| Preakness Stakes | |
 "The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown" "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" | |
| Location | Pimlico Race Course,Baltimore,Maryland, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Date | May 17, 2014 |
| Winning horse | California Chrome |
| Winning time | 1:54.84 |
| Final odds | 1-2 |
| Jockey | Victor Espinoza |
| Trainer | Art Sherman |
| Conditions | Fast |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Attendance |  123,469 (record at the time) |
The2014 Preakness Stakes was the 139th running of thePreakness Stakes. The race was scheduled to startat 6:18 pmEastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 17, 2014, atPimlico Race Course and was run as the twelfth race on a racecard with thirteen races.[1] The race was won byCalifornia Chrome, giving him a chance to win the Triple Crown at Belmont. It is the thirty-fourth time a horse has won the first two legs of theTriple Crown.[2] The Maryland Jockey Club reported a track record total attendance of123,469, the second highest attendance forAmerican thoroughbred racing events in North America during 2014.[3]
The payout to the winning horses in the 2014 Stakes wasUS$1,500,000, an increase of half a million dollars from the previous year.[4]
The2014 Kentucky Derby winnerCalifornia Chrome was the morning line favorite at 3–5 and drew the number three post position. Only two horses who ran in the Kentucky Derby entered the Preakness, General a Rod and Ride on Curlin, both with new jockeys.[5][6]
The other entrants included Pablo Del Monte, whose owners opted not to run in the Kentucky Derby after he was made eligible by the scratch of Hoppertunity;Federico Tesio winner Kid Cruz;Illinois Derby winner Dynamic Impact; Bayern, trained byBob Baffert; Social Inclusion, who ran third in theWood Memorial and was second favorite on the morning line at 5–1;[5][7] and thefillyRia Antonia, winner of theBreeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (via disqualification of first-place finisherShe's a Tiger) and sixth in theKentucky Oaks.[5][8]
The addition of Ria Antonia marked the first time that a female horse and a woman trainer had all competed in the Preakness in the same year;Rosie Napravnik rode Bayern, and Kid Cruz was trained byLinda Rice.[9]
The attendance at Pimlico was record-breaking at 123,469, surpassing the 2012 record of 121,309. The infield festival featured live performances byNas andLorde. Totalparimutuel handle for the entire race card was the sixth largest in Preakness day wagering history at $83.8 million, of which $53.7 million was bet just on the Preakness.[10]
California Chrome proved victorious at the Preakness in 1:54.84, 1-1/2 lengths ahead of rival Ride on Curlin, who was followed by Social Inclusion. Pablo Del Monte and Ria Antonia took early leads out of the gate, but quickly fell behind and were surpassed.[11] The winner starting at 3–5 odds, the same as the morning line but was 1–2 by post time. California Chrome made a clean start out of the gate, remained in the top three throughout the entire race, made his bid for the lead at the far turn and moved to the front at the top of the stretch, holding off a challenge from Social Inclusion, who tired and finished third, 6-1/2 lengths behind second-place finisher Ride on Curlin, who finished well, but was still 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner.[11]
The 139th Preakness payout schedule[11]
| Program number | Horse name | Win | Place | Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | California Chrome | $3.00 | $3.00 | $2.40 |
| 10 | Ride On Curlin | – | $5.60 | $3.80 |
| 8 | Social Inclusion | – | – | $3.40 |
| Finish position | Margin (lengths) | Post position | Horse name | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Morning Line odds | Post Time odds | Stakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 3 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman | Steve Coburn & Perry Martin | 3–5 favorite | 1–2 favorite | $900,000 |
| 2 | 1+1⁄2 | 10 | Ride on Curlin | Joel Rosario | William Gowan | Daniel Doherty | 10–1 | 10.3 | $300,000 |
| 3 | 8 | 8 | Social Inclusion | Luis Contreras | Manny Azpurua | Rontos Racing Stable Corp | 5–1 | 5.3 | $165,000 |
| 4 | 8 | 2 | General a Rod | Javier Castellano | Mike Maker | SkyChai Racing LLC and Starlight Racing | 15–1 | 20.1 | $90,000 |
| 5 | 12+1⁄4 | 4 | Ring Weekend | Alan Garcia | H. Graham Motion | St. Elias Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds | 20–1 | 30.1 | $45,000 |
| 6 | 14 | 9 | Pablo Del Monte | Jeffrey Sanchez | Wesley A. Ward | Susan Magnier, D. Smith,M. Tabor, W. A. Ward | 20–1 | 34.3 | |
| 7 | 15+3⁄4 | 1 | Dynamic Impact | Miguel Mena | Mark E. Casse | John C. Oxley | 12–1 | 22.2 | |
| 8 | 16 | 7 | Kid Cruz | Julien Pimentel | Linda L. Rice | Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds LLC/Black Swan Stable | 20–1 | 12.3 | |
| 9 | 21 | 5 | Bayern | Rosie Napravnik | Bob Baffert | Kaleem Shah, Inc | 10–1 | 12.9 | |
| 10 | 31 | 6 | Ria Antonia† | Calvin Borel | Thomas M. Amoss | Christopher Dunn and Looch Racing | 30–1 | 18.9 |
Key:† filly (carries 121lb.)[11]