2020 preakness | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘She’s A Throwback Horse’: McPeek Reflects On Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness, Horse Of The Year Discussion

After walking Swiss Skydiver a few turns in the Preakness Stakes Barn at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md., on Sunday morning, trainer Ken McPeek was still trying to wrap his mind around the 3-year-old filly's sensational triumph in Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) under a heads-up ride from jockey Robby Albarado.

“I should probably retire today,” McPeek said, “because I don't think it can get higher than this. I really don't. She's beat so many odds. I'm beyond proud of her, proud of Robby and everyone who's handled her. It's been a real team effort. I have some unbelievable people who work for me that help handle the details.”

Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver not only beat the boys in the Preakness, the daughter of Daredevil registered the second-fastest running time in the storied history of Maryland's signature Triple Crown race. The 1:53.28 clocking for her thrilling 1 3/16-mile tour of the Pimlico oval was second only to 1973 Triple Crown champion Secretariat's 1:53 stakes-record time.

“It was surreal,” McPeek said. “It's still surreal.”

Swiss Skydiver defeated Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic by a resolute neck to become the sixth filly to win the Preakness and first since Rachel Alexandra got the better of Derby winner Mine That Bird in 2009. After saving ground on the first turn and into the backstretch aboard the McPeek trainee, Albarado made a decisive move that propelled the filly into the lead heading into the far turn, easing his mount around tiring pacesetter Thousand Words before darting back to the rail inside Authentic. Swiss Skydiver and Authentic dueled around the turn and through the stretch with the 11-1 filly gamely holding off the 3-2 favorite to the wire.

The Grade 1 victory aboard Swiss Skydiver was Albarado's first since 2017, as well as his first graded-stakes win of 2020. The veteran jockey, who has ridden the winners of more than 5,200 races and $220 million in purses, has experienced slowing business the past few years but showed the racing world that he can still win the big ones.

“The thing about it was that we took a negative and made it into a positive. We didn't have a rider until Saturday night (Sept. 26),” said McPeek, who was left without a rider when Tyler Gaffalione opted out. “I called Robby right away and I said, 'Here's what it is going to take for you to ride her. We're going to offer the mount to Mike Smith and wait for his agent to call me back. If his agent says no then I'm going to present to the owner that you're going to ride her. He said, 'OK, let me know, let me know.'

Trainer Kenny McPeek

“We waited for Mike Smith's agent to return our offer, but once I got confirmation he couldn't ride her, I called Robby and said, 'You're on.' I said, 'But here's what we're going to do. We're flying up together; we're going to get on her all week.' I think it was fortuitous because he got on her every day and got to know her. He spent time with her and, every day, he got more confident in her. You need a rider with confidence because if she takes you there, she'll win. We pulled it off.”

Swiss Skydiver is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Monday morning to prepare for a start on the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup program at Keeneland in either the Distaff (G1) or the Classic (G1).

“I like the mile and a quarter of the Classic, but the Distaff, today, is probably the wiser move. But the farther she goes the better,” McPeek said. “We can sit on it. We won't make a rash decision.”

Swiss Skydiver entered the Preakness with four graded-stakes victories against 3-year-old fillies, including the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga, and second-place finishes in the Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland against the boys and Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill. Her victory in the final leg of the reshuffled 2020 Triple Crown puts her in the discussion for Horse of the Year, McPeek said.

“I think you have to make a case for her. I mean, she's run every month of the year except April, and she ran at the end of March and early May. You have to make a case for her. She's entertained coast to coast, north, south, east, west,” he said. “She's amazing. She's not even tired today. She's a throwback horse.”

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Baffert On Preakness 145: ‘Robby Albarado Rode Just A Great Race’

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert praised Preakness (G1) 145 winner Swiss Skydiver and her jockey Robby Albarado during a visit to the Preakness Stakes Barn at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md., on Sunday morning and said he was still stunned with the outcome of the race.

While Baffert's Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic finished a neck behind Swiss Skydiver in the second-fastest Preakness in history, he did not get the pace-setting, catch-me-if-you-can trip under John Velazquez that he had at Churchill Downs four weeks earlier. Instead, Authentic stalked Baffert's other starter, Thousand Words, early on. It was the reverse of what Baffert expected.

“I thought he would be on the lead,” Baffert said. “This horse is a free-running horse. He wants to be out there and going. The other horse was there but they weren't really going that fast.”

The first quarter was run in 24.48 seconds, which turned out to be the slowest of the race that was completed in 1:53.28.

Swiss Skydiver made what proved to be the decisive move going into the far turn when Albarado guided her around the tiring Thousand Words and to the inside of Authentic. She won the dynamic battle through the stretch.

“I have to give credit. Robby Albarado rode just a great race. The mare ran a great race,” Baffert said. “They went 1:53. It's not like he didn't show up.”

A month earlier at the top of the stretch in the Derby, heavily favored Tiz the Law looked poised to overtake Authentic, but he could not complete the task. Baffert was on the other end of that scenario in the Preakness.

“After all of that, I'm still surprised he just could not get by her,” Baffert said. “She just was game. It was one of those things where I said, 'All right, come on, get by her.' They were running, they were leaving the field. It was, 'Wow, did that really just happen?' But he showed up and he ran. The other horse (Thousand Words) he was sort of spinning. He just wasn't running at all.”

Baffert said both of his colts came out the race in good shape and will be shipped back to California on Monday. He said Authentic will be prepared for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Baffert has two other likely Classic runners, the 4-year-olds Improbable and Maximum Security.

Baffert was bidding for a record eighth Preakness victory. He had completed the double with his five previous Derby winners, but the 2020 Triple Crown schedule was changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting four weeks, not two, between the races. Still, Baffert said he was very confident.

“It's the kind of race where I ran second but it was like, 'What happened?'” he said. “I felt really good about him coming into this race, the way he had been working, the way he had been acting. He was fresh. I told Johnny, 'He's really sharp.'”

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Drury ‘Didn’t See A Whole Lot For Excuses’ For Art Collector

Trainer Tommy Drury Jr. looked Art Collector over Sunday morning and said the colt was in good shape coming out of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes 145 dat Pimlico in Baltimore, Md. Bruce Lunsford's homebred son of Bernardini ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. ended up fourth, a head behind Jesus' Team.

Art Collector, the 2-1 second choice in the wagering, was Drury's first Triple Crown starter and came into the Preakness unbeaten in four starts this year.

“I didn't see a whole lot for excuses. For whatever reason he just didn't quite have that normal turn of foot that we see from him,” Drury said. “Around the first turn it looked like Brian tried to kind of get out and couldn't quite get that done. Down the backside he tried to take the same spot that Swiss Skydiver took and unfortunately didn't have enough horse to get there. No excuses at this point. We're going to take our hat off to the filly. She ran great and I'm thrilled for Kenny. We'll get back home and regroup and figure out where we want to go next.”

Drury said one of the options for the colt is the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“It certainly is a possibility, along with a lot of other races,” Drury said. “I think the big thing is to get him back home and make sure he's OK. He seems to be fine this morning.”

A minor foot injury kept Art Collector out of the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, but he was ready for the Preakness, which Drury called “the biggest day of my life.”

“It was exciting,” Drury said. “I wish we could have ran a little better, but that being said I'm proud of my horse. He took me to a place I never got to go to before. We're going to be fine. We just need to regroup a little bit and figure out what to do next.”

Grupo Seven C Stable LLC's Jesus' Team, who finished third at 40-1, exited the Preakness in good order, said trainer Jose D'Angelo.

“I'm very happy for my horse and my team. My horse ran good. He ran a fast time in the stretch,” D'Angelo said. “Our next plan….maybe the Breeders' Cup.”

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Musical Traditions At Preakness To Be Reimagined Thanks To Darin Atwater, Wyclef Jean

The Stronach Group, owners of the legendary Preakness Stakes, together with 1/ST LIVE, leaders in blending the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through uniquely curated events, announce a wholly reimagined entertainment experience for Preakness 145. 1/ST LIVE has partnered with Baltimore's own Darin Atwater, who will serve as this year's Preakness Creative Director. Atwater founded Soulful Symphony in 2000, an orchestra made up of predominantly Black and Latinx musicians who perform a mash-up of Atwater's original compositions along with American Roots Music, covering every conceivable style and genre. Atwater will arrange, orchestrate and oversee the performance and musical transformation of traditional musical Preakness moments, including the National Anthem, Riders Up and the iconic Call to Post.

Joining Atwater and Soulful Symphony will be three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, songwriter and producer, Wyclef Jean. Wyclef – solo superstar and guiding member of hip-hop group, the Fugees – has been a consistently powerful pop culture force for over two decades. He will lend his extensive expertise and creativity to help revamp Riders Up, a race day favorite that signals to the jockeys to mount their horses. Wyclef, Atwater and Soulful Symphony will also use the time and platform that would have been provided for the “Maryland, My Maryland” performance to instead reimagine the musical traditions of the Preakness with a unique and inclusive piece curated for Preakness 145.

Call to Post, the iconic tradition that signals the start of the race, will be presented for the first time as a contemporary mash-up in collaboration with Brian Newman, American jazz musician and Lady Gaga's band leader, and the Maryland Jockey Club's own trumpet duo, Sam Grossman and Beth Dixon. Newman is an acclaimed trumpet player who has performed with the likes of Tony Bennett and Mark Murphy.

“Since 1873, Preakness has been an American institution, built on tradition with an eye towards the future,” said Atwater. “This fusion of tradition and innovation is a hallmark of Soulful Symphony's mission. These reimagined versions of some of the Preakness' long-standing values — whether it's creating a unique piece of music that documents Maryland's rich varied history and diversity or incorporating musicians from the city — are a celebration of Baltimore. Preakness has always been known as “The People's Race,” and we want to pay respect and homage to those who have made Preakness what it is today as well as highlight how the contributions of African-American jockeys were seminal in its beginning.”

Traditionally coinciding with National Military Day on the third Saturday of May, Preakness will move forward with a full day of programming that honors and celebrates branches of the United States military. Beginning the morning of the race, the program will start with the Presentation of Colors by the United States Cyber Command, National Security Agency/Central Security Service Joint Service Color Guard, and the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner by the United States Navy. The Joint Service Color Guard will also present the coveted Woodlawn Vase, transporting the trophy to the cupola winner's circle, where it will await the winner of the 145^th Preakness Stakes (G1). Concluding the military program will be a second Presentation of Colors by the Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion before moving into Soulful Symphony's performance of the National Anthem live on NBC to kick off the broadcast.

“Preakness 145 was an opportunity for us to take a step back and challenge ourselves, especially as the world looks a bit different than it did last year,” said Jimmy Vargas, Executive Vice President, Entertainment, 1/ST LIVE. “We are thrilled to partner with Darin and Soulful Symphony and to have Wyclef Jean and Brian Newman bring Preakness traditions to life in an innovative way and to move forward with new traditions that are inclusive of people of all generations and backgrounds.”

Preakness 145, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 3 will proceed without live spectators. Fans will be able to experience the excitement live on NBC from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the musical performances and races, viewers can expect virtual celebrity appearances from actor and host Mario Lopez, TV host and stylist Jeannie Mai, actor JB Smoove, and singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss who will share their Preakness picks and at home celebrations.

Wagering on Preakness 145 can be enjoyed regardless of where fans are viewing the race day card with handicapping tools available on the 1/ST BET app. Part of the 1/ST TECHNOLOGY suite of handicapping and betting products, 1/ST BET is changing the game by delivering a user-friendly experience that suits everyone from the experienced horseplayer to the first-timer.

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