The May 16 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park took another hit May 8 when Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert reportedly announced that his Preakness prospect Crude Velocity would skip the race. Without Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Golden Tempo, who will be going straight to the Belmont Stakes (G1), according to trainer Cherie DeVaux, many eyes were on the undefeated 3-year-old son of Beau Liam , who emphatically won the May 2 Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard. If he had competed in the Preakness, he might have gone off as the favorite.
Journalist Carlos Morales, on his Agentes305 X account, cited Baffert as saying the race was tempting, but too close after the colt's recent victory.
HOF Trainer BOB BAFFERT has just confirmed to Agentes 305 that, although is very tempting, the Preakness is coming too close for CRUDE VELOCITY, so he will point the horse towards the Woody Stephen's and Haskell; so they will pass on this year's edition of the @PreaknessStakes No… pic.twitter.com/yA9igle8jR
— Agentes305 (@agentes305) May 8, 2026
Owned by CSLR Racing Partners, the colt is a perfect 3-for-3. He broke his maiden March 7 and followed with a win April 4 in an allowance optional claiming race, both at Santa Anita Park. He then entered stakes company for the first time in the Pat Day Mile, pulling away from his competition late to score by 3 3/4 lengths as the favorite. All of his efforts to date have been at one mile or less.
According to Morales, Crude Velocity will now be pointed to the June 6 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and the July 18 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park.
Ocelli, the Whit Beckman-trained graded-placed maiden who finished third in the Kentucky Derby, is expected to be the only horse from the race to run in the Preakness.
In recent years, Seize the Grey (2024) and Journalism (2025) won the Preakness after a two-week turnaround, the former after winning the Pat Day Mile and the latter after a runner-up finish in the Derby.
