Preakness Stakes | |
"The Second Jewel of the Triple Crown"
"The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" |
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Location |
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
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Date | May 16, 2015 |
Winning horse | American Pharoah |
Jockey | Victor Espinoza |
Trainer | Bob Baffert |
Owner | Zayat Stables, LLC |
Conditions | Sloppy |
Surface | Dirt |
← 139th
141st →
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The 2015 Preakness Stakes, (run as the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes due to sponsorship), was the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes, promoted as the "middle jewel" of thoroughbred horse racing's traditional Triple Crown, held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. The race was held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 16, 2015, and was televised on NBC. The event carried a $1,500,000 purse. The winner was American Pharoah, who won by seven lengths with jockey Victor Espinoza aboard. The win by American Pharoah set up an attempt for the Triple Crown for the second time in two years. A record attendance of 131,680 was on hand.
Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed on May 3 that the 2015 Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah came out of the Derby in good health and would be running the Preakness Stakes. The connections of the other top three finishers, Firing Line and Dortmund, announced they would challenge in the event.
Two contenders that did not appear in the Kentucky Derby were announced as probable entrants in late April: Grade III Lexington Stakes winner Divining Rod (owned by Lael Stable, trained by Arnaud Delacour, bred by Mr. and Mrs. Roy Jackson, ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux) and Listed Stakes Federico Tesio Stakes winner at Pimlico Bodhisattva (owned and trained by Jose Corrales, ridden by jockey Trevor McCarthy).