BALTIMORE — When Rick Dawson decided his Kentucky Derby winner, Rich Strike, would skip the Preakness, he reignited a decades-old debate about the spacing of the Triple Crown series, which many horsemen and racing analysts see as out of step with modern practices.
Dawson and trainer Eric Reed have said that if they had a month to prepare for the second jewel of the Triple Crown instead of the traditional two weeks, Rich Strike would be on his way to Baltimore. Instead, they opted to give him five weeks to rest for the Belmont Stakes.
With a 94-word statement, Dawson eliminated the possibility for a Triple Crown winner in 2022.
