Nine of the 10 runners in the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico May 15, are Kentucky-breds, including leading contenders Concert Tour and Midnight Bourbon.
Concert Tour and Midnight Bourbon, along with Ram, Keepmeinmind, Crowded Trade, Rombauer, France Go de Ina, Unbridled Honor, and Risk Taking will try to knock off Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Medina Spirit, who seeks to add the second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown to his list of accomplishments.
The most accomplished of the nine Kentucky-bred runners is Gary and Mary West’s homebred Concert Tour. The son of Street Sense—Purse Strings, by Tapit, rattled off three consecutive victories to begin his career, including wins in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park. He bypassed the Kentucky Derby and has been pointed to the Preakness since a third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10. He has been training forwardly for trainer Bob Baffert, who also conditions Medina Spirit. Jockey Mike Smith replaces Joel Rosario in the saddle.
Midnight Bourbon, a son of Tiznow out of the Malibu Moon mare Catch the Moon, looks to rebound following a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby for Winchell Thoroughbreds. Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Midnight Bourbon won the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds earlier this year and placed in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) for trainer Steve Asmussen. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount.
Keepmeinmind, a son of Laoban, won last year’s Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. He hasn’t won since in three starts this year, however, and most recently closed ground late to finish seventh in the Kentucky Derby after a troubled break. The bay colt, bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stables, is owned by Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith, and Spendthrift Farm. Robertino Diodoro is the trainer, and David Cohen will be aboard.
Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby in February at Golden Gate Fields for trainer Michael McCarthy. The son of Twirling Candy-Cashmere, by Cowboy Cal, subsequently finished third behind Essential Quality and Highly Motivated in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in his most previous outing. A homebred for John and Diane Fradkin, Rombauer will be ridden by Flavien Prat.
Kentucky-bred France Go de Ina ships in from Japan to contest the Preakness. The son of Will Take Charge was a $100,000 Keeneland September Sale graduate and the chestnut colt has won a pair of races in Japan. He most recently finished in the UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan for owner Yuji Inaida and trainer Hideyuki Mori.
Rounding out the Kentucky-bred contingent are Ram, a son of American Pharoah; Crowded Trade, by More Than Ready; Unbridled Honor, a son of Honor Code; and Risk Taking, by Medaglia d’Oro.