How good? Having just saw another thrilling drag race finish to the 148th Preakness Stakes over at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a shorter seven entry field being lined up this time after 2nd favourite First Mission had to pull out due to injury (left hind ankle).
Looking back on the race itself now, there were great starts into the Top 2 earlier on from the following few horses such as National Treasure & CoffeewithChris.
Plus, we saw a mix of overtakes fighting for third through race favourite & current Kentucky Derby champ Mage, Red Route One & Blazing Sevens.
Then there’s the climax on the run home after Turn 3 where Blazing Sevens moved up to 2nd side-by-side with National Treasure. Blazing Sevens tried to push that overtaking edge past him at the last minute after he emerged out of late, but it’s National Treasure who held off top spot all along by such a really close margin through the finish line for the win.
Well done to jockey John Velasquez & owner/trainer Bob Baffiert all around on what has been such a tremendous race to watch!! Oh so close from Blazing Sevens where he almost got it but probably the early momentum might have cost him there in 2nd. And Mage finished in 3rd
who was jockeying mightily around the mid-pack following a good start to 3rd, but then Mage was nowhere near the standard National Treasure has set by a few lengths behind the Top 2 finishers.
Red Route One finished in 4th followed by Chase the Chaos who were both also circling outside the Top 2; Perform came home in 6th where benefited a late move off CoffeewithChris after the early race contender (CoffeewithChris) just couldn’t find the execution he badly needed to pass National Treasure out of Turns 3 & 4.
Now that the 2nd Triple Crown race is done with no repeat triumph to carry on from the Kentucky Derby opener by Mage, we look forward to the 155th Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday 10th June (US Time)/Sunday 11th June (Australian time in the morning). The only change to this next event is that Fox will be replacing NBC as the main broadcaster there for the 3rd & final Triple Crown event of the year.