'Stepchild' of the Triple Crown? Debate lingers over restoring the prestige of the Preakness
Talk of Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan not running in the Preakness raised questions about the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, which has in recent years fallen on hard times
BALTIMORE (AP) — D. Wayne Lukas sat in his corner of the stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course earlier this week and pointed several stalls down.
“Thank God the Derby horse came,” Lukas said, referring to Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan running in the Preakness. “It isn’t always a cinch.”
It used to be automatic, something that until recent years made the Preakness a must-see event with a Triple Crown chance nearly always on the line. That was not the case from 2019-22 for various reasons, and the mere possibility of Mystik Dan skipping the Preakness has led to debate over whether the race should be moved back a week or more and what can be done to restore the prestige it has had for the better part of 150 years.
Lukas, the 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer whose next two Preakness runners will be his record-extending 47th and 48th over more than four decades coming to Baltimore, said the thought of it becoming the “stepchild” of the Triple Crown doesn't sit well with horsemen who love showing up.
