If it can overcome the odds, though, Baffert will win a record-breaking eighth Preakness Stakes. However, Baffert is now eligible to compete in what he says is his favorite race.īaffert’s horse, National Treasure, is among the favorites for this year’s spectacle but was drawn in the unfavored No. In total, Baffert received a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs, a one-year suspension from the New York Racing Association, and was suspended from the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes in Maryland. In February 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced its decision to disqualify Medina Spirit. The controversy started after Medina Spirit, who died in December 2021, won the Kentucky Derby two years ago.Īfter the race, Baffert revealed that the horse had tested positive for elevated levels of betamethasone.īetamethasone is an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid that is allowed in horse racing at a certain level but that threshold had been crossed in Medina Spirit’s case. ET on May 20.īaffert's entry National Treasure works out on May 17. The odds are from the Preakness official website and are correct as of 7 a.m. It will air in the US on NBC, Peacock, the NBC website and its app with coverage of all of Saturday’s races. The Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

However, Baffert’s return coincides with a difficult time for the sport.Įight horses died at Churchill Downs – home of the Kentucky Derby – last month, with questions around animal welfare overshadowing this year’s middle jewel of the Triple Crown – which consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The two-time Triple Crown winner has been tangled in a legal battle ever since, but his horses are once again eligible to participate in the 148th running of the Preakness.

The 70-year-old was banned from all three Triple Crown races last year after his horse, Medina Spirit, tested positive for betamethasone – an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid sometimes used to relieve joint pain – during the Kentucky Derby in 2021. Right now, our thoughts are with Luis Saez and we are hopeful he will be okay.”īaffert, the Hall of Fame trainer, returns to this year’s Preakness Stakes after serving a lengthy suspension from the sport. “We don’t know if that contributed to the injury, but we will be fully transparent with those reviewing this terrible accident. Hanvameltdown was obviously hit pretty hard coming out of the gate.” “This is a shock to everyone at our barn who love and care for these horses every day. “We are just devastated,” Baffert said in a post on Twitter. Jockey Luis Saez was transported to a hospital for further evaluation, but he was stable and conscious, according to the Preakness Stakes organizers. Benson and her counterparts made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Havnameltdown.” Due to the severity and prognosis of the injury, Dr. “During the subsequent evaluation, she observed a non-operable left fore fetlock injury. Dionne Benson,” said 1/ST Racing, who own and operate Pimlico Race Course, in a news release, per CNN affiliate WMAR. “During the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico, the number one horse, Havnameltdown, sustained an injury and immediately received on-track medical attention from an expert team of veterinarians, led by Dr. The news comes just hours before the running of the second leg of the Triple Crown, and in the wake of the deaths of eight top racehorses in the past month. One of the horses in an undercard race before today’s Preakness Stakes, the Bob Baffert-trained Havnameltdown, has been euthanized, after suffering a serious injury this afternoon, officials said.

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