BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert’s voice cracked as he tried to make sense of a tragic, triumphant Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
The Hall of Fame trainer had watched his horse, Havnameltdown, suffer a catastrophic ankle injury in the sixth race on the Preakness Stakes undercard, tossing rider Luis Saez to the dirt and sending him to the hospital in the process.
Five hours later, Baffert peered from behind his trademark sunglasses as a different horse from his barn, National Treasure, rallied to outlast Blazing Sevens in a thrilling stretch duel to win the 148th running of the Preakness. The victory was Baffert’s record-breaking eighth in the second leg of the Triple Crown series and marked a successful return for him after he was suspended in 2022.
