Preakness Stakes Trends: Looking Back at the Last 5 Winners

The 2024 Preakness Stakes looms on the horizon. And, as ever, the focus switches to the second leg of the Triple Crown after the business of the Kentucky Derby is wrapped up. May 18th will see the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes, with the race set to go off at

It goes with saying that it is one of the biggest horse racing betting events on the calendar, but it can also be one of the best pure sporting spectacles. Picking a Preakness Stakes winner isn’t always easy, but like all major horse races, previous trends can act as decent indicators. In light of that, we are going to take a brief look at the previous five winners of the Preakness Stakes. What set them apart before taking on the track at Pimlico? And what did they achieve thereafter? Let’s dive in:

National Treasure (2023)

Trained by Bob Baffert, although with a short stint under the hand of Tim Yatkeen, given Baffert’s suspension, National Treasure raced at Santa Anita for the majority of his 2yo and 3yo career before winning the 2023 Preakness Stakes. He had a fine run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (3rd behind Forte) in November 2022. His performances in the Sham Stakes and Santa Anita Derby were enough to see him set off as second-favorite in the 2023 Preakness Stakes. Baffert later took National Treasure to the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile (he lost by a nose), but he added the big-money Pegasus World Cup in January of this year and finished a credible 4th in the Saudi Cup in February.

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Early Voting (2022)

A red-hot (literally on the thermometers) 2022 Preakness Stakes saw Early Voting secure a second victory in the race for owner Seth Klarman (Cloud Computing 2017). Early Voting was highly considered before winning his first (and only race) as a 2yo. He started his first graded race, the Withers Stakes, as a firm favorite and duly obliged before finishing a narrow 2nd in the Grade II Wood Memorial. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike swerved the Preakness Stakes in 2022, so Early Voting started as second favorite behind Epicenter. The latter could never get into the race despite a fair effort at the finish. Early Voting could never recapture the magic afterward, though, finishing last in both the Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes.

Rombauer (2021)

Rombauer swerved the Kentucky Derby, with his team admitting it was an ABB decision, AKA Avoid Bob Baffert’s horses. He wasn’t great in his 2yo season, although he did finish with a good 2nd place in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. His 3yo season in 2021 was much better, winning the El Camino Real Derby and posting a good 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes. Rombauer did come up against Baffert Horses in the Preakness, including (disqualified) Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. Rombauer wrapped up a great campaign as a 3yo with a (distant) 3rd in the Belmont Stakes.

Swiss Skydiver (2020)

A fantastic filly – one of only a handful to win the Preakness Stakes – Swiss Skydiver had a bunch of big wins, including the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, before taking on the Preakness. Her odds would have been shorter had she not lined up against Baffert’s Authentic. Swiss Skydiver posted a winning time of 1:53.28 – only bettered by Secretariat in racing history. While she couldn’t make her mark in the Breeders’ Distaff later in the year, she continued on into her 4yo season, winning the Grade 1 Beholder Mile Stakes in March of the next year.

War of Will (2019)

War of Will’s wins in the Lecomte Stakes and Risen Star Stakes were enough to secure a place for War of Will in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, where he was unlucky not to have finished higher than 7th place after being hampered by (the eventually disqualified) Maximum Security. Sportsbooks were buoyed enough by that performance to make him second-favorite for the Preakness Stakes, and he justified that faith by finishing comfortably ahead of the 50-1 longshot Everfast. War of Will, or WOW as he was nicknamed, had a crack at the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic later that year, disappointing in both. However, he did wrap up his career in fine style with a win in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland.

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