National Treasure Wins 2023 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

National Treasure, trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, won the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on May 20, 2023. The 2023 Preakness was notable for the absence of Kentucky Derby winner Mage — whose trainer Gustavo Delgado did not enter the horse in the Preakness — which meant there was no Triple Crown challenge in 2023. With Mage absent, National Treasure emerged as the race's winner without the heightened drama of a potential Triple Crown attempt.

The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the American Triple Crown, run over 1 3/16 miles (approximately 9.5 furlongs) on the historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race has been held at Pimlico since 1873 and is one of the oldest and most storied races in American horse racing, though the track's aging infrastructure had been a subject of renovation and redevelopment discussions for several years before the 2023 running.

Bob Baffert's Training Career

Bob Baffert is one of the most decorated trainers in the history of the American Triple Crown, having trained multiple Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes winners. His training career includes the preparation of American Pharoah (2015 Triple Crown winner) and Justify (2018 Triple Crown winner) — two of the three Triple Crown winners since 1978. Baffert had been subject to a suspension at Churchill Downs (home of the Kentucky Derby) following the Medina Spirit medication controversy, but the Preakness at Pimlico was not under Churchill Downs' jurisdiction, allowing Baffert-trained horses to compete.

2023 Triple Crown Context

The 2023 American Triple Crown produced three different winners across its three legs: Mage (Kentucky Derby), National Treasure (Preakness), and Arcangelo (Belmont Stakes) — a spread of different winners that is more common than Triple Crown success, which has been achieved only thirteen times in the race's history.