In an era when trainers are loathe to run their horses on a short amount of rest, Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas are the gold standard when it comes to running in and winning the Preakness Stakes (G1) on two weeks' rest.
Baffert holds the record with eight Preakness wins and Lukas is right behind with seven.
Of those 15 winners, 13 of them ran on two weeks' rest and 12 of them raced in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Just last year, Lukas, at the age of 88, won the Preakness with Seize the Grey who was coming off a win in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) two weeks earlier on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard at Churchill Downs.
"I'm fine with running on two weeks' rest," Baffert said. "A lot of trainers don't like to run with that kind of rest. They see it as being difficult. I don't."
Not surprisingly Baffert and Lukas are now at Pimlico Race Course for the 150th edition of the $2 million Preakness May 17, each with a horse that has ... yes, two weeks' rest.
Baffert will send out Goal Oriented, who won a May 3 allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs. Meanwhile Lukas will saddle American Promise, who was 16th two weeks ago in the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
"I find it amazing that you get 26 guys stumbling to get into the Kentucky Derby, then only one or two go on to the Preakness," Lukas said. "But that's the mentality of the owners and trainers these days."
A major story line at the Preakness is the absence of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in Baltimore. Trainer Bill Mott and the Godolphin ownership team announced last week that the son of Into Mischief was skipping the middle jewel of the Triple Crown to run in the final one, the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1). In announcing the decision, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott mentioned he was against running in the Preakness on two weeks of rest because he wanted to "look at the long term and (Sovereignty's) whole career."
Both Baffert and Lukas disagreed with the notion that running in the Derby and Preakness will have a negative impact on a horse's career or longevity.
"American Pharoah was fine after the Triple Crown," Baffert said about his 2015 winner of all three classics in a five-week time frame. "I could have easily run him as a 4-year-old. He was just getting good."
Lukas said: "I don't buy it at all about knocking a horse out. A lot have done it and had good careers. You're not giving up one for the other."
When Sovereignty became the third Kentucky Derby winner since 2019 to skip the Preakness, it also resurrected an old debate about the five-week spacing for the three Triple Crowns races.
Baffert, a two-time winner of the Triple Crown, said the current system is fine with him.
"Winning the Triple Crown is doable. You saw it with American Pharoah and Justify (2018)," he said. "You just need a really superior horse."
Baffert also said it would not faze him if the spacing is increased.
"I'm fine with whatever they want," he said. "Maybe they can bring it to Santa Anita. You don't need a raincoat. You can work on your tan."
Trainer Michael McCarthy, who is running Preakness morning-line favorite Journalism on two weeks' rest after a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, said he is in favor of maintaining the current five-week structure.
"I think it's good. It's demanding. It's meant to separate the greats. I think it captivates the average observer for the five weeks.
"Sometimes there are some great stories involved," said McCarthy, who won the 2021 Preakness with new shooter Rombauer off six weeks' rest. "I may be a traditionalist, but I think the three races in five weeks is good."
