Preakness Stakes Contenders
Free Preakness Stakes PPs for Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Pimlico
After a record setting seventh Kentucky Derby victory, trainer Bob Baffert is set to send out Derby winner Medina Spirit in the second jewel of the Triple Crown series on Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico in the 146th running of the Preakness.
It’s not as if Medina Spirit had an easy time of it on the front-end in the Derby, but it won’t get any easier in the Preakness – only this time the competition will be from his speedy stablemate Concert Tour who skipped the Derby after a head-scratching, losing effort as the heavy favorite in the Arkansas Derby.
2021 Preakness Probables
Caddo River, 2nd in the Arkansas Derby in his last start, is a possible starter for trainer Brad Cox. He breezed over a sloppy Churchill Downs track on Monday going a half-mile in :48.8. He was removed from Derby consideration after spiking a fever the week before post positions were drawn. But the Preakness may have been the likely goal regardless. UPDATE: Will not run.
Concert Tour will join his Kentucky Derby winning stablemate in the starting gate for Baffert after failing to fire in the Arkansas Derby. Mike Smith, who rode Midnight Bourbon for Asmussen, will get the leg up from Baffert who confirmed he’ll go for owners Gary and Mary West after a Sunday morning workout at Churchill.
Crowded Trade, despite having the points to run connections skipped the longer Derby distance in favor of the slightly shorter Preakness. Trainer Brown suggesting he needs ‘to step up’ off his third place finish in the Wood. But the 1-2 finishers from that one, longshots Bourbonic and Dynamic One, finished a long way back in the Derby.
France Go De Ina will arrive in Maryland by way of a travel itinerary that began in Japan in route to Los Angeles. Currently in quarantine in Los Angeles until May 8, he is expected to arrive in Pimlico on this Saturday in preparation for his first start stateside. Joel Rosario will be aboard.
Medina Spirit, the Derby winner, he’ll arrive at Pimlico having done all he needed to in preparation for his attempt at the second Jewel. And with today’s announcement by Cox that second place finisher Mandaloun will skip the Preakness, the likelihood of that happening is increased.
Rombauer, as the winner of the El Camino Real Derby on the Golden Gate synthetic, he was guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for this one. Third in the Blue Grass behind Essential Quality and Highly Motivated who both went down in defeat in the Derby.
Unbridled Honor, confirmed for the Preakness by Pletcher who is looking for his first Preakness winner, he was 4th in the Tampa Bay Derby and 2nd in the Lexington and will go with only a maiden win in a very tough spot.
