BALTIMORE – Like a fine wine, Rombauer smoothly dispatched the front runners on Saturday afternoon to capture the 146th edition of the Preakness Stakes.
As the shadows crept toward the famous cupola in the Preakness infield, racing was spared another win by a Bob Baffert-trained colt, as Rombauer roared past the top two betting choices Midnight Bourbon and Derby winner Medina Spirit, crossing the wire first in the $1 million race.
It was trainer Michael McCarthy’s first classic entrant and he made it a winning one as jockey Flavien Prat rode a masterful race aboard the winner, continuing to show his riding dominance on big racing days.
The owners of the homebred colt couldn’t be any different from the type of owners that support the Baffert racing machine. Diane and John Fradkin have a small commercial breeding operation with only two mares.
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McCarthy was quick to point out that it was the little guy in racing who prevailed late Saturday afternoon.
“That’s what our game is built on,” said McCarthy. “There’s so much that goes into getting to the races, let alone a race like the Preakness. The Fradkins have a small breeding operation. They’re passionate about it. They put a lot of time and effort into it.”
The son of Twirling Candy and the Post Time second selection went off at 11-1 and completed the 1 3/16-mile journey in 1:53.62 to win racing’s second jewel of the Triple Crown. It was the second fastest Preakness time in the last 14 years, only the filly Swiss Skydiver’s effort last year was faster.
The winner returned $25.60 to his backers for the win, $10 to place and $5.80 to show. Midnight Bourbon paid $4.60 to place and $3 to show. The beleaguered Derby winner Medina Spirit faded to third and paid $2.80 to show. The $1 trifecta paid $162.70 and the $2 exacta paid $98.60, the ninth straight year a horse at odds of greater than 8-1 cracked the exacta.
The versatile Rombauer has now won on all three racing surfaces, on the turf at Del Mar, on the synthetic at Golden Gate and on the Pimlico dirt on Saturday.
His win at Golden Gate in the El Camino Real Derby qualified him for the Preakness. The Fradkins convinced McCarthy to skip the Derby to run in the Preakness after finishing third in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
It was a decision McCarthy was against, but John Fradkin swayed him to look toward Baltimore where a smaller and likely weaker field would be waiting.
“You know, I can understand why Michael wanted him to run (in the Derby), but I think he can understand why I didn’t want him to run,” said Fradkin. “Michael is the consummate horseman. He’s focused on the horses and getting them to be their best. Where we disagree is usually just a handicapping thing.”
It paid off in dividends as the sleek bay colt led the front runners battle it out early and he slowly made headway around the far turn, pouncing on the leaders at the top of the stretch.
Prat, who won his second classic aboard Rombauer, piloted the colt perfectly closing in the middle of the track, blowing by the leaders to finish 3½ lengths in front of Midnight Bourbon.
“Down the backside he was traveling well and was passing horses one by one,” said Prat. “I was pretty confident going to the three-eighths pole, I was behind the two favorites in the race and I thought, well, maybe if he switched it and give me a good kick, I might be able to run them down.”
Three-time Eclipse winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. didn’t know what hit him exiting the scale after the race. He could only shake his head as he thought Midnight Bourbon was poised for the win when Rombauer came out of nowhere.
“I don’t how fast he can run, but when he came by me, he came by me fast,” said Ortiz.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen was pleased with Midnight Bourbon’s effort, the betting public bet him down to 3-1 before they left the gate.
“Irad gave him a dream trip, he broke as expected,” said Asmussen. I thought he put enough pressure on Medina Spirit to make it a horse race,” said Asmussen. “Solid fractions they were running, he showed up, he’s improving, but he’s not there yet.”
“Irad’s comments to me were that he came into the stretch, felt like a winner, had a lot of horse and got run by,” said Asmussen. “The winner ran a great race.”
McCarthy gave credit to his mentor, Hall of Fame-elect trainer Todd Pletcher, who is still seeking his first Preakness victory.
“Everything we do sort of channels what we did when I worked there,” said McCarthy. “I always try to refer to something he would do. It’s strand to believe that I’ve won something he hasn’t. I’m sure that won’t last for long.”
For Medina Spirit, it just wasn’t meant to be as he was pressured early by Midnight Bourbon and didn’t get the same trip as he did in Louisville. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez lauded his gutsy colt for his effort.
“I knew he was going to be pressed today and I was hoping he wasn’t going to overdo it, but he did,” said Velazquez. “By the quarter pole, the other horse (Midnight Bourbon) put his head in front but he kept fighting. Most horses when they get passed at the quarter pole just give up and he kept running. You have to give it to him.”
Medina Spirit’s connections will now await the split sample test results to see if their Kentucky Derby win will be upheld or face disqualification due to confirmation of the well documented positive drug test disclosed earlier this week.
For Rombauer, the Belmont Stakes is a definite possibility where some of the quality Derby horses such as Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie, and possibly Mandaloun will run back with five weeks rest since the Derby. Pletcher will also have some horses in waiting for his protégé at Big Sandy.
It should be a quality field on Long Island at Belmont Park on June 5 where this year’s final jewel of the Triple Crown will be contested.
Gene Kershner, a Buffalo-based turf writer, is a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association and tweets @EquiSpace.