Seize the Grey, under jockey Jaime Torres, had more than enough stamina left in the stretch to outlast Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (right) and Catching Freedom (left) en route to a 2 ¼-length win in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
MyRacehorse’s Seize the Grey gave 88-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas a seventh Preakness win in the Hall of Famer’s legendary career.
Seize the Grey, a 3-year-old gray or roan son of the late Arrogate, raced 1 3/16 miles in 1:56.82 over a muddy track and won as the 9.80-1 sixth betting choice in an eight-horse field. Like runner-up Mystik Dan and third-place Catching Freedom, Seize the Grey entered the Preakness off of a quick two-week turnaround, but while those runners exited the Kentucky Derby, Seize the Grey prepped by winning the Pat Day Stakes Presented by SAP on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Mystik Dan, who tracked the pace in fourth early, bid outside the winner coming into the stretch but the 2.40-1 favorite could not close the necessary gap. He managed to outlast Catching Freedom, who was fourth in the Kentucky Derby, by a head in a close place photo.
Tuscan Gold ran fourth behind show finisher Catching Freedom. Lukas’ other starter, Just Steel, was fifth.
“I’m proud of him. It wasn’t his day. I thought we could run down Seize the Grey with the fractions, but he didn’t back up,” said McPeek. “I think (jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.) was right, if we chased him it would have taken (Mystik Dan) out of his game. That’s horse racing. The rider did a great job on Wayne’s horse and Wayne is a legend for a reason.”
“People always ask which Preakness win is the best and the last one is the sweetest,” Lukas said after his seventh Preakness victory and 15th Triple Crown win. “What was significant to me, and maybe because I am getting older, is that as I walked across the racetrack (after the race) every one of those (trainers) in the race gave me a handshake. That meant more to be than any single thing. (Bob) Baffert, Kenny McPeek, right on down the line.”
‘Coach’ Lukas is congratulated by Bob Baffert. (Eclipse Sportswire)
Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been a longtime admirer of Lukas and after the octogenarian came one win closer to matching his record eight Preakness wins, Baffert spoke in revered terms about the living legend known as “The Coach.”
“He’s creeping up on me. I may have to stay in for another 10 years,” said Baffert, who sent out 4.20-1 shot Imagination to a seventh-place finish. “Wayne has always been a great horseman. I’ve always respected him. He’s always been the bar. It was (Charlie) Whittingham and then Wayne. It’s a good feeling. If you are going to get beat, you want to see Wayne win. He still has it. He’s still a great trainer.”
The Preakness was the fourth victory for Seize the Grey in 10 starts and lifted his earnings to $1,819,938. Bred in Kentucky by Jamm, Seize the Grey is out of the Smart Strike mare Smart Shopping. He was a $300,000 purchase by MyRacehorse from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment to the 2022 The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s selected yearling sale.
Lukas said he wanted to give Seize the Grey time before deciding on whether to send him to the June 8 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets at Saratoga Race Course, which will host the classic for the first time while construction continues at Belmont Park. But he certainly did not dismiss the idea.
“If they are going to beat him, they may want to extend it back to a mile and a half,” Lukas said in reference to the Belmont Stakes being a mile-and-a-quarter race at Saratoga. “If we go (to the Belmont), he’ll be tough. He can get a mile and a quarter. He would have gotten a mile and a quarter today.”
