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Preakness Notes: Belmont Stakes Under Consideration For Runner-Up Midnight Bourbon

Steve Asmussen, the Hall of Fame trainer of Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, said Sunday that the June 5 Belmont Stakes (G1) is under consideration for the runner-up in Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle, Midnight Bourbon prompted a solid pace set by Medina Spirit, who led throughout in the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1), before drawing clear in upper stretch. The son of Tiznow looked home free until Rombauer swept by in the final sixteenth of a mile for a 3 1/2-length victory.

“Proud of his effort,” said Asmussen, who was seeking a third victory in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown following two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (2007) and filly Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year. “Irad gave him a great chance, and the horse ran hard and ended up second. But I don't think everybody is that far off. He's a quality horse, continuously running better.

“He had every chance yesterday and he ran second. He's a good horse who needs to continuously get better,” he added, “but, we have a lot of confidence that he will, pedigree-wise, and who he is physically and the fact that he has continuously improved to this point.”

Midnight Bourbon left Pimlico to van back to Churchill Downs right before dawn Sunday morning. Asked if the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes might be in the plans, Asmussen said, “Of course it is … all major 3-year-old races are under consideration for the rest of the year. Let's get him back to normal circumstances just to see where we're at with him. That also gives us time to see everything that's out there and knock out a plan for him for the second half of the year.”

Midnight Bourbon went off as the 3-1 second choice behind 2-1 favorite Medina Spirit. The massive colt came into the 1 3/16-mile classic with a 2-2-3 record in eight starts, his only out-of-the-money finish coming when he broke awkwardly before finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Midnight Bourbon won the Lecomte (G3), was third in the Risen Star (G2) and checked in second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. He had beaten and held his own against Mandaloun, who was second by a half-length in the Kentucky Derby.

Midnight Bourbon's pedigree and his up-close running style would seem to lend itself to the Belmont Stakes. Tiznow, who was pensioned as a stallion last fall, is the sire of 2005 Belmont winner Da' Tara.

“Absolutely,” Asmussen said of the Belmont suiting Midnight Bourbon. “I think he has proven he is more than worthy of consideration for the best 3-year-olds in the country.”

Medina Spirit, Concert Tour Exit Preakness in Good Order
Jimmy Barnes, the longtime assistant of trainer Bob Baffert, was packing up shop Sunday morning at Pimlico Race Course. Medina Spirit, who tired to third in the Saturday's Preakness (G1), and Concert Tour, who checked in ninth, got on a van bound for Churchill Downs at 10 a.m.

Once they get to Kentucky, it will be up to Baffert to decide what is next for the two colts.

“We will evaluate everything and Bob will see what direction he wants to go with them,” Barnes said.

Both Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit and Gary and Mary West's Concert Tour came out of the Preakness in good shape, he said. Medina Spirit, who led throughout the Kentucky Derby (G1) two weeks earlier, set the pace before being overtaken in the stretch by Midnight Bourbon, who was then passed by the late-charging Rombauer.

“He ran his race,” Barnes said. “The second quarter is what got us. Once they threw up that 46 (46.93 seconds), it was a bit much,” Barnes said. “We just need to give him a little bit more time between races. Bob knows what to do and I will feed him the information and he will tell us what to do.”

Concert Tour was never a factor in the Preakness. He was bumped at the start by Risk Taking and the colt that was expected to vie for the lead never got there.

It was his second straight loss after starting his career with three wins.

“That's horse racing,” Barnes said. “You can't go out there and win every race. You try to. There were nine other horses out there and if you don't get your trip, you don't get your trip.”

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Rombauer Upsets 146th Preakness With Powerful Stretch Run

Trainer Michael McCarthy made his first start in a Triple Crown race a big one at Pimlico race course in Baltimore, Md., winning Saturday's 146th running of the Grade 1, $1-million Preakness Stakes with John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Twirling Candy colt Rombauer. Ridden to perfection by Flavien Prat, Rombauer came from off the pace to win the Triple Crown's middle jewel, racing past dueling leaders Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit in midstretch to win by 3 1/2 lengths.

Midnight Bourbon held second, with 2-1 favorite Medina Spirit third, Keepmeinmind fourth and Crowded trade fifth in the field of 10 3-year-olds. Unbridled Honor, France Go de Ina, Risk Taking, Concert Tour and Ram completed the order of finish.

Rombauer paid $25.60 for the win, his third from seven career starts. He ran the 1 3/16 miles in 1:53.62.

“I'm so proud of this horse, everybody involved,” said McCarthy, fighting back tears as he spoke to NBC's Kenny Rice. “It means a lot to be here and participate on a day like this. I'm happy for the Fradkins. It just goes to show you that small players in this game can be successful, as well. Hats off to everybody. I wish my family could be here. Fantastic.”

Rombauer was produced from the Cowboy Cal mare, Cashmere

With just two mares, the Fradkins typically sell their foals but they opted to race Rombauer after COVID-19 altered the 2020 auction schedule of 2-year-olds in training. On the advice of consignor Eddie Woods, they put him in training instead, sending him to McCarthy in California, and had hoped to sell him privately once he raced.

Rombauer won his debut on July 25, coming from off the pace to win a one-mile maiden race on turf by a half length. John Fradkin was hoping that would generate interest in the horse, but when the Beyer Speed Figure came up a relatively low 55, there were no calls.

After Rombauer's Preakness victory, Fradkin said he later would learn that Del Mar's timing system was not working properly and the race was probably run much faster than the official time. If the real time was published, Fradkin said, the horse probably would have been sold.

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Medina Spirit Passes All Tests to Run in Preakness

After undergoing three rounds of out-of-competition blood sample testing as part of an agreement between the Maryland Jockey Club and Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit (Protonico), Concert Tour (Street Sense) and Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) have been reported clear and are eligible to race this weekend at Pimlico Race Course in the GI Preakness S. and GII Black-Eyed Susan S.

Two samples were drawn May 6 and May 10, respectively by the Maryland Racing Commission and were screened by Industrial Laboratories in Colorado. A third sample was drawn on May 11 by 1/ST RACING and MJC and screened by the University of California at Davis Maddy Laboratory.

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The Show Continues in Preakness

BALTIMORE, MD–Immediately after the May 1 GI Kentucky Derby, it appeared that the GI Preakness S. two weeks hence would be a routine affair. Trainer Bob Baffert would be heading to Pimlico with a record seventh Derby victory under his belt and he would be in the enviable position of trying to collect his eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. And then the unthinkable happened. The Derby winner, Medina Spirit (Protonico), tested positive for Betamethasone, a substance banned on race day. That single event sparked a week of drama, statements, interviews and a ton of speculation. Initially, the public was told the horse did not receive the drug. Then, it was discovered the colt, who had been wrestling with a skin condition, required an anti-fungal. Enter Otomax, said anti-fungal which contains, you guessed it, Betamethasone. As the week progressed, the speculation continued, lawyers racked up billable hours and later in the week, the local officials gave the green light for the Baffert horses to race after early testing came back negative for any prohibited substances. While many must have given a sigh of relief, the next hurdle remains, can Medina Spirit follow up with a win Saturday? Will a victory silence his detractors or will it simply give the media more fodder for the ensuing three weeks to the June 5 GI Belmont S.? And while the morning line favorite appears to be, at least on paper, the one to beat, nine rivals will try to stand in his way.

Team Spirit
Which ever way you cut the cake, Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit and stablemate TDN Rising Star Concert Tour (Street Sense) enter Saturday's Classic with the deepest credentials. Medina Spirit took his debut at Los Alamitos last December before finishing second in the Jan. 2 GIII Sham S. to another Baffert monster, TDN Rising Star Life Is Good (Into Mischief). That duo met again in the Mar. 6 GII San Felipe S. and once again, Medina Spirit had to settle for second–beaten eight lengths–while the early Derby favorite was forced to the sidelines after suffering a leg injury in training later in the month. Medina Spirit forged on the Apr. 3 GI Santa Anita Derby, and finished runner-up behind Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}). Sent off no better than 12-1 for the Derby, Medina Spirit went to the front and never looked back en route to a half-length victory over 26-1 chance Mandaloun (Into Mischief).

Taking a difference approach early in his 3-year-old season, Gary and Mary West's Concert Tour earned his Rising Star status with an emphatic score going six panels at Santa Anita before making it two straight with a victory in the seven-furlong GII San Vincente S. Feb. 6. Back on top in the Mar. 13 GII Rebel S. over 8 1/2 furlongs, he finished third in the Apr. 10 GI Arkansas Derby.

Medina Spirit, accompanied by a returning John Velazquez, exits the three hole, while Concert Tour breaks from the 10. Mike Smith gets the call.

“[Concert Tour] is a speed horse, so he will get out of there and get a position and be on the outside somewhere,” said Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes. “I think we're fine with both our positions. They are both front-running horses, so they will probably will be up there in the clear, hopefully. He's one that is placed forwardly in the racing. Being on the outside should be fine.”

Chad Brown offers up two in this year's Preakness renewal, Crowded Trade and Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro). The former won at first asking at the Big A before coming up a nose short in the Mar. 6 GIII Gotham S. Mostly recently, the chestnut came from off the pace to finish third behind a pair of longshots in the Apr. 3 Wood Memorial S. Risk Taking came home a winner in two consecutive starts, including the Feb. 6 GIII Withers S. before offering little when seventh as the 2-1 choice on the Wood. Javier Castellano climbs aboard Crowded Trade for the first time, while Jose Ortiz joins Risk Taking.

“Crowded Trade ran a really good race in only his third start,” Brown said. “He did hang a little bit in the lane, but he made up a lot of ground after breaking bad. Risk Taking was quite a disappointment that day. He was coming into the race in excellent form and his numbers were heading the right way. He just didn't fire.”

According to Brown, Risk Taking took a lot of kickback in the Wood, causing the colt to have one eye closed the following day.

“Clearly, the kickback impacted him to some degree,” Brown said. “Whether that fully explains why he just quit in that race, I will never be certain of it. I am just going to draw a line through that race. I just hope he can get back to his race in the Withers, which would put him in contention here.”

Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), winner of the Jan. 16 GIII Lecomte S., followed up with a third behind Mandaloun in the GII Risen S. before finishing second in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20. Typically on or near the engine in his races, the imposing bay broke slowly after the ground gave away under him at the start of the Kentucky Derby, leaving him uncharacteristically far back in the early going. He rallied to finish a respectable sixth.

“We're expecting a very good run from him,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who previously won the Preakness with Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009. “I thought he was in great physical shape going into the Derby..everything was going extremely well. Missing the break did not put him in the position necessary for him to have success. From where he was, he ran reasonably well but not good enough. Here we are with a lot of horse going into the Preakness and expecting a better outcome.”

Midnight Bourbon exits Post 5 with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons for the first time.

GII Kentucky Jockey Club winner Keepmeinmind (Laoban) has failed to hit the board in a trio of starts this term, including a seventh in the Kentucky Derby, but his trainer Robertino Diodoro thinks the late-closing colt can turn things around Saturday.

“The only thing is, the race is run on dirt and not paper,” he said. “You know how that goes sometimes. But on paper, I think there's definitely enough pace and the smaller field helps. I think we drew well [Post 2], and will stay on the rail as long as we can..You got to worry about your own horse, and we're not going to change our running style. We tried that once a couple of starts ago, because of the lack of speed and it didn't turn out [fifth in the GII Blue Grass S. Apr. 3]. We're going to go back to our normal way of just worrying about our horse and hoping he's doing well–and definitely don't take him out of his element.”

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