Top 10 Races of 2024: Seize the Grey Wins Preakness

With another year coming to an end, BloodHorse staff members were asked to reflect on what they had seen over the last 12 months and vote on the best races of 2024. The Top 10 countdown started Dec. 20 with No. 10, the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), followed by No. 9, the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) and at No. 8: the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1). Today we look back at one of two races that tied for the sixth spot on the list: the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. How it played out The 2024 Preakness Stakes was a race for the ages. In terms of what happened on the racetrack, it was mildly entertaining. My RaceHorse's Seize the Grey and Jaime Torres grabbed the early lead, and when Imagination backed off approaching the first turn, Seize the Grey, a son of Arrogate, led by two lengths on the backstretch and faced just one mild challenge in the stretch. Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan moved into second turning for home on the muddy track but was unable to gain ground in the final furlong as Seize the Grey posted a 2 1/4-length victory. Routine stuff. What made it so special was the 88-year-old man who orchestrated it: Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. At an age when 99.9% of the population cannot fathom working, Lukas continued to show how life can begin at 80 as he became the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race. The Preakness showed that not even Father Time can take away Lukas' amazing ability to mold a classic winner. Running Seize the Grey two weeks after a victory in the Pat Day Mile (G2), Lukas had the 3-year-old razor sharp and beat not only the Kentucky Derby winner but rivals sent out by a trio of the sport's top trainers: Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, and Brad Cox. And after the race, aside from the also special delirious reaction from some of the 2,570 My RaceHorse clients who owned a microshare of Seize the Grey, those three trainers and Ken McPeek, whose Triple Crown bid ended with Mystik Dan's defeat, all wore big smiles as they congratulated Lukas and professed their respect and admiration for him. The sight of a premier trainer winning a Triple Crown race at the age of 88 was cause enough to turn the Preakness into Top 10 material. Quotable Joe Perez, BloodHorse managing editor: "While Seize the Grey led almost every stride, the real excitement—and what made the race memorable to me—was Mystik Dan's late move as the field hit the top of the stretch. Will he or won't he? The prospect of the first horse since Justify in 2018 to win the first two legs added to the drama. Equally as impressive was Seize the Grey not relenting to the pressure as both Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom tried unsuccessfully to reel him in as they approached the wire." Impact In a year in which a pair of 3-year-olds, Sierra Leone and Fierceness, ran 1-2 in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), they loom as the favorites for the Eclipse Award for the champion 3-year-old male. Even with a win in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) later in the year, a spot among the three finalists seems the ceiling for the Preakness winner. The outcome points to Lukas' continuing ability to prepare horses for top races and provides another big victory for MyRacehorse and its microshare approach to ownership. Notable It was Lukas' 15th Triple Crown win and first since the 2013 Preakness... His first classic win was also the Preakness, 44 years ago in 1980... He has won two Triple Crown races since turning 75. … This is the second classic winner for MyRacehorse, which partnered with Spendthrift Farm, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing on 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. MyRacehorse is the sole owner of Seize the Grey, purchasing the son of Arrogate in 2022 for $300,000 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton New York's select yearling sale. Note: The Top 10 will take a break on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but will return to the BloodHorse website Dec. 26 and in the Dec. 27 issue of BloodHorse Daily.