Preakness Stakes: Trainer stats and trends

Part of handicapping any race involves analysis of relevant trainer patterns. With marquee races like the Preakness (G1), important trainer patterns include how barns are doing in their recent races, their record pointing a horse to the Preakness, and how trainers who fit similar profiles have done in Preakness past.

This year’s Preakness field features 11 horses, from eight different trainers.

Let’s dive into some statistics, trends, and historical facts about trainers in the Preakness. Keep these in mind when you’re considering who can win!

• Bob Baffert (Authentic, Thousand Words) is an all-time Preakness great. He is tied with Robert Wyndham Walden for the most Preakness wins (seven). Walden’s seven included five straight — Duke of Magenta (1878), Harold (1879), Grenada (1880), Saunterer (1881), and Vanguard (1882). Baffert’s have been more spread out, though he won two in a row with Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998).
• Baffert has been perfect with Kentucky Derby (G1) winners in the Preakness. Authentic is Baffert’s sixth Kentucky Derby winner. He has run all five of his others in the Preakness and all five have won — Silver Charm, Real Quiet, War Emblem (2002), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018). Baffert’s two other Preakness winners also both came from the Derby. Point Given (2001) finished fifth in the Run for the Roses, and Lookin at Lucky (2010) came in sixth.
• Baffert’s 20 Preakness starters put him second all-time, behind D. Wayne Lukas (41) and Nick Zito (21). This is not the first time Baffert has had multiple Preakness runners. He has had a pair in the race twice before and won both times. In 2001, he trained winner Point Given and the third-place finisher Congaree. In 2015, he finished first and fourth, respectively, with American Pharoah and Dortmund.
• Baffert is not the only trainer with multiple runners in the 2020 Preakness. Steve Asmussen has  three — Excession, Max Player, and Pneumatic. Asmussen has had multiple Preakness entrants once before, though neither ran in the money. In 2017, he finished fourth with Lookin at Lee and ninth with Hence.
• Though 2017 was not his best year at the Preakness, Asmussen has had some better times. He is the only other trainer in the 2020 Preakness who has won the race. His 10 previous Preakness starters include winners Curlin (2007) and Rachel Alexandra (2009), and third-place finishers Astrology (2011) and Tenfold (2018).
• Five trainers have their first Preakness starter this year. Bret Calhoun (Mr. Big News), Thomas Drury Jr. (Art Collector), Jose D’Angelo (Jesus’ Team), Saffie Joseph Jr. (Ny Traffic), and Jose Abreu (Liveyourbeastlife). Trainers who make their first start in the Preakness have been extremely successful over the years, with 50 wins since 1909. In the last thirty years, 11 trainers who had a starter in the race for the first time have taken the Black-Eyed Susans, including four in the last 10 years. Those most recent successful first-time Preakness trainers include Doug O’Neill (I’ll Have Another, 2012), Art Sherman (California Chrome, 2014), Keith Desormeaux (Exaggerator, 2016), and Chad Brown (Cloud Computing, 2017).
• The only trainer in this year’s Preakness who has not won the Preakness but has raced a horse in it is Kenny McPeek (Swiss Skydiver). He's had five starters, with his best finish in 2017, with third-place finisher Senior Investment. That is no reason to get discouraged about his chances in this year’s Preakness, as some very good trainers have needed more starts to get their first win. Zito needed six tries before he won his first Preakness with Louis Quatorze (1996). James Fitzsimmons needed seven before he won the Preakness with eventual Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox (1930). Max Hirsch didn’t win his first Preakness until his ninth try, with Bold Venture (1936).