It may not hold the same prestige as the Kentucky Derby, but the 148th Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, still holds plenty of intrigue among horse-racing fanatics. For National Treasure’s team, featuring rider John Velazquez, it’s a day they’ll never forget.
Several big-name stars were on hand at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, including several members of the Ravens NFL team. This included head coach John Harbaugh and recently signed star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who announced the “Riders up!” call before the horses got out of the gates.
After Mage won the Kentucky Derby, all eyes were on the horse with the best odds to win the Preakness Stakes, coming in with favorable 3-1 odds. After all, we haven’t seen a horse win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2014 when California Chrome accomplished the feat but was unable to win at Belmont after finishing fourth.
While jockey Javier Castellano and Mage may have been the headliners coming in, the star duo were no longer the focal points once the race got underway.
Instead, it was National Treasure who led most of the way, holding the inside track from start to finish at Pimlico Race Course. Yet, it didn’t come without a great amount of drama, as National Treasure held off Blazing Sevens by roughly a nose length in the final stretch.
Rider John Velazquez gets his first career win in the Preakness Stakes and Bob Baffert gets a new record eighth Preakness win, giving him a historic 17 Triple Crown wins as a trainer.
Mage gave it his best, but would ultimately finish in third place, only behind National Treasure and Blazing Sevens.
Related: Preakness Stakes 2023: Everything you need to know about Saturday’s race