May 19, 2018; Baltimore, MD, USA; Mike Smith aboard Justify (7) passes Jose L. Ortiz aboard Good Magic (5) during the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2018
(Reuters) – Unbeaten Justify pulled away in the fog to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as the Kentucky Derby winner set the stage for a Triple Crown bid next month.
The heavily favored three-year-old chestnut colt overcame the initial challenge of Good Magic on a sloppy track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore to add to his Churchill Downs triumph with a fifth victory in as many races.
A hard-charging Bravazo finished second and Tenfold was third as Good Magic faded toward the end of the 1 3/16 mile (9.5 furlongs) dirt track race.
A victory in the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9 would earn trainer Bob Baffert his second U.S. thoroughbred racing Triple Crown in four years after American Pharoah achieved the feat in 2015.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina)
