GI Preakness S.

At this year's GI Preakness S., Shug McGaughey is aiming to win his own version of the Triple Crown. The Hall of Fame trainer won the third leg of the series in 1989, when Easy Goer famously defeated Sunday Silence in the GI Belmont S., and then Orb (Malibu Moon) earned the Kentucky horseman a GI Kentucky Derby score in 2013. This Saturday, McGaughey could claim his final Triple Crown jewel with a promising contender in Perform (Good Magic). On Thursday morning shortly after eight, as Perform walked the Preakness...

Pimlico, the home of a Triple Crown race, is rundown and needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Its sister track, Laurel isn't in much better shape. To have two tracks in such condition does not make for a sustainable model for the future of Maryland racing, a problem that track owners and politicians have been trying solve for more than a decade. But the latest round of give-and-take appears to have yielded a solution. Money once earmarked for a rebuild of both Pimlico and Laurel is expected to be...

Onward to Baltimore! Here are the GI Preakness S. entrants listed in "likeliest winner" order. 1) Mage GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage won't be a heavy favorite on Saturday. In fact, he projects as the possible second choice in the betting based on the "fresh competition" angle in a Preakness that will feature no other starters who ran in the 18-horse Derby. Pari-mutuel value notwithstanding, a Preakness victory is within the grasp of this white-blazed, chestnut son of Good Magic ($235,000 KEESEP; $290,000 EASMAY). He's a lighter-framed colt who might...

It's been a quiet week on the Triple Crown front as all eight contenders continue to prepare for Saturday's $1.65 million GI Preakness S. at Pimlico. Following is a brief update on each as of Wednesday morning: GI Kentucky Derby winner and 8-5 Preakness favorite Mage (Good Magic) galloped 1 1/2 miles over the Pimlico surface and playfully reared as he exited the track. "He was showing off. He was showing off a little bit," said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., the assistant and son of trainer Gustavo Delgado. "He was just...

Changes to the entries box for next week's GI Preakness S. continue, as GII Rebel S. winner Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) is out of the second leg of the Triple Crown and local runner Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) set to run. "He trained all right this morning," said Confidence Game's trainer, Keith Desormeaux. The colt was last seen finishing 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby. "He's just not 100%. He's got something aggravating him in the right front shoulder area. We're going to send him to Dr. [Larry] Bramlage...

Godolphin's First Mission (Street Sense), the runaway winner of the GIII Lexington S., completed his final major work Saturday ahead of next Saturday's GI Preakness S. at Pimlico. The colt covered five furlongs in :59.20 early yesterday morning at Churchill Downs. "He's lightly raced, but I liked what I saw of him all winter and into the Lexington," said trainer Brad Cox. "He bounced out of it in good shape and he's got a lot of talent. I'm looking forward to giving him a swing at a Grade I." Runner...

Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) posted his final training move at Churchill Downs Saturday morning prior to shipping to Baltimore for next weekend's GI Preakness S. While the task was ultimately completed safely, the move didn't quite go off without a hitch. Rider J.J. Delgado was forced to pause his training to fix a back bandage that came loose after the first half-mile, however, the colt ultimately galloped about 1 1/2 miles. Following the minor mishap, the Derby winner continued on his way around the racetrack before he returned...

Rodeo Creek Racing's GISW Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) breezed five furlongs over the Belmont main track in his final serious move ahead of the May 20 GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Saturday. Blazing Sevens, who visited the track following the renovation break around 9:00 a.m., worked in company with stakes-winning stablemate Artorius [1:00.18], completing the trip in 1:00.02 over the fast main track. Blazing Sevens was accompanied by Irad Ortiz, Jr. who also rode the Chad Brown trainee in his latest start, a third-place finish in the Apr. 8 GI...

When Gustavo Delgado Jr. was a young boy, his father would drag him out of bed early every morning to go to the racetrack. Growing up in a household that also included his mother, two sisters and a female cousin, Delgado eventually came to look forward to those trackside adventures spending quality time with his father Gustavo Delgado Sr., a member of the Caribbean Racing Hall of Fame as a three-time winner of Venezuela's equivalent of the Triple Crown. As a teenager, Delgado Jr. relished the celebrity-like status that came...

Grammy Award winner Bruno Mars will be among the events highlighting this year's Preakness LIVE, which will follow the 148th edition of the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 20. Mars previously performed at the Preakness 11 years ago. Preakness LIVE will feature a full day of live music and entertainment beginning at 10:30 a.m., including performances by Grammy nominated musical duo Sofi Tukker, DJ Chantel Jeffries and Martin 2 Smoove. Preakness LIVE will also feature Baltimore's art scene with the return of the infield art garden featuring unique works...

1/ST will expand its partnership with NBC Sports to broadcast the 1/ST Racing Tour on NBC, CNBC and Peacock, they said in a Thursday press release. A series of connected coast-to-coast races that kicked off with the 2023 Pegasus World Cup, the tour will take place on the first Saturday over the next three months, and will also include the GI Preakness Stakes in May. "While these legendary races are familiar to many, the 1/ST Racing Tour format brings a fresh and innovative approach to bi-coastal racing," said Gregg Colvin, Chief Executive...

Two weeks ago, when I wrote the column "First Crops Yield Derby and Oaks Winners," I'd expected to write about Taiba (Gun Runner) and Secret Oath (Arrogate), the two I'd liked the most in the Gl Kentucky Derby and Gl Kentucky Oaks, respectively. I'd spoken mainly about those two on Steve Byk's popular SiriusXM program "At the Races," and my feeling was that Gun Runner in particular was on a trajectory to get a first-crop Classic winner. His start at stud had been exceptional with his first juveniles, and the...