Swiss Skydiver becomes sixth filly to win Preakness Stakes

By Mia ZanzucchiOct 3, 2020, 5:58 PM EDT

A historic 15 weeks after it began, the 2020 Triple Crown drew to a close as Swiss Skydiver crossed the line first in the 145th Preakness Stakes at a spectatorless Pimlico to become the sixth filly to win the race.

She was the first filly to run in the Preakness since Ria Antonia in 2014, who finished last. Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra was the last filly to win the race back in 2009.

Bob Baffert’s Thousand Words, who was a last minute scratch in the Kentucky Derby after flipping over in the saddling area, took the early lead, followed closely behind stablemate and Kentucky Derby favorite Authentic. Swiss Skydiver moved in on the end of the backstretch for a furiously close homestretch battle with Authentic, battling to the very end.

Authentic opened as the 9-5 favorite and finished second as Baffert looked for a record eighth Preakness win. Jesus’ Team, a 40-1 longshot, was third, and G1 Blue Grass winner Art Collector was fourth.

Swiss Skydiver is trained by Kenny McPeek, ridden by Robby Albarado and owned by Peter Callahan. She set off with 11-1 odds and paid $25.40 to win, $8.40 to place and $5.80 to show. She previously won the G1 Alabama and was a surprising second in the Kentucky Oaks a month ago behind upset winner Shedaresthedevil.

A month earlier, Authentic held off heavy favorite Tiz the Law in a stretch dual to go wire-to-wire in the 146th Kentucky Derby. Tiz the Law, who won a rescheduled Belmont Stakes back in late June, sat out the Preakness since there was no Triple Crown on the line. Instead, he is resting up and preparing for the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Keeneland.

The COVID-19 pandemic scrambled this year’s Triple Crown schedule, as the Preakness ran 20 weeks after its original date of Saturday, May 16. The Kentucky Derby was moved from Saturday, May 2 to the first Saturday in September, and the Belmont was moved back two weeks but remained in the month of June. All three Triple Crown races were run without fans in attendance, and all other events (like Pimlico’s InfieldFest) and festivals associated with the races were called off.

The 2020 Triple Crown will always be remembered with an asterisk—because of a different race order, later dates for all three races (which gave horses more time to mature and prep), significantly more time in between each event and a shortened Belmont (9 furlongs instead of the traditional 12).

Last year’s Preakness was won by Gary Barber’s colt War of Will just two weeks after being majorly impeded by Maximum Security in the 145th Kentucky Derby. With now-Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, War of Will ran in all three Triple Crown races last year, finishing 7th in the Derby and 9th in the Belmont.

He went on to finish an underwhelming 9th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last fall at Santa Anita before jumping from the dirt to the turf (grass) and focusing on the mile division. In July of 2020, he won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland.

Next on the racing calendar, the world’s best horses—not just the 3-year-olds that compete in the Triple Crown—head to Lexington, Ky. for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 6 and 7, with comprehensive coverage from NBC Sports. Though the event will be run without spectators, which has become standard for the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Breeders’ Cup will return to Lexington again in 2022.

2020 Preakness Stakes full order of finish:

Swiss Skydiver
Authentic
Jesus’ Team
Art Collector
Max Player
Excession
Mr. Big News
Thousand Words
Ny Traffic
Pneumatic
Liveyourbeastlife

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.