Rombauer wins Preakness Stakes

Rombauer, trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, won the 146th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

The horse put on a strong finish, passing Midnight Bourbon and Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit down the stretch, to comfortably win the race. The victory at the Preakness Stakes is the first for trainer McCarthy.

Midnight Bourbon, the 3-1 favorite, finished second, while Medina Spirit, the 3-1 odds favorite, came in third. Rombauer had 11-1 odds to finish first.

“To win is amazing. To win the Preakness is even better,” Prat said after the race.

The 146th running of the Preakness is the second leg in the Triple Crown of horse racing, a return to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic upended last year’s schedule. A limited crowd of 10,000 were allowed to attend with masks required unless eating or drinking.

Last year, the race was postponed to October and held without fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Medina Spirit participated in the race after trainer Bob Baffert consented to blood tests for Medina Spirit and monitoring by the Maryland Racing Commission to run in the 10-horse field, Preakness race organizers said.

The results of the blood samples from the horse were deemed clear, officials said Friday.

Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago but then tested positive for elevated levels of betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid, throwing the victory into question.

A split sample from Medina Spirit’s postrace blood sample will now be tested, and if the original results are confirmed, Baffert will have a chance to appeal.

The time frame for receiving the results from a requested split sample averages four to eight weeks, but could take up to six months, according to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

The Belmont Stakes is final leg for the coveted Triple Crown. It is set for Saturday, June 5, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.