National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert, wins 148th Preakness Stakes
The Bob Baffert-trained horse held on for the victory
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}National Treasure took home the 148th Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on Saturday.
National Treasure and Blazing Sevens were neck-and-neck down the stretch, but the Bob Baffert-trained horse held on for the victory in 1:55.12 — it was Baffert's 17th Triple Crown win, and his eighth victory at the Preakness.
In Mage’s attempt to keep his Triple Crown bid alive, he again tried to come from the outside, just like his Kentucky Derby victory, but he couldn’t break ahead and finished in third.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Much like the Derby Day, though, Preakness Day was not all sunshine and rainbows, and in his return from a two-year suspension from the sport, Baffert again found himself in trouble.
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Jockey John Velazquez #1 riding National Treasure leads the field on the first pass before winning the 148th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 20, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A horse trained by Baffert had to be euthanized after the sixth race at the racecourse Saturday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Havnameltdown suffered what Pimlico owners called a "non-operable" injury to his leg - doctors decided to put down the horse.
The horse's jockey, Luis Saez, flew off the horse and was also hospitalized.
Baffert recently completed a two-year suspension stemming from a positive drug test on Medina Spirit following the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The horse crossed the finish line first in that race, but was disqualified due to the test - the thoroughbred died that December.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bob Baffert trained Havnameltdown is taken off the track after being euthanized during the sixth race ahead of the 148th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 20, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PETA, who previously called Churchill Downs a "killing field," sounded off on horse racing and Baffert himself.
"Pimlico should have followed Churchill Downs’ example and barred Bob Baffert from the track. Baffert has been implicated in drugging scandals, the deaths of seven horses who collapsed in California, and at least 75 horses in his care have died," the organization said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The tragic death of Havnameltdown is the latest in a long line of fatalities. The racing industry must kick out the bad guys or it will have blood on its hands as well as blood on its tracks."
FILE - In this May 1, 2019, file photo, trainer Bob Baffert watches his Kentucky Derby entrant Game Winner during a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Baffert won't be saddling any horses in the Kentucky Derby this weekend. The winner of a record-tying six Derbies will miss the race for the second straight year while completing a two-year suspension issued by Churchill Downs Inc. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, will take place on June 10 in New York.