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.
“This business is twists and turns, the ups and downs,” Baffert said afterward. “It’s been a very emotional day. I love Pimlico. I love Baltimore. I love these horses. That’s why we get through these tough times together as a team.”
That team included 51-year-old jockey John Velazquez, who had won almost every big race except the Preakness in his Hall of Fame career. “It’s been a while, but it means the world,” he said. “It’s very special to have it.”
Breaking from the No. 1 post, Velazquez steered National Treasure straight to the lead as most analysts expected. With the first half mile of the race unfolding in a sluggish 48.4 seconds, he did not need to expend much of National Treasure’s energy to stay in front. Blazing Sevens moved into second place by the 3/4-mile pole, and at that point, the race was on.
National Treasure and Blazing Sevens ran side by side down the stretch, bumping at one point. Blazing Sevens, trained by two-time Preakness winner Chad Brown, nudged ahead briefly, but National Treasure, still fresh after his sharp start, fought back to win by a head.
“That’s what champions do,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez said Baffert had joked with him before the race that his window to win the Preakness was closing. But Baffert said there’s still no rider he would rather have on his horse in a big race.
“That’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame,” Baffert said. “I’m always confident when Johnny’s on my horse.”
For all his accomplishments, Baffert is a divisive figure in the sport, a reality reinforced by the criticisms animal welfare activists hurled after Havnameltdown broke down earlier in the day. Baffert missed last year’s Triple Crown series because he was suspended for a medication violation that disqualified Medina Spirit from his 2021 victory in the Kentucky Derby.
The white-haired trainer was back in a Triple Crown race for the first time since 2021 at a track where he has dominated since he won his first Preakness with Silver Charm in 1997.
With National Treasure’s victory, Baffert became the winningest Preakness trainer in history, breaking a tie with 19th-century trainer R. Wyndham Walden of Carroll County. He last won the race in 2018 with Triple Crown winner Justify. He has won more Triple Crown races, 17, than any trainer in history.
Kentucky Derby winner Mage sat third, just a few lengths off the lead, at the top of the stretch, but could not muster a move on National Treasure and Blazing Sevens. Trainer Gustavo Delgado lamented the slow early pace, which made it more difficult for his horse to mount the kind of charge that won the Derby.
Mage’s jockey, Javier Castellano agreed: “Stalking behind those two horses … I couldn’t catch them. My horse responded, responded very well. But I couldn’t catch those two horses. They opened up and the race was over.”
“We still won the Derby; they can’t take that away,” Delgado’s son and assistant, Gustavo Jr., said. “The horse ran a huge race. Congratulations to the winner.”
National Treasure’s win ensured the sport will go a fifth straight year without a Triple Crown winner. No horse has won even two Triple Crown races in a row since Justify.
National Treasure paid $7.80 on a $2 bet to win, $4 on a $2 bet to place and $2.60 on a $2 bet to show. Blazing Sevens paid $5 and $2.80. Mage paid $2.40.
