The weather should not be a factor in the second leg of the Triple Crown, with almost perfect conditions expected for the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
Dry and partially sunny weather is forecast for Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, when the "Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" returns to its traditional slot in mid-May after being held in October last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Weather Channel forecasts the weather to be mostly sunny with just a 12 percent chance of rain and temperatures between 52 and 76 degrees.
AccuWeather has a similarly promising forecast. It expects the weather to be mostly sunny, with temperatures from a low of 52 degrees to a high of 75. It estimates the chances of rain to be around 5 percent.
Bar unexpected showers, track conditions for the Preakness Stakes will be either good or fast for a third consecutive year. The last time the race was run on a wet track was in 2018, when Justify won on a sloppy surface.
Conditions were fast when War of Will crossed the line first in 2019 and when Swiss Skydiver won in 2020.
The latter was the 14th winner in Preakness history to start from gate No. 4, the post that has produced the second-highest number of winners since the race began using a starting gate in 1909.
Crowded Trade will hope to continue the trend this year. Fresh from a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial, the son of More Than Ready has the fourth-shortest odds at 10-1. Medina Spirit is the bookmakers' favorite at 9-5, followed by Concert Tour at 5-2 and Midnight Bourbon at 5-1.
Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, finishing half a length ahead of Mandaloun, before testing positive for an excessive amount of the steroid betamethasone.
The three-year-colt was found to have 21 picograms per milliliter—more than double the legal threshold in Kentucky horse racing.
Although Medina Spirit has been allowed to race in the Preakness on Saturday, the colt could still be disqualified from the Derby if a second test confirms the initial findings.
Trainer Bob Baffert initially said his horse had been "wronged" when the positive test was revealed. Earlier this week, however, he stated that he had used an ointment that contains betamethasone on Medina Spirit to treat dermatitis.
Medina Spirit's triumph was a record seventh success at the Kentucky Derby for the Hall of Fame trainer, which could be followed by a record-breaking eighth victory at the Preakness if either Medina Spirit or Concert Tour wins.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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