Milestone Moments Happen at the 2024 Preakness Stakes

The 2024 Preakness Stakes ran in Baltimore on Saturday, May 18. While there was much anticipation and speculation around the race, the race itself provided little drama. Seize the Gray led from very early on and never faded, securing a decisive victory.

The Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan entered race day as the favorite. The Kenny McPeek-trained horse and jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. made a late push to make things interesting. However, Seize the Gray and jockey Jaime Torres held on for the win. This victory marked the seventh Preakness win for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

May 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Trainer D. Wayne Lukas in the Preakness Stakes barn. | Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Seize the Gray wasn't at the Derby and came in as a long shot. After a commanding win at the Pat Day Mile on May 4, Lukas wasn't surprised by the horse's ability at all.

"Ride more aggressive," Lukas said after that win, per David Grening of Daily Racing Form. "My horses run on the pace, they're more aggressive, so I wanted him to do that."

Of course, racing fans always hope for a Triple Crown winner; who couldn't cheer for the 88-year-old trainer, D. Wayne Lukas? With this win, he becomes the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race.

Mystik Dan's bid for the second leg of the Triple Crown was a major storyline coming out of the Kentucky Derby, but it was largely overshadowed in the days leading up to the Preakness. The Bob Baffert-trained Muth was the early favorite over Mystik Dan to win the Preakness but was officially scratched on Wednesday after developing a fever.

"We are sick about this. The horse had been doing really well," Baffert said, per Dylan Svoboda of the New York Post. "But we have to do what's right by the horse."

While we'll never know how much Muth's absence impacted the outcome, Saturday's muddy track certainly appeared to be a factor. Rather than racing to the front early, Hernandez settled into the middle of the pack, choosing to stalk the front-runners before pushing Mystik Dan to a late surge. It's fair to wonder if the track played a role in that strategy.

It's also fair to wonder if that strategy hurt Mystik Dan. The colt took the lead early at the Kentucky Derby and never let anyone in front of him. He didn't have to worry about the kickback. With the muddy track at the Preakness, the horse had mud being thrown at him the whole race.

Torres seemed to take Lukas' stellar and proven winning advice and made an aggressive push early, taking the lead shortly after exiting the gate. The pair opened up a large lead by the midpoint of the race before Hernandez made his move. Hernandez tried to use the same approach he did at the Derby by finding the rail, but it wasn't working. He then pushed the Derby winner outside to try to get by Imagination and past Seize the Gray.

Torres never let up on his pace, and the late surge by the other horses and jockeys was not enough.

In yet another milestone moment, the race marked the Triple Crown debut of Torres, whose first racing win came in September of 2022.

Order of Finish and Prize Money Payout

Seize the Gray - $1.2 Million
Mystik Dan - $400,000
Catching Freedom - $220,000
Tuscan Gold - $120,000
Just Steel - $60,000
Uncle Heavy
Imagination
Mugatu

There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2024, as Justify (2018) remains the last horse to achieve the feat. However, fans will have another chance to take in some Triple-Crown action in just a couple of weeks. The final leg of the series, the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled for June 8.