2015 Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes[1] | |
Location | Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
---|---|
Date | May 16, 2015 |
Winning horse | American Pharoah |
Jockey | Victor Espinoza |
Trainer | Bob Baffert |
Owner | Zayat Stables, LLC |
Conditions | Sloppy |
Surface | Dirt |
Attendance | 131,680 (record at the time) |
The 2015 Preakness Stakes, (run as the
The event carried a $1,500,000
Pre-race
Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed on May 3 that the 2015 Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah came out of the Derby in good health and would be running the Preakness Stakes.[5] The connections of the other top three finishers, Firing Line and Dortmund, announced they would challenge in the event.[6]
Two contenders that did not appear in the Kentucky Derby were announced as probable entrants in late April:
A week prior to the Preakness, other contenders were announced. These included fifth-placed Kentucky Derby competitor Danzig Moon and the also-eligible Tale of Verve who did not start in the Derby.[7]
The draw for the race was held on May 13 and eight horses were entered.[8] This was the smallest field in 15 years.[9] American Pharoah drew the pole position and was installed as the morning line favorite.[10] All entries carried 126 pounds.[1][11]
Race description
Immediately prior to post time, the skies opened up with a heavy downpour and thunder, changing the track conditions.[12] The infield and grandstands were evacuated shortly before post time due to concerns about spectators being struck by lightning.[13] The last time the Preakness had been run on a sloppy track was in 1983.[14] American Pharoah was the only horse in the field to have previously won under such conditions, having won the Rebel Stakes on a sloppy track.[15] He had the lead within the first quarter-mile and was challenged by Mr. Z early on, but held the lead on the inside throughout the race. He was challenged by Dortmund and then Divining Rod, but American Pharoah broke from the pack in the homestretch and won by seven lengths, as Tale of Verve made a strong rally to overtake Divining Rod to place. Firing Line slipped badly at the start and was eased in the stretch.[1] Baffert commented on American Pharoah's race, "when I saw those ears go up [on the backside of the track], I thought, ‘Oh, yeah. Oh yeah.’” The win by American Pharoah set up an attempt for the Triple Crown for the second time in two years.[12]
Due to weather conditions, the winning time of 1:58.46 was the slowest time since Hill Prince won in 1950 with a time of 1:59.20, and well off the record, set by Secretariat in 1973, of 1:53.00.[16] The intensity of the rain was described in a post-race interview by Firing Line's rider, Gary Stevens, who explained that he weighed in at 120 pounds with equipment prior to the race, but was 135 pounds afterwards—without his helmet—and needed to empty water out of his riding boots following his weigh-out. Stevens added that the conditions made little difference to the outcome, however, saying "it would take a super horse to beat what might be a super horse in American Pharoah."[17]
The city of Baltimore had been in a state of tension due to the
The full chart
Finish Position |
Margin (lengths) |
Post Position |
Horse name | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Morning Line Odds |
Post Time Odds |
Stakes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0 | 1 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | Zayat Stables, LLC | 4-5 | 0.90 | $900,000 |
2 | 7 | 5 | Tale of Verve | Brian Hernandez, Jr.
|
Dallas Stewart | Charles E. Fipke | 30-1 | 28.50 | $300,000 |
3 | 8 | 7 | Divining Rod | Javier Castellano | Arnaud Delacour | Lael Stables | 12-1 | 12.60 | $165,000 |
4 | 15+1⁄2 | 2 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | Kaleem Shah
|
7-2 | 4.50 | $90,000 |
5 | 17+1⁄4 | 3 | Mr. Z | Ramon A. Vazquez | D. Wayne Lukas | Calumet Farm | 20-1 | 16.40 | $45,000 |
6 | 18+1⁄4 | 4 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark E. Casse | John C. Oxley | 15-1 | 13.40 | |
7 | 45 | 8 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | Arnold Zetcher, LLC | 4-1 | 3.00 | |
8 | 48+1⁄4 | 6 | Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales
|
Jose Corrales | 20-1 | 29.90 |
- Winning owner and breeder: Zayat Stables, LLC
- Final time: 1:58.46[1]
- Margins: 7 lengths, 1 length[1]
- Track: Sloppy
- Attendance: 131,680
Payout
The 140th Preakness payout schedule[1]
Pgm | Horse | Win | Place | Show |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | American Pharoah | $3.80 | $3.40 | $2.80 |
5 | Tale of Verve | – | $19.00 | $8.80 |
7 | Divining Rod | – | – | $5.20 |
- $2 Exacta (1-5) $124.40
- $2 Trifecta (1-5-7) $985.00
- $1 Superfecta (1-5-7-2) $1,906.90
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Pimlico Race 13 May 16, 2015" (PDF). Equibase. May 16, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Press release", Pimlico Race Course Preakness web site, February 18, 2015.
- ^ Hoppert, Melissa (May 16, 2015). "Preakness 2015: American Pharoah Wins Second Leg of Triple Crown". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ 2015 Preakness Stakes Media Guide; page 97.
- YahooSports. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Ron (April 29, 2015). "Tale of Verve Among 22 Entered for KY Derby". Blood-Horse.com. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ Blood-Horse Staff (May 11, 2015). "Preakness Stakes Hopefuls Remain On Target". Blood-Horse.com. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Mitchell, Ron (May 13, 2015). "Mr. Z Bought by Calumet, Entered in Preakness". Blood-Horse.com. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Associated Press. "American Pharoah Heads Small Field of 8 Horses in Preakness". ABC News. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ LaMarra, Tom (May 13, 2015). "American Pharoah Draws Post 1 for Preakness". Blood-Horse. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
- ^ "Results - Horse Racing - Daily Racing Form". Daily Racing Form. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ The Daily News (New York). Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ Payne, Marissa (May 16, 2015). "Preakness infield evacuated due to lightning, but the race went on". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "Live updates: Preakness Stakes 2015 – American Pharoah breezes to win, Triple Crown hopes alive". AL.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "2015 Preakness Stakes forecast: How does American Pharoah run on sloppy track? (VIDEO)". NJ.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Hegarty, Matt (June 19, 2012). "Secretariat awarded Preakness record at 1:53 after review". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ "Stevens: It would take a super horse to beat a super horse". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Ehalt, Bob (May 16, 2015). "Preakness has added importance for Baltimore". ESPN. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ "American Pharoah team accepts Preakness trophy". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2015.