2018 Preakness Stakes

143rd Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
Grade I stakes race
"The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown"
"The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans"
LocationPimlico Race Course
Baltimore, United States
DateMay 19, 2018 (2018-05-19)
Distance1+316 mi (9.5 furlongs; 1,900 m)
Winning horseJustify
Winning time1:55.93
Final odds0.40–1
JockeyMike E. Smith
TrainerBob Baffert
OwnerChina Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm
ConditionsSloppy[1]
SurfaceDirt
AttendanceDecrease 134,487[2]
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The 2018 Preakness Stakes was the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the American Triple Crown. It was a Grade I stakes race with a purse of $1.5 million for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+316 miles (1.9 km). It was held on May 19, 2018, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland and was broadcast on NBC from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm EDT with coverage of the undercard on NBCSN starting at 2:30 pm.[3]

It was a very muddy track and extremely foggy at post time with visibility down to a sixteenth of a mile. Out of the gate, Justify went to the early lead while Good Magic rushed up his inside to challenge. The two matched strides for the first mile before Good Magic tired somewhat down the stretch. Justify held off a fast closing Bravazo to win by half a length, keeping alive his hopes of winning the Triple Crown. The Maryland Jockey Club reported a track record total attendance of 134,487, the second highest attendance for American thoroughbred racing events in North America during 2018.

  1. ^ "Chart of the 2018 Preakness Stakes". Equibase. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  2. ^ Balan, Jeremy. "Justify Emerges From the Fog to Win Preakness". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Preakness Stakes 2018". NBC Sports. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2018.