalking trip, simply had too much work to do at the top of the stretch to reel in the king-of-slop.
It’s hard not to smile at some of the quips from D. Wayne Lukas, or warmly appreciate what the Hall of Fame trainer has done in the autumn of his storied career:
He’s honed the overachieving SEIZE THE GREY into a Preakness Winner, mentored and motivated 25-year-old rookie rider Jaime Torres, and taken 2,570 MyRacehorse micro-share owners for the ride of a lifetime by orchestrating an upset for his 7th lifetime Preakness Win, second-most by a trainer behind only Bob Baffert’s eight.
The last time Lukas won the Preakness was in 2013 with the 15-1 OXBOW. One of the horses he beat that day was GOLDENCENTS, the sire of the 2024 beaten Preakness favorite, MYSTIK DAN.
In the 11-year interim, it looked for a time like Lukas was fading off the Thoroughbred grid.
“The last one is always the sweetest,” is how Lukas led off his post-victory media conference. “The last girl you dance with is the one you take home.”
Keep on dancing Coach, and we’ll see you in Saratoga.
