Marylanders always have taken great pride in their state's signature race, the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes (G1). Saturday's 151st running at Laurel Park could be historic because Brittany Russell can become the first female trainer to win it and complete the female Triple Crown.
Cherie DeVaux just made the Kentucky Derby (G1) breakthrough with Golden Tempo, three years after Jena Antonucci did it with Arcangelo in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
“Jena opened the door, and now Cherie,” said Russell, who will saddle undefeated Taj Mahal. “Laurel got my career going, and with this being my first Triple Crown race, it's pretty cool.
“A win would feel like a fairy tale. The fact that I have a live one in the Preakness, there's some pressure, but it would mean an awful lot.”
It's been a long time since the 166-year-old Woodlawn Vase, the most valuable trophy in American sports, went to the home team. Not since 1983, when 14-1 shot Deputed Testamony dominated in the mud, has a locally based horse worn the blanket of Black-Eyed Susans.
In the past 42 renewals only two Maryland runners -- longshots Oliver Twist (1995) and Magic Weisner (2002) -- even managed to finish second in the 1 3/16-mile classic. The long dry spell has a realistic chance of ending with Taj Mahal.
The Florida-bred son of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero Nyquist is 3-for-3, all at Laurel, for Russell and her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell.
Taj Mahal's 8 1/4-length runaway on April 18 in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio Stakes stamped him as a serious contender. Sheldon Russell gunned the 6-5 favorite to the early lead from the outside post in a field of 10 and they stayed there. They led by 10 lengths, leaving the backstretch before their advantage was cut to four. Brittany admitted she was a bit concerned, but Sheldon had it under control.
“At the half-mile pole, he took a deep breath,’’ he said, “and I knew once I heard them coming, I could rev him back up.”
That's what he did, and they took off.
“It was really impressive,” Brittany said. “You want to see a really big performance to give you confidence that he should go on to the Preakness. I feel like he did that. I feel like it was a really big race his first time going two turns.”
Brittany, 38, is a native of Pennsylvania. Sheldon, 38, whose father rode in Europe, was born in Louisiana but began his career in England. Parents of two children, they have been married since 2018, the same year Brittany opened her own stable after paying her dues assisting trainers Brad Cox, Jonathan Sheppard, Jimmy Jerkens and Ron Moquett.
She led the annual Maryland standings the past three years and has a career win rate of an outstanding 25.6%. Most of her victories have been in Maryland, although she did win Aqueduct's Carter Stakes (G1) in 2023 with Doppelganger and ran second with Post Time in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland.
After Taj Mahal went for $525,000 at the September 2024 Keeneland Yearling Sale, high-profile owners SF Racing, Madaket Stables, Starlight
Racing, Stonestreet Stables and others sent him to Bob Baffert in Southern California. When he proved to be anything but precocious, Russell inherited him last fall.
“He just wasn't progressing out there, that's all,” she said. "There was nothing wrong with him. And when he first showed up here, it took some time for him to come around. I can't say that the first time I worked him, I thought he would become a star.”
You can't call him a star yet, but he's done nothing wrong. He overcame a slow start Feb. 6 in his 6-furlong debut and rallied to win by 4 1/4 lengths. “He didn't get away the best, but he was all class,” Sheldon said. “You could tell from that day he was something special.”
He showed another dimension next time in the mile Miracle Wood Stakes, leading all the way to hang on by a head. The Tesio romp raised his stature and expectations heading into his marquee moment in his backyard. Besides being a sentimental favorite for Maryland racing's first couple, he could end up as the betting favorite.
“It's super exciting,” Brittany said. “I mean, Maryland racing is us. It's what we do. To have a horse in the Preakness is really a big deal. I feel like there will be a lot of people here rooting for him.”
Taj Mahal's chances improved Friday, when Baffert announced he would skip the race with undefeated Crude Velocity, who crushed the Pat Day Mile (G2) on Derby Day. Instead, he'll be pointed to the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on the Belmont undercard.
Running the Preakness at Laurel is a one-off while Pimlico is being rebuilt in Baltimore. The switch to the suburban venue is a perfect fit for Taj Mahal, the only prospective starter who has raced there and at 3-for-3 is the ultimate horse for course.
“He's never left his stall in his barn at Laurel,” Brittany said. “On the big day he'll have the chance to do it at home. I'd like to think it's a major advantage.”
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
