Oxbow and Gary Stevens
Yes, it is disappointing that there will be no Triple Crown this year. Yes, it is disappointing that a horse with Maryland connections did not win the Preakness. But, what a race! Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas made history on Saturday, May 18, when the 15-1 long shot Oxbow, owned by Calumet Farm, won the 138th Preakness Stakes Grade I by leading wire to wire giving Lukas his sixth Preakness win and his 14th win in a Triple Crown race.
After finishing sixth on a very slopping track at the Kentucky Derby, Oxbow entered the Preakness overshadowed by Derby winner and Preakness favorite Orb. But when you combine a Hall of Fame trainer with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, and a dry track, Oxbow sprang from the shadows and can now bask in the glow of being a Preakness winner. The win also put Stevens, who came out of retirement this season, in the history books as being the oldest jockey (age 50) to win the Preakness.
Although Maryland was out of the spotlight in terms of a Preakness winner, Maryland-bred Hello Lover won the first race on the card for owners Kasey K. Racing Stable and Brier Creek Farm LLC. The Not For Love grey gelding won the $40,000 Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap for Maryland-breds. He is trained by Robert Reid, Jr and was ridden by jockey John Bisono.
Debt Ceiling, trained by Laurel-based trainer Jerry Robb, won the $100,000 Rollicking Stakes for 2-year-olds for owner Tim O’Donohue under the guidance of jockey Eric Camacho.
