We expected it. We got it. Just not exactly as we thought.

Kentucky Derby winner and focus of every human this week at Pimlico Race Course Medina Spirit went head to head with a game Midnight Bourbon down the stretch in the Preakness Stakes. They were fighting for tote board positioning only – Rombauer already beat them in the Maryland twilight.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

The 11-1 shot used dawdling times to hang behind four horses before making his move at the top of the stretch. And, oh boy, what a move. Jockey Flavien Prat, winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby fiasco that elevated longshot Country House to the winners circle actually won the race on merit this time. He flew faster than a NetJets plane down the center of the track for the easy win.

A grand total of zero NBC analysts selected Rombauer to win the race. They had like a dozen people there. No one gave this horse a shot. They didn’t even talk with the connections of the horse until the number six horse crossed the finish line first.

You almost get the feeling the connections of Rombauer got a shock of electricity when their horse came in first. The owner of the horse thanked the mother of the horse. You don’t hear that one everyday. Until Saturday evening, Rombauer hadn’t won a graded stakes race in his career. All of a sudden, he’s one of the top handful of 3-year-olds in the country. That’s how crazy this game works.

“I’m so proud of this horse,” trainer Michael McCarthy said choking up with emotion. “Coming to the quarter pole, I started to get a little excited. It was like an out of body experience. Fantastic.”

Rombauer paid a shade under $26 dollars to win on a $2 bet.

McCarthy found enough to composure to deadpan that celebrity trainers like Todd Pletcher (who McCarthy trained under) and Wayne Lukas that he “didn’t want to leave them flat footed, so I had to surprise them.”  

Midnight Bourbon, the chic horse who became the favorite with the Derby winner for most of the weekend, ended up in second while Medina Spirit finished his quest for the Triple Crown a disappointment in third place.

The Belmont won’t draw much appeal from those who casually follow the sport, but this race at Pimlico changes the entire complexion of horse racing’s current landscape in its most important division.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who won* the Kentucky Derby on the first day of this month, said he didn’t want to come to Baltimore this week and become a disturbance for the other horses in the Preakness Stakes. Baffert then proceeded to toss an entire Alibi Breakfast’s worth of excuses after a positive drug test at the Derby. He lost on Saturday and might lose again if the second sample comes back positive.

That takes place in the future. Right now, a horse enjoys a blanket of Black-Eyed Susans and a place in Pimlico lore. Sometimes the good guys win.

Chris Dachille
Chris Dachille

A veteran in television production here in Baltimore, Chris Dachille brings his 15 year experience of watching sports for a living to BSL. Dachille voted in the Associated Press Top 25 for six seasons. He enjoys all sports and hopes that pitchers continue to hit in the National League.

X