Seize The Grey clinched victory in the 149th Preakness Stakes, with Mystik Dan finishing second. Seize The Grey, a 9-1 long shot, led the race wire-to-wire, securing the win by several lengths. Mystik Dan, the Kentucky Derby champion, made a late push but couldn’t surpass the leader, finishing second in the eight-horse, $2 million, 1 3/16-mile race. Imagination followed closely behind Seize The Grey at the ¾-mile mark but couldn’t maintain the pace.
D. Wayne Lukas, at 88, became the oldest trainer to win the Preakness, marking his seventh victory, just one shy of Bob Baffert’s record. The original favorite, Muth, trained by the controversial Baffert, was scratched earlier in the week due to a spiking fever, elevating Mystik Dan to favorite status in his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Justify in 2018. Muth had opened as the 8-5 favorite, with Mystik Dan at 5-2, later closing at 2-1. Baffert reported that Muth’s fever reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to his withdrawal.
Mystik Dan’s participation was uncertain post-Kentucky Derby, but his ownership confirmed his readiness for the race. Lukas, with 48 Preakness starters since his 1980 debut, had two horses in this year’s race, with Just Steel finishing fifth. Baffert, absent from the last three Kentucky Derbies due to suspension, was present at Pimlico. His National Treasure won the previous year’s Preakness. The final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled for June 8 at Saratoga Race Course.