The $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown, is Saturday, May 17, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The US Racing team has published profiles on each horse in the race, updated with post positions and Preakness Stakes betting odds.
Trainer Mike Gorham, long a fixture in the mid-Atlantic region, will have his first Preakness Stakes starter on Saturday with Pay Billy, who earned an automatic berth into the $2 million race with his 1 ¾-length victory on April 19th in the Frederico Tesio at Laurel Park.
The Tesio is not exactly the high road to the Preakness; only one horse, Deputed Testamony, has won both races, which was accomplished in 1983. The most recent horse to win the race and go on to compete in the Preakness was Perform, who won the Tesio with a last-to-first salvo, earning the only triple-digit Equibase speed figure (100) of his career; he finished sixth behind National Treasure in 2023.
The road less traveled (to the Preakness) appears to have been Gorham’s plan all along, however. He and the owners – RKTN Racing - briefly toyed with the idea of trying to make it to the Kentucky Derby but decided against it. Since breaking his maiden at fourth asking in December, Pay Billy has done little wrong as a 3-year-old, winning a 1-mile allowance at Laurel by five lengths, finishing second by a nose in the Miracle Wood, then taking the Private Terms around two turns prior to qualifying for the Preakness.
Said Gorham after the Tesio: “We had discussed trying to get Derby points, and I suggested we go the low road with these races, and maybe the Preakness was possible. The Tesio was a win-and-you’re-in, so we get the fees paid and all that. At least we’ve got a shot.”
Pay Billy is RKTN Racing’s first horse; they will have 31 people in attendance for the race.
“They’re really excited, and they’re new owners in the game, so they probably don’t even know the extent of what’s actually happening like (someone) that’s been around the game forever,” Gorham said. “They probably don’t know it’s as big a deal as it really is.
“It’s great. It’s definitely a big move. Everybody wants to be in a Triple Crown race, that’s for sure. If we can get lucky and get a good piece of it, that’d be great.”
It’s asking a lot for a horse who hasn’t won a graded stake to debut in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Toss.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
