Seize the Grey wins the Preakness
Published 8:26 pm Saturday, May 18, 2024
BALTIMORE (AP) — D. Wayne Lukas worked his way to Seize the Grey after his horse won the Preakness Stakes and kept getting interrupted by well-wishes offering congratulations.
“I think they’re trying to get rid of me,” Lukas said. “They probably want me to retire. I don’t think that’ll happen.”
Not when the 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer keeps winning big-time races.
Seize the Grey ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s Triple Crown bid Saturday by going wire to wire to win the Preakness, giving Lukas his seventh victory in the race, one short of the record held by good friend Bob Baffert.
“I’m only one behind him — I warned him already,” Lukas said. “It never gets old at this level, and I love the competition. I love to get in here with the rest of them.”
The strapping grey colt took advantage of the muddy track just as Lukas hoped he would, pulling off the upset in a second consecutive impressive start two weeks after romping in a race on the Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. Going off at 9-1 as one of the longest shots on the board, Seize the Grey moved to the lead immediately out of the starting gate and never looked back, finishing in 1:56.82.
“I thought his action down the backside was beautiful, and I knew that he was handling the track,” Lukas said. “I said, ‘Watch out, he’s not going to quit.'”
Mystik Dan finished second in the field of eight horses running in the $2 million, 1 3/16-mile race. After falling short of going back to back following his win by a nose in the Kentucky Derby, it would be a surprise if he runs in the Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course.
“My colt’s a fantastic colt and proud of him,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “It just wasn’t his day, but he’ll live to race again.”
Seize the Grey was a surprise Preakness winner facing tougher competition than in the Pat Day Mile on May 4. Though given the Lukas connection, it should never be a surprise when one of his horses is covered in a blanket of Black-Eyed Susan flowers.
No one in the race’s 149-year history has saddled more horses in the Preakness than Lukas with 48 since debuting in 1980 and winning that one with Codex. He had two in this time, with Just Steel finishing fifth, but Seize the Grey — owned by 2,570 people involved in the MyRacehorse group — delivered the victory.
“I just couldn’t be happier for every single one of them,” MyRacehorse founder and CEO Michael Behrens said. “We had some big expectations, but this exceeds all those expectations.”
Seize the Grey paid $21.60 to win, $8.40 to place and $4.40 to show. Mystik Dan paid $4.20 and $2.80, while third-place Catching Freedom paid $3.20 to show.
Baffert, who was looking for a record-extending ninth Preakness victory, was supposed to have two horses in the field, but morning line favorite Muth was scratched earlier in the week because of a fever. Baffert’s Imagination finished seventh.
“He is still learning,” Baffert said. “I think we are learning his style. I saw a lot today that I can change going forward. I don’t think he wants to run like that. We didn’t really have a plan. We thought it would be Wayne or us.”
Muth’s absence made Mystik Dan the 2-1 favorite, but he and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. could not replicate their perfect Derby trip to win that race’s first three-way photo finish since 1947. Instead, Jaime Torres rode Seize the Grey to a win in his first Triple Crown race of any kind, just two years after starting to ride.
“I have no words,” said Torres, a native of Puerto Rico who did not begin racing until seeing it on TV in late 2019. “I’m very excited, very excited and very thankful to all the people that have been behind me, helping me.”
This was the last Preakness held at Pimlico Race Course as it stands before demolition begins on the historic but deteriorating track, which will still hold the 150th running of it next year mid-construction.
That process is already well underway at Belmont Park, which is why the final leg of the Triple Crown is happening at Saratoga for the first time and is being shortened to 1 1/4 miles because of the shape of the course. Kentucky Derby second-place finisher Sierra Leone, a half step from winning, is expected to headline that field, though Lukas said he’d wait to see about Seize the Grey also running.
2024 — Seize the Grey
2023 — National Treasure
2022 — Early Voting
2021 — Rombauer
2020 — Swiss Skydiver
2019 — War of Will
2018 — Justify
2017 — Cloud Computing
2016 — Exaggerator
2015 — American Pharoah
2014 — California Chrome
2013 — Oxbow
2012 — I’ll Have Another
2011 — Shackleford
2010 — Lookin at Lucky
2009 — Rachel Alexandra
2008 — Big Brown
2007 — Curlin
2006 — Bernardini
2005 — Afleet Alex
2004 — Smarty Jones
2003 — Funny Cide
2002 — War Emblem
2001 — Point Given
2000 — Red Bullet
1999 — Charismatic
1998 — Real Quiet
1997 — Silver Charm
1996 — Louis Quatorze
1995 — Timber Country
1994 — Tabasco Cat
1993 — Prairie Bayou
1992 — Pine Bluff
1991 — Hansel
1990 — Summer Squall
1989 — Sunday Silence
1988 — Risen Star
1987 — Alysheba
1986 — Snow Chief
1985 — Tank’s Prospect
1984 — Gate Dancer
1983 — Deputed Testamony
1982 — Aloma’s Ruler
1981 — Pleasant Colony
1980 — Codex
1979 — Spectacular Bid
1978 — Affirmed
1977 — Seattle Slew
1976 — Elocutionist
1975 — Master Derby
1974 — Little Current
1973 — Secretariat
1972 — Bee Bee Bee
1971 — Canonero II
1970 — Personality
1969 — Majestic Prince
1968 — Forward Pass
1967 — Damascus
1966 — Kauai King
1965 — Tom Rolfe
1964 — Northern Dancer
1963 — Candy Spots
1962 — Greek Money
1961 — Carry Back
1960 — Bally Ache
1959 — Royal Orbit
1958 — Tim Tam
1957 — Bold Ruler
1956 — Fabius
1955 — Nashua
1954 — Hasty Road
1953 — Native Dancer
1952 — Blue Man
1951 — Bold
1950 — Hill Prince
1949 — Capot
1948 — Citation
1947 — Faultless
1946 — Assault
1945 — Polynesian
1944 — Pensive
1943 — Count Fleet
1942 — Alsab
1941 — Whirlaway
1940 — Bimelech
1939 — Challedon
1938 — Dauber
1937 — War Admiral
1936 — Bold Venture
1935 — Omaha
1934 — High Quest
1933 — Head Play
1932 — Burgoo King
1931 — Mate
1930 — Gallant Fox
1929 — Dr. Freeland
1928 — Victorian
1927 — Bostonian
1926 — Display
1925 — Coventry
1924 — Nellie Morse
1923 — Vigil
1922 — Pillory
1921 — Broomspun
1920 — Man o’ War
1919 — Sir Barton
1918 — War Cloud and Jack Hare, Jr.
1917 — Kalitan
1916 — Damrosch
1915 — Rhine Maiden
1914 — Holiday
1913 — Buskin
1912 — Colonel Holloway
1911 — Watervale
1910 — Lay Master
1909 — Effendi
1908 — Royal Tourist
1907 — Don Enrique
1906 — Whimsical
1905 — Cairngorm
1904 — Bryn Mawr
1903 — Flocarline
1902 — Old England
1901 — The Parader
1900 — Hindus
1899 — Half Time
1898 — Sly Fox
1897 — Paul Kauver
1896 — Margrave
1895 — Belmar
1894 — Assignee
1893-91 — No Races Held
1890 — Montague
1889 — Buddhist
1888 — Refund
1887 — Dubine
1886 — The Bard
1885 — Tecumseh
1884 — Knight of Ellerslie
1883 — Jacobus
1882 — Vanguard
1881 — Saunterer
1880 — Grenada
1879 — Harold
1878 — Duke of Magenta
1877 — Cloverbrook
1876 — Shirley
1875 — Tom Ochiltree
1874 — Culpepper
1873 — Survivor