What is the Preakness?
The Preakness Stakes, commonly referred to as the “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”, is an American Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the second jewel in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, preceded by the Kentucky Derby and followed by the Belmont Stakes.
History of the Preakness
The Preakness Stakes was first run at Pimlico on May 27, 1873. It was named after a horseracing horse named Preakness, who won the Dinner Party Stakes on the day the race was established. The first running of the Preakness Stakes was won by Survivor, and the race has been held at Pimlico every year since.
The Preakness Purse
The 2020 Preakness purse was set at $1.5 million, with the winner taking home $900,000. This is an increase from the 2019 Preakness purse of $1.25 million, with the winner taking home $750,000. The purse for the Preakness has increased steadily over the years as the popularity of the race has grown.
What Did the Horses Pay at the Preakness?
At the 2020 Preakness Stakes, the horses paid a total of $3,973,500. The breakdown of the purse is as follows:
- Winner: $900,000
- Second Place: $300,000
- Third Place: $165,000
- Fourth Place: $90,000
- Fifth Place: $45,000
- Sixth Place to Twelfth Place: $24,000 each
Purse Money Distribution
The purse money is distributed to the horses in accordance with the official stakes program. The program determines the amount of money each horse will receive based on their finish in the race. The purse money is distributed as follows:
- First Place: 60% of the total purse
- Second Place: 20% of the total purse
- Third Place: 10% of the total purse
- Fourth Place: 6% of the total purse
- Fifth Place: 3% of the total purse
- Sixth Place to Twelfth Place: 1% of the total purse
The Winning Horse
The winner of the 2020 Preakness Stakes was Swiss Skydiver, a three-year-old filly trained by Kenneth G. McPeek and ridden by Robby Albarado. Swiss Skydiver is the first filly to win the Preakness since Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
The Winning Jockey
Robby Albarado is the jockey who rode Swiss Skydiver to victory in the 2020 Preakness Stakes. Albarado has been a professional jockey since 1993, and has amassed over 3,600 wins in his career. This was his first Preakness victory, and his second Triple Crown win, having previously won the Belmont Stakes in 2003.
The Winning Trainer
Kenneth G. McPeek is the trainer of Swiss Skydiver. McPeek has been training horses since the mid-1980s, and has over 4,000 career wins. He has trained numerous graded stakes winners, and has won several of the Triple Crown races, including the 2002 Kentucky Derby with War Emblem.
Other Notable Finishers
Although Swiss Skydiver was the winner of the 2020 Preakness Stakes, there were several other notable finishers in the race. Authentic, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by John Velazquez, finished second, while Art Collector, trained by Thomas M. Drury Jr. and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., finished third.
Conclusion
The 2020 Preakness Stakes saw a thrilling race, with Swiss Skydiver becoming the first filly to win the race since Rachel Alexandra in 2009. The purse for the Preakness was set at $1.5 million, with the winner taking home $900,000. The purse money was distributed in accordance with the official stakes program, with the winner taking home 60% of the total purse. The jockey who rode Swiss Skydiver to victory was Robby Albarado, and the trainer was Kenneth G. McPeek.