Seize the Grey seized the day at the 149th Preakness Stakes.
Before the race, all eyes were on Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and the race track itself, as some rain before the event forced officials to downgrade the track to muddy conditions, which was the first time the track had been muddy for the Preakness in 85 years.
With its victory, Seize the Grey denied Mystik Dan a chance at the Triple Crown, one of the most coveted accomplishments in sports.
However, Mystik Dan came in at second, and appeared to be gaining on Seize the Grey towards the end of the race before the victor pushed ahead to hold on to its lead as it crossed the finish line.
Catching Freedom came in close behind Mystik Dan at third place.
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Seize the Grey and its team will take home the top prize from the Preakness' $2 million purse this year. That compares to a $5 million purse at this year's Kentucky Derby and a $1.5 million purse for last year's Preakness.
The win is the 16th Triple Crown win for Seize the Grey's trainer, Hall of Famer D. Wayner Lukas, who also became the oldest trainer to win the race at 88 years old.
“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.”
For Seize the Grey's jockey Jaime Torres, it was his first Triple Crown win.
For Torres, who only went to jockey school in Puerto Rico in 2022, it was an emotional.
"I'm very excited, very excited," Torres said immediately after the race. "I'm very thankful to all the people who have been behind me, helping me."
Going into the race, Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan was the favorite, with 5-2 morning line odds, after Muth had to be scratched earlier this week due to a fever, bringing the total number of horses to eight.
Muth was trained by Bob Baffert, a Hall of Famer and two-time winner of the Triple Crown. Baffert is also the trainer for Imagination, who was also seen as a contender in the race, but ultimately came in seventh.
Imagination also came into the race tied as the runner-up odds favorite, along with Catching Freedom, at 6-1.
Mugatu, the horse named after Will Ferrell's "Zoolander" character, came in tied for the lowest odds, along with Uncle Heavy, at 20-1 odds. Mugatu finished last at eighth.
Here is the full leaderboard:
1. Seize the Grey
2. Mystik Dan
3. Catching Freedom
4. Tuscan Gold
5. Just Steel
6. Uncle Heavy
7. Imagination
8. Mugatu
The Triple Crown now heads to the last of the three races, the 156th Belmont Stakes, which is slated for June 8.
