Bob Baffert© Photo Healy Racing
After a week of high drama, the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes promises to be one not to be missed tonight.
The middle leg of the American Triple Crown has attracted the Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit — and while that would be attention enough, last weekend’s shock announcement by Bob Baffert that his horse had tested positive for 21 picograms of the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone has put the Churchill Downs victor under an intense media microscope.
On Tuesday, Baffert issued a statement in which he said he had been informed by equine pharmacology experts that the source of the positive test could be an anti-fungal ointment prescribed for a case of dermatitis, with the horse being treated once a day leading up to the May 1 showpiece.
Should a further test on the Kentucky sample return positive, Medina Spirt could be stripped of his Derby win.
An agreement was reached between Baffert and his legal team and Maryland officials that Medina Spirit would be allowed to run in the Preakness, subject to undergoing agreed testing. It was confirmed on Friday that Medina Spirit, Concert Tour and Blue Eyed Susan Stakes runner Beautiful Girl had all passed three out-of-competition tests and been cleared to race.
A joint-statement from Pimlico’s owners The Stronach Group and the Maryland Jockey Club said: “Consistent with the fair procedures and practices established by (TSG) and MJC, the additional tests and monitoring were conducted as part of the rigorous condition of entry agreement to ensure the fairness and integrity of the races with horses entered by Baffert.”
Drawn in stall three, Medina Spirit — who was sold for just $1,000 as a yearling — will again be ridden by John Velazquez, with Mike Smith in gate 10 aboard the highly-rated Concert Tour, who swerved Kentucky after being beaten in the Arkansas Derby.
Baffert is seeking a record eighth Preakness victory, being narrowly denied last year when his Derby winner Authentic was beaten a neck by the filly Swiss Skydiver, following a thrilling stretch duel.
Midnight Bourbon was sixth in the Derby and is expected to be closer this time, in a race that will be live on Sky Sports Racing.
His trainer Steve Asmussen is looking for a third Preakness after the exploits of his brilliant pair Curlin and Rachel Alexandra.
“Midnight Bourbon was very consistent coming into the Derby,” said Asmussen, who has booked the services of Irad Ortiz jnr.
“He wasn’t exactly in position to run his best race that day — by the break, traffic, different reasons.”
There would perhaps be no more popular winner than Ram, who represents the legendary D. Wayne Lukas.
A son of American Pharoah, Ram will be Lukas’ record 45th starter in the Preakness, marking the 30th time his Hall of Fame trainer has had at least one runner. Lukas, 85, won with his very first Preakness starter, Codex in 1980, and has been to the winner’s circle five more times, most recently with Oxbow in 2013.
Lukas said of his latest contender: “He was slow to develop, physically and mentally.
“He’s gotten good lately. For that reason, I thought he deserved the chance; that plus I like to come here. I like this place. This is a fun race. Even if you don’t win, it’s enjoyable.”
Lukas also has an entertaining story about how the horse was named.
He said: “Well, when this horse was a yearling, Ram was the sponsor of all the trucks and their name was all over Churchill — on the roof, on the sides of all the barns and whatnot.
“So I thought I’d be ahead of the curve ball a little bit and I named him Ram, thinking if he turned out to be a good horse — which I expected him to be — and made the Derby, I could talk the sponsors out of a new pick-up.
“So, what of course happens? When he turned two, they changed it all to Ford sponsorship. But it was too late for me. I was locked in on Ram, and couldn’t change it to Ford!”
Adding further flavour to the field is the presence of a raider from Japan, the Hideyuki Mori-trained France Go De Ina.
Although aware of the challenge, Mori said: “He will be one of those that you definitely want to put a couple dollars on — just in case.
“If he doesn’t race, he can’t win it. The odds don’t matter to us.”
