The second leg of the Triple Crown series is in the history books, as Seize The Grey denied Mystik Dan victory in the Preakness Stakes. It was a memorable success for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, whose runner appeared to suit conditions on a muddy track at Pimlico on Saturday.
Mystik Dan was aiming to land victory in the second straight race in the Triple Crown series following his success in the Kentucky Derby. You can find the Preakness Stakes recap for one of the biggest horse racing events of the year right here.
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Seize The Grey Lands Memorable Victory
The 149th edition of the Preakness Stakes will be memorable for a long time, especially for those connected to Seize The Grey. Jaime Torres was excellent aboard the three-year-old runner, ultimately clocking his fractions to perfection at key moments of the race.
Seize The Grey eventually finished over two lengths ahead of Mystik Dan. A key strength for the runner was the ability to contend with muddy conditions, with the race run on less-than-ideal ground for the first time in 85 years. Seize The Grey quickly went three lengths clear of the field in the opening exchanges, before kicking on once again over the final two furlongs to ensure that no rival could get near the eventual winner.
It was among the shock horse racing predictions at Pimlico, but it was a memorable success for Lukas, who landed a 15th victory in a Triple Crown race, and his first since Oxbow in the 2013 Preakness.
Mystik Dan Settles For Second
Kenneth McPeek delighted in his Derby hero’s performance when he rated the Preakness Stakes recap after the middle jewel. Connections were undecided after the race whether they would point the three-year-old toward Pimlico, but they almost landed a memorable second victory in the series.
Mystik Dan was sent off as the strong favorite to land victory in the race, with many believing that the muddy conditions would suit his chances after previously dominating the G3 Southwest Stakes field on similar ground in February. However, his Derby exploits could have played a role, as he struggled to close the gap on the eventual winner in the final stages.
McPeek was pleased with his runner’s performance despite finishing second in the Preakness Stakes results, and a decision will be made regarding whether he targets the Belmont Stakes this week.
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Catching Freedom Best Of The Rest
The early pace set by Seize The Grey always meant that the runners from the off the pace were only challenging for a place finish at best. Catching Freedom was one of the strong finishing runners for trainer Brad Cox, and he was hugely unfortunate not to have claimed second in the closing stages.
The Preakness Stakes recap showed that he was the best of those from off the pace, and he stayed on gamely to finish a head behind Mystik Dan, and just two lengths off Seize The Grey.
Tuscan Gold was one of the hard luck stories in the race, as he was never on terms for Chad Brown. He gained confidence from how he finished the race to take fourth. Just Steel dropped away tamely to finish fifth, while Uncle Heavy struggled in conditions to take sixth.
Bob Baffert’s Imagination performed below his best on unfavorable ground. The ride of Frankie Dettori eventually finished seventh and was over 15 lengths behind Seize The Grey. Jeff Engler’s runner, Mugatu, finished last, 40 lengths behind the winner.
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