Rombauer shocks the racing world with Preakness Stakes victory 

The 2021 Preakness Stakes managed to be a massive success with 10,000 spectators watching as the relative outsider Rombauer raced home to victory. Plus with plenty of controversy over the inclusion of Medina Spirit, it gave horse racing fans in Baltimore a much-needed dose of drama after a difficult year.

The return of a ‘normal’ Preakness Stakes

It was the 146th time that the Preakness Stakes horse race had been run at the legendary Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The race is famous for being part of the American Triple Crown, and it’s always one the pinnacles of the US horse racing year.

For a while, it looked like this year’s Preakness Stakes might not happen. Due to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was thought that the race might have to be pushed back to later in the year as happened in 2020.

But with infection figures falling across Maryland, the race went ahead as planned in its normal May schedule to follow the 2021 Kentucky Derby – the first of the Triple Crown races that took place on May 1.

 

Highlights from the 2021 Preakness Stakes

While there was plenty of drama in the run-up to the big race, in the end, it was Rombauer who managed to race home to victory. The horse surprised many to win by two lengths ahead of the closest challenger – Midnight Bourbon. The fact that Rombauer was at odds of 12-1 would have meant that anyone who had gone to one of the racebooks featured at horsebetting.com could have made an impressive return from this surprise victory.

The race favorite was Medina Spirit who actually managed to stay ahead of the nine other runners for much of the race. However, the racehorse evidently didn’t have what it takes to go the distance and fell into third place in the final stretch.

Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby and the defeat at Preakness Stakes means that there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2021. In fact, many people were surprised that Medina Spirit was allowed to run as the racehorse was found to have elevated levels of the betamethasone drug after its Kentucky Derby win.

The drug is commonly used to treat joint pain in racehorses, and while it is allowed, Medina Spirit was found to have twice the permitted amount. A second test is due to be carried out on the racehorse and if found positive, then Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby win could be invalidated.

The prestige of the Preakness Stakes 

Regardless of what happened in the 2021 Preakness Stakes, it was still a joyous sight to see thousands of spectators pouring back into the Pimlico Race Course. After all, the Preakness Stakes has been running since 1873 and it remains one of the major sporting spectacles in Maryland.

Such is the prestige of the Preakness Stakes that the purse money has recently reached eye-watering amounts. The $1 million price barrier was broken as far back as 1997 and much of this is due to the phenomenal performances that have been put in at this race.

Perhaps the most memorable has to be the stunning victory by Secretariat in 1973. The legendary racehorse still holds the speed record for the Preakness Stakes with a lightning-fast 1:53 and it’s hard to see any runner catching up with this record anytime soon.  However, it’s worth noting the incredible victory by Smarty Jones in 2004 that saw the racehorse beating the competition by over 11 lengths.

The fact that Medina Spirit didn’t manage to win the 2021 Preakness Stakes would have been hugely disappointing for the horse’s trainer – Bob Baffert. This is because Baffert currently holds the joint record for the most wins by a trainer and a Medina Spirit triumph would have taken him into the first position. All of this means that there could be plenty to play for when the next Preakness Stakes rolls around.