Baffert National Treasure wins Preakness as another day of the death of Mars | Preakness Betting

Bob Baffert’s National Treasure defeated the Blazing Sevens in a fast-paced duel to win the Preakness Betting by a head on Saturday, just hours after the decorated trainer’s return to the Triple Crown stage after a two-year suspension was marred when one of his horses was euthanized on the track.

“He fought the whole way,” said John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame jockey who finally broke his Preakness hoodoo after failing to win in his first 12 attempts. “He put up a very good fight. … That’s what champions do.”

magician, the The Kentucky Derby champion who went off as the 7-5 favourite, finished third in the 1 3/16 mile race after finding himself stuck down the stretch and coming up to 2 1/4 lengths behind the leading pair. The seven horses entered represented the smallest Preakness field since 1986.

Baffert’s eighth Preakness win eclipsed the old record of seven first set by RW Walden in the 19th century, but he had to fight back tears in the winner’s circle for the latest high-profile equine death.

“Losing that horse earlier really hurts,” Baffert said. “It’s been a very emotional day.”

Earlier Saturday in the $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes, Baffert-trained Havnameltdown broke down around the far turn and knocked jockey Luis Saez off his back before continuing to run down the stretch.

The distraught three-year-old black colt was cornered by veterinary staff and herded behind a black tent where he was left on the ground, a grim scene that unfolded as Lil Jon’s Get Low played at deafening volume from a concert stage to just a few minutes. hundred feet away in the infield.

“He suffered a very serious injury to his left front ankle,” track vet Scott Hay said. “It was basically impossible to transport him and they had to humanely euthanize him on the ground immediately.”

Saez, one of America’s top jockeys, was stretchered off the dirt track and taken by ambulance to a nearby Sinai Hospital for evaluation, where track officials said he was conscious with full movement of his extremities but complaining of leg pain.

“We never had a problem with him,” Baffert said. “We grieve when these things happen. There is nothing worse than coming back and the position is empty. He is a good horse. He couldn’t have done better.”

The Chick Lang was the sixth race of a 14-race card headlined by the Preakness, the jewel in the middle of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing and one of the few days the sport garners mainstream attention in the US. USA

The fatality in Baltimore came just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby was overshadowed for the death of seven horses at Churchill Downs in Louisville over a span of 10 days, including two on race day.

Baffert, 70, was back in the spotlight after two years of sanction from Churchill Downs stemming from Medina Spirit’s stripped victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby after testing positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid. medina spirit died after training in December 2021.