Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Medina Spirit cleared to run, Preakness back to semi-normal
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BALTIMORE » Fans are back at Pimlico Race Course to witness another chance at a Triple Crown.
The Preakness will feel somewhat back to normal, even if everything carries a giant asterisk.
The limited capacity of 10,000 fans expected Saturday is far less than the crowd of 100,000 that usually packs the grandstand and infield and is a fraction of the 50,000 who saw Medina Spirit win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs two weeks ago. The Bob Baffert-trained colt was cleared Friday to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown after failing a post-Derby drug test.
All eyes are on the Preakness to see what will happen next in horse racing’s latest chapter of drama.
“If Medina Spirit goes and wins the Preakness on Saturday, the general public is going to just immediately say, ‘Oh, well, look, there’s still something funny going on,’” NBC Sports betting analyst Matt Bernier said. “If he doesn’t run well for whatever reason, the general public will still look at it and say, ‘See, something funny was going on in the Kentucky Derby.’ It’s a no-win situation for Bob Baffert, for everyone involved with the horse and for the industry as a whole.”
Because of the presence of the Derby winner with a Triple Crown still possible when the starting gates open, the Preakness is usually the safest bet on the sport’s calendar. The past two years broke that trend: the races were out of order in 2020 because of the pandemic, and the 2019 Preakness came out on the short end the Derby mess after first-place finisher Maximum Security was disqualified and
Exercise rider Humberto Gomez, top left, takes Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to the track on Wednesday for a training session ahead of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Wednesday in Baltimore.
Country House was named the winner — though both horses skipped the Preakness.
Medina Spirit is a tainted champion after 21 picograms of the steroid betamethasone in his postrace blood sample May 1. But he’ll get another opportunity in the Preakness after he and stablemate Concert Tour passed three additional prerace drug tests agreed to by Baffert and Maryland racing officials.
“While we acknowledge the challenging circumstances that prompted this further need for transparency, it reflects, above all else, that the principles of integrity, accountability, and safety in our sport are non-negotiable.” said Craig Fravel, CEO of 1/ST Racing, a branding arm of the Stronach Group that owns Pimlico Race Course.
Medina Spirit opened as the 9-5 morning line favorite and Concert Tour the 5-2 second choice. By Friday evening, Midnight Bourbon had become the 5-2 favorite.
“I’ve got people calling me (saying), ‘I really like your horse,’” owner Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds said of Midnight Bourbon. “It’s hard not to be overly optimistic.” Aside from the circus surrounding Medina Spirt and Baffert — who is not in Baltimore and has left assistant Jimmy Barnes in charge — there is plenty of optimism about 10 horses running in front of fans again at the Preakness. It may not be a full-out party like the Derby and won’t feature a jammed infield, but the Black-Eyed Susan drinks will be flowing again at Pimlico.