Bob Baffert's National Treasure wins Preakness, hours after another of his horses was euthanized

Bob Baffert choked backmost tears and his dependable cracked portion trying to juggle the feelings of 1 of his horses winning the Preakness Stakes and different being euthanized connected the aforesaid track.

"This concern is twists and turns, the ups and downs," helium said. "To triumph this — losing that equine contiguous truly hurt. ... It's been a precise affectional day."

National Treasure won the Preakness connected Saturday successful Baffert's instrumentality to the Triple Crown way pursuing a suspension, but it came hours aft different 3-year-old colt, Havnameltdown, was enactment down due to the fact that of a near limb wounded successful an undercard race. The triumph ended Mage's bid for the Triple Crown successful a conflicting country akin to that of 2 weeks earlier erstwhile helium won the Kentucky Derby successful the aftermath of 7 horses dying successful 10 days astatine Churchill Downs.

National Treasure, the 5-2 2nd choice, held disconnected hard-charging Blazing Sevens down the agelong to triumph the 1 3/16-mile, $1.65 cardinal contention by a caput successful 1:55.12.

"He fought the full way," jockey John Velazquez said. "He enactment up a truly bully fight. ... That's what champions do."

National Treasure paid $7.80 to win, $4 to spot and $2.60 to show. Blazing Sevens paid $5 to spot and $2.80 to show.

Mage finished 3rd aft going disconnected arsenic the 7-5 favorite, paying $2.40 to show. His defeat, caused by a gait overmuch slower than the Derby, means determination volition not beryllium a Triple Crown victor for a 5th consecutive year.

"I followed each azygous measurement of the way, the winner," Mage jockey Javier Castellano said. "But those horses, with pace, nary velocity successful the race, hard to catch."

Much similar Castellano won the Derby successful his 16th try, Velazquez broke an 0-for-12 drought successful the Preakness.

"It's been a while," Velazquez said. "The occurrence that I had successful different races, not having won this 1 — it was decidedly missing, truthful peculiar to person it."

Baffert had a rollercoaster day, backmost astatine Pimlico Race Course from a suspension that kept him from entering a equine successful the Preakness past year. The thrill of victories by National Treasure successful the Preakness and Arabian Lion successful an earlier stakes contention contrasted with the agony of Havnameltdown's death.

Black barriers were propped up connected the ungraded way portion the equine was enactment down. All the while, 2Pac's "California Love" blared from the infield speakers astatine what is intended arsenic an yearly daylong solemnisation of thoroughbred racing.

By evening, Baffert was celebrated for winning the Preakness for a grounds eighth time, breaking a necktie with 19th-century trainer R. Wyndham Walden. In 2018, Baffert matched Walden with 7 wins astatine the Baltimore contention with Justify, who went connected to go the sport's 13th Triple Crown victor — and Baffert's second, aft American Pharoah ended a lengthy drought for the athletics successful 2015.

This was Baffert's archetypal Preakness successful 2 years due to the fact that of a prohibition stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby victor Medina Spirit's failed cause trial that led to a disqualification successful that race. Medina Spirit was Baffert's astir caller Preakness horse, finishing third.

Baffert didn't get successful Baltimore until Thursday this week, seeking to support a little illustration than accustomed fixed the questions that person dogged him and clouded his reputation. A Hall of Famer and a longtime look of equine racing, Baffert sought to determination past his suspension erstwhile asked Friday.

"We conscionable support connected moving forward," helium said. "We person different horses to interest about. A batch of it is noise, truthful you support the sound retired and proceed working."

While equine racing deaths successful the U.S. are astatine their lowest level since they began being tracked successful 2009, adding different astatine the way hosting a Triple Crown contention volition lone intensify the interior and outer scrutiny of the industry. Those wrong it person said they judge the realities of on-track deaths of horses portion besides acknowledging much enactment needs to beryllium done to forestall arsenic galore arsenic possible.

In that vein, caller nationalist medicine and doping rules are acceptable to spell into effect connected Monday. The federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which already regulated racetrack information and different measures, volition oversee cause investigating requirements for horses that should standardize the athletics nationwide for the archetypal time.