{{short description|143rd running of the Preakness Stakes}} {{Infobox horse race | name = 143rd Preakness Stakes | class = Grade I stakes race | horse race = Preakness Stakes | image = 2018PreaknessLogo.jpg | caption = '''"The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown"<br />"The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans"''' | location = Pimlico Race Course<br />Baltimore, United States | date = {{Start date|2018|5|19}} | distance = {{convert|1+3/16|mi|furlong m|abbr=on}} | winning horse = Justify | winning time = 1:55.93 | final odds = 0.40–1 | winning jockey = Mike E. Smith | winning trainer = Bob Baffert | winning owner = China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm | conditions = Sloppy<ref name="PreaknessChart">{{cite web|title=Chart of the 2018 Preakness Stakes|url=http://www.equibase.com/premium/chartEmb.cfm?track=PIM&raceDate=05/19/2018&cy=USA&rn=13|website=Equibase|access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> | surface = Dirt | attendance = {{Decrease}} 134,487<ref name="BHPreakness">{{cite web|last1=Balan|first1=Jeremy|title=Justify Emerges From the Fog to Win Preakness|url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/227633/justify-emerges-from-the-fog-to-win-preakness|website=BloodHorse.com|access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> | previous = 2017 | next = 2019 }}
The '''2018 Preakness Stakes''' was the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the American Triple Crown. It was a Grade I stakes race with a purse of $1.5 million for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of {{frac|1|3|16}} miles (1.9 km). It was held on May 19, 2018, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland and was broadcast on NBC from 5:00 pm to 7:15 pm EDT with coverage of the undercard on NBCSN starting at 2:30 pm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Preakness Stakes 2018|url=http://www.nbcsports.com/preakness-stakes|website=NBC Sports|access-date=3 May 2018|date=8 May 2017}}</ref>
It was a very muddy track and extremely foggy at post time with visibility down to a sixteenth of a mile. Out of the gate, Justify went to the early lead while Good Magic rushed up his inside to challenge. The two matched strides for the first mile before Good Magic tired somewhat down the stretch. Justify held off a fast closing Bravazo to win by half a length, keeping alive his hopes of winning the Triple Crown. The Maryland Jockey Club reported a track record total attendance of 134,487, the second highest attendance for American thoroughbred racing events in North America during 2018.
==Field== Entries for the 2018 Preakness were taken on May 16. As is commonly the case with the Preakness, the field for the race featured the winner and other top horses from the Kentucky Derby, facing off with several "new shooters" – horses who either did not qualify for the Derby or whose connections chose to bypass that race to focus on the Preakness.<ref name=NYTDraw /><ref>{{cite web|title=New Shooters in the Preakness |url=http://www.drf.com/blogs/new-shooters-preakness|website=www.drf.com|access-date=3 May 2018}}</ref>
The heavy favorite for the race was Justify, the 2018 Kentucky Derby winner,<ref name=NYTDraw /> even though he bruised his heel during the running of that race. His main rival was Good Magic, the champion two-year-colt of 2017 and runner-up in the Derby.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Balan|first1=Jeremy|title=Good Magic to Challenge Justify in Preakness|url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/227507/good-magic-to-challenge-justify-in-preakness|website=BloodHorse.com|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> Six other horses completed the field: Quip, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby and second in the Arkansas Derby, bypassed the Kentucky Derby to focus on the Preakness; Bravazo (sixth in the Derby); Lone Sailor (eighth); Diamond King (winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes); Sporting Chance (fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes); and Tenfold (fifth in the Arkansas Derby).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wincze Hughes|first1=Alicia|title=Preakness Decisions Hang on Justify's Return to Track|url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/227449/preakness-decisions-hang-on-justifys-return-to-track|website=BloodHorse.com|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diamond King Heading to Preakness|url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/227467/diamond-king-heading-to-preakness|website=BloodHorse.com|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bonesteel|first1=Matt|title=Justify and Good Magic will duel again at Preakness Stakes after 1-2 Kentucky Derby finish|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/14/justify-and-good-magic-will-duel-again-at-preakness-stakes-after-1-2-kentucky-derby-finish/|website=Washington Post|access-date=16 May 2018|date=14 May 2018}}</ref>
==Race description== [[File:2018PreaknessFirstTimePastPost 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Justify leads Good Magic past the stands for the first time in the 2018 Preakness]] The conditions for the race were so poor that the ''Washington Post'' jokingly said the track "should have been downgraded from 'sloppy' to 'biblical'".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sheinin|first1=Dave|title=Justify enters Preakness Stakes chasing history in weather that could be biblical|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/justify-enters-preakness-stakes-chasing-history-in-weather-that-could-be-biblical/2018/05/18/4b9efa9a-5acd-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html|website=Washington Post|access-date=20 May 2018|date=18 May 2018}}</ref> After heavy downpours over several days,<ref name=ESPN>{{cite web|title=Justify wins Preakness; Triple Crown in sight|url=http://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/23549031/justify-overcomes-sloppy-track-pimlico-wins-preakness|website=ESPN.com|access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> the rain finally stopped shortly before the race but then a heavy fog descended, limiting visibility to about a sixteenth of a mile.<ref name=BHPreakness /> Despite the weather, a crowd of 134,487 watched at the track, the third-largest attendance in history. Total wagering on the race was a record $61.97 million, boosted by increases in wagering on exotics such as the trifecta and superfecta. The NBC broadcast received a 5.5 overnight rating and 12 share, a 12% increase over 2017. The ratings during the race itself peaked at 6.6 overnight with a 15 share.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hegarty|first1=Matt|title=Despite wet weather and short fields, Preakness Stakes wagering sets record |url=http://www.drf.com/news/despite-wet-weather-and-short-fields-preakness-stakes-wagering-sets-record|website=www.drf.com|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref> The start was critical, and Justify broke well to take the early lead. To his inside, Good Magic rushed up to challenge and the two matched strides around the first turn and down the backstretch while setting moderate fractions. They picked up the pace rounding the final turn and opened a gap on the rest of the field. However, in mid-stretch, Tenfold started closing ground rapidly to Justify's outside while Bravazo, who had trailed by five lengths in mid-stretch, was moving fastest of all in the center of the track. Justify dug in to win by half a length over Bravazo, with Tenfold just a neck further back in third, another neck in front of Good Magic.<ref name=BHPreakness /><ref name="PreaknessChart" />
It was a record-tying seventh win of the Preakness for Justify's trainer, Bob Baffert.<ref name=BHPreakness /> Five of those wins came with horses who had just won the Kentucky Derby: Silver Charm, Real Quiet, War Emblem and American Pharoah. Of these, only American Pharoah went on to complete the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes.<ref name=ESPN /> Justify later duplicated this feat in the 2018 Belmont Stakes, making Baffert only the second person to train two Triple Crown winners.<ref>{{cite web |title=With two Triple Crowns, is Bob Baffert now the greatest trainer of all time? |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/horses/triple/belmont/2018/06/09/bob-baffert-justify-american-pharoah-triple-crown-trainer/682376002/ |website=The Courier-Journal |access-date=13 June 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
==Results== {|class="sortable wikitable" ! scope="col"| '''Finish''' ! scope="col"| '''{{tooltip|2=Post position|PP}}''' ! scope="col"| '''Horse''' ! scope="col"| '''Jockey''' ! scope="col"| '''Trainer''' ! scope="col"| '''Morning<br />line odds'''<ref name="NYTDraw">{{cite web|last1=Hoppert|first1=Melissa|title=Preakness 2018 Draw and Odds: Justify Is Overwhelming Favorite|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/sports/preakness-draw-odds.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=16 May 2018|date=16 May 2018}}</ref> ! scope="col"| '''Final<br />odds''' ! scope="col"|Margin<br>(lengths) ! scope="col"| '''Winnings''' |- ! 1 | align=center|7 | '''Justify''' | {{sortname|Mike E.|Smith}} | {{sortname|Bob|Baffert}} | align=center|{{ntsh|1}}1-2 | align=center|0.40 | {{ntsh|0}} |$900,000 |- ! 2 | align=center|8 | Bravazo | {{sortname|Luis|Saez|nolink=1}} | {{sortname|D. Wayne|Lukas}} | align=center|{{ntsh|20}}20-1 | align=center|15.30 | {{ntsh|0.5}}{{frac|1|2}} |$300,000 |- ! 3 | align=center|6 | Tenfold | {{sortname|Ricardo|Santana Jr.|Ricardo Santana Jr.}} | {{sortname|Steve|Asmussen}} | align=center|{{ntsh|20}}20-1 | align=center|26.10 | {{ntsh|0.75}}{{frac|3|4}} | $165,000 |- ! 4 | align=center|5 | Good Magic | {{sortname|José|Ortiz|José Ortiz (jockey)}} | {{sortname|Chad|Brown|Chad Brown (horse trainer)}} | align=center|{{ntsh|3}}3-1 | align=center|3.90 | {{ntsh|1}}1 | $90,000 |- ! 5 | align=center|2 | Lone Sailor | {{sortname|Irad|Ortiz Jr.}} | {{sortname|Tom|Amoss}} | align=center|{{ntsh|15}}15-1 | align=center|13.80 | {{ntsh|2}}2 | $45,000 |- ! 6 | align=center|3 | Sporting Chance | {{sortname|Luis|Contreras|dab=jockey}} | {{sortname|D. Wayne|Lukas}} | align=center|{{ntsh|30}}30-1 | align=center|23.30 | {{ntsh|10.75}}{{frac|10|3|4}} | |- ! 7 | align=center|4 | Diamond King | {{sortname|Javier|Castellano}} | {{sortname|John|Servis}} | align=center|{{ntsh|30}}30-1 | align=center|20.70 | {{ntsh|12.25}}{{frac|12|1|4}} | |- ! 8 | align=center|1 | Quip | {{sortname|Florent|Geroux}} | {{sortname|Rodolphe|Brisset|nolink=1}} | align=center|{{ntsh|12}}12-1 | align=center|12.50 | {{ntsh|45.5}}{{frac|45|1|2}} | |}
* Winning owner: China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm * Winning breeder: John D. Gunther * Track: Sloppy
'''Times:''' {{frac|1|4}} mile – 0:23.11; {{frac|1|2}} mile – 0:47.19; {{frac|3|4}} mile – 1:11.42; mile – 1:36.10; final – 1:55.93.<br> Splits for each quarter-mile: (:23.11) (:24.08) (:24.23) (:24.68) (:19.83 for final {{frac|3|16}})
Reference: Equibase Chart<ref name=PreaknessChart />
==Payout== '''The 143rd Preakness payout schedule'''<ref name=PreaknessChart /> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Pgm !! Horse !! Win !! Place !! Show |- | style="text-align: center;" | 7 | '''Justify''' | style="text-align: right;" | $2.80 | style="text-align: right;" | $2.80 | style="text-align: right;" | $2.60 |- | style="text-align: center;" |8 | Bravazo | style="text-align: center;" | – | style="text-align: right;" | $7.60 | style="text-align: right;" | $4.80 |- | style="text-align: center;" | 6 | Tenfold | style="text-align: center;" | – | style="text-align: center;" | – | style="text-align: right;" | $6.80 |}
* $2 Exacta (7–8) $27.40 * $1 Trifecta (7–8–6) $148.30 * $1 Superfecta (7–8–6–5) $372.50 * $1 Super High Five (7–8–6–5–2) $1,370.20
==See also== *2018 Kentucky Derby *2018 Belmont Stakes
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{Preakness Stakes}} {{Thoroughbred Racing on NBC}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preakness Stakes, 2018}} 2018 Category:2018 in horse racing Category:May 2018 sports events in the United States Category:2018 in sports in Maryland Category:2010s in Baltimore