British fans will naturally keep a close eye on the races occurring on these shores, but across the pond, some meetings catch the imagination of punters with their authentic American glitz. Preakness Stakes is one such event that is as prestigious as it is popular.
Although the Kentucky Derby is perhaps the most well-known race based in the United States, the Preakness Stakes was created two years before the first Kentucky Derby. There is majesty and history galore here, and we’d like to fill you in on the Preakness Stakes past winners to help you decipher the horse racing odds.
Who Were the Preakness Stakes Past Winners?
We look forward to future races at talkSPORT BET and every May at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore; contenders in the American circuit gather to compete in this highly anticipated Grade 1 Stakes race.
Finishing the 1 3⁄16 miles in 1st place is the dream and often the career-defining moment for many jockeys and trainers. Let’s take a look at some of the Preakness Stakes past winners.
National Treasure – 2023
Last year saw a total purse of $1,650,000 to be dispersed among the frontrunners, the largest amount ever for the Preakness Stakes.
Trainer Bob Baffert is no stranger to winning this event, having done so seven times before this race, so there shouldn’t have been too much surprise when National Treasure romped home to give Baffert an unprecedented eighth Preakness Stakes victory, despite Mage behind the horse many bookmakers made favourite to win.
Early Voting – 2022
It’s often the custom that the Kentucky Derby winner from earlier in the year will battle it out against the rest of the field, but it was a no-show for Rich Strike this time, leaving Epicenter as the favourite to reign triumphant.
However, Early Voting had other ideas, despite being the third favourite as the race was about to commence. The win by more than a length secured the almost $1 million prize for the joyous ownership team.
Rombauer – 2021
The lingering effects of public health concerns from 2020 meant fewer people were in attendance to witness Rombauer shock the field and take home the Preakness Stakes.
The Bay Colt had only the 5th shortest odds as the race began, notably less fancied than Bob Baffert’s Medina Spirit. It made no difference, however, to the delight of Rombauer’s jockey Flavien Prat and trainer Michael McCarthy.
Swiss Skydiver – 2020
This was a bittersweet event for numerous reasons. The scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the race back to October, and no spectators were allowed to attend this edition.
If that wasn’t bad enough, there were no joyous crowds to watch Swiss Skydiver, only the sixth filly ever (and the second this century) to ever win the race, with the second fastest time ever recorded. It should’ve been a historic photo moment among buoyant spectators as the sixth favourite at the time of final odds stole the show.
War of Will – 2019
It wasn’t until the last stretch of the race that War of Will took the lead to see it out by over a length, with the bookmaker’s favourite Improbable not even collecting prize money with a sixth-place finish.
Everfast, a 50-1 shot on the morning of the race, ended up finishing not too far behind in second place, adding to the intrigue of this race edition. But it was the stewardship of Mark Casse and the skill of Tyler Gaffalione that saw War of Will win the coveted showpiece.
Justify – 2018
Although we weren’t to know that the Triple Crown would be won by Justify at this point, given the Preakness Stakes was the second of the three jewels, the stallion went on to complete the feat with one of the best racing performances in a calendar year.
This is the most recent Triple Crown win and was another in the long list of victories for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Truthfully, this win didn’t shock many as Justify was the odds-on favourite to cross the finish line first.
Broken Records: Preakness Stakes Past Winners
Do you want to know a little more about the history of the extraordinary records set at the Preakness Stakes? Before exploring today’s horse racing odds, here are some fine examples to peruse.
Bold Ruler – 1957
While we’re sure Bold Ruler ran a fabulous race here, jockey Eddie Arcaro took all the headlines. This is because he claimed his sixth Preakness Stakes win, setting the record for most wins by a jockey at this race that has held up to this day. Therefore, Bold Ruler in the 1957 race is cemented as one of the best Preakness Stakes past winners.
Secretariat – 1973
It’s remarkable that the fastest time ever recorded was set in 1973 and has not been surpassed since, given the improvements made to technology and breeding we’ve seen over the years.
Yet, Secretariat’s record time of 1:53.00 still stands to this day, with Swiss Skydiver coming closest to beating it in 2020. However, this race wasn’t without controversy as the clock malfunctioned, and Secretariat was initially given the win but a slower time until 2012 when advanced video allowed researchers to determine the time and dismiss any arguments accurately.
Smarty Jones – 2004
Most people had their money on Smarty Jones to win this race, but we’re not certain everybody was expecting the stallion to win by almost 12 lengths, making this one of the great Preakness Stakes’ past winners.
Setting the widest margin of victory this race has ever seen will be an accomplishment Canadian-born jockey Stewart Elliott will always be proud of, especially having won the Kentucky Derby with Smarty Jones not long before.
The Preakness Stakes will once again take place this May, and you’ll be able to explore all the odds of the US major event on the talkSPORT BET site.
We’d advise that all our users read through our Safer Gambling Portal to ensure that your gambling experience is a responsible and safe one.
