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Rombauer's Focus Shifts to Belmont Stakes

Preakness (G1) winner headed to New York for June 5 Triple Crown finale.

Trainer Michael McCarthy and Rombauer the morning after winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

Trainer Michael McCarthy and Rombauer the morning after winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club

Moving Day at the Masters is Saturday.

At the Preakness Stakes (G1) it's Sunday morning.

That's when the trainers who shipped to Baltimore for the race pack up their gear, load their horses in vans, and return to their home bases across the country.

Some will meet again in three weeks in the June 5 Belmont Stakes (G1), the third jewel of the Triple Crown. Others will chase other grade 1 stakes or lesser opportunities as the year goes on and eventually someone will emerge as the 3-year-old champion.

The morning of May 16 was typically quiet by 8 a.m. ET with most of the stables having already exited Pimlico Race Course and a few scrambling to join them in the next few hours.

The key itinerary involved Preakness winner Rombauer , who came out of his classic victory in fine shape.

"It seems like he's in good order," trainer Michael McCarthy said. "He's full of himself walking around here. He seems to be pleased with himself."

As he should be.

Rombauer is expected to leave Baltimore May 17 and head to Belmont Park, hoping to collect two of the three jewels in racing's most famous chase. Though John Fradkin, who owns Rombauer with this wife, Diane, said after the race that the Belmont Stakes was a 50-50 call while expressing interest in the New York Racing Association's three $1 million turf stakes for 3-year-olds, McCarthy said Sunday morning that after his most recent talk with the Fradkins that the Belmont Stakes was their focus.

"We'll take a good, hard look at the Belmont Stakes. The Belmont Stakes is the main focus," McCarthy said. "It's the third leg of the Triple Crown and having won the second leg it makes sense to try and get a leg up on everyone by winning two of them. I don't want to say he ran on grass by chance, but for the foreseeable future it's dirt for us."

Rombauer, an 11-1 shot who was sixth in the early stages of the Preakness, was the only one of the 10 Preakness starters who looked strong in the stretch run as the homebred son of Twirling Candy  blew by the dueling early leaders Midnight Bourbon and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit to win by 3 1/2 widening lengths over Midnight Bourbon. It was another two lengths back to Medina Spirit and four more to Keepmeinmind  in fourth after 1 3/16 miles in 1:53.62.

Rombauer with jockey Flavien Prat wins the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course Saturday  May 15, 2021 in Baltimore, MD.
Photo: Skip Dickstein
Rombauer wins the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

After seeing Rombauer win for the first time on dirt in his longest race, McCarthy believes the demanding 1 1/2-mile distance of the Belmont Stakes will not pose a major problem for the son of the Cowboy Cal mare Cashmere.

"I thought the 1 3/16-mile distance suited him," said McCarthy who will be returning to his California base, leaving Rombauer in the care of groom Cleo Torrez in New York. "It didn't look like he was slowing down at the wire and he should be fine at a mile and a half."

The Preakness added some confusion to an already controversial Triple Crown season. Though there are currently two winners of the Triple Crown races, there could be a swap in the weeks to come. With the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit flunking a post-race drug test after the Kentucky Derby, there's a strong possibility he could be stripped of his Run for the Roses victory if a split sample confirms the original test. In that event, Mdina Spirit would be disqualified and Juddmonte's Mandaloun  would become the official winner, pending the possibility of a court battle. Mandaloun did not race in the Preakness and trainer Brad Cox said Saturday a decision has yet to be made about the Belmont Stakes status for Mandaloun and Godolphin's Essential Quality , who was fourth in the Kentucky Derby as the 5-2 favorite.

The other possible starters that are either keen or on the fence about running in the Belmont Stakes include Hot Rod Charlie, who was third in the Kentucky Derby; Rock Your World  (17th); Known Agenda  (9th); Bourbonic (13th); Brooklyn Strong (15th); Rebel's Romance, winner of the UAE Derby Sponsored by Emirates NBD (G2); Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner MalathaatPromise Keeper, recent winner of the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont; and Get Her Number, who was most recently fourth in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1).

From the Preakness, aside from Rombauer, the most likely ones to try "The Test of the Champion" are Keepmeinmind and Japan's France Go de Ina, who was seventh 

While a Belmont victory by Rombauer would leave him clearly atop the division, if he falters it would open the door for a wild scramble that will hinge on later tests such as the TVG.com Haskell Invitational (G1), Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), and Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

"That's the great part about the Triple Crown races," McCarthy said. "Some of the top finishers in the Kentucky Derby have their sights on the Belmont Stakes and that makes it interesting. If a new face shows up and wins the third leg then what happens later in the year will decide it. It's a long year."

(L-R): Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit race during the Preakness (G1) at Pimlico in Baltimore, Maryland on May 15, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Medina Spirit leads over Midnight Bourbon into the first turn of the Preakness Stakes

Baffert's two Preakness starters, Medina Spirit and Concert Tour, the latter of whom was ninth as the 7-2 third choice, are both heading back to Churchill Downs with assistant trainer Jim Barnes. 

"We're going to load up the horses we have here and go back to Churchill and then we'll evaluate everything and (Baffert) is going to decide on what we're going to do," Barnes said.

Barnes said Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit put in "a gallant effort" as the 2-1 favorite in the Preakness.

"He's a lighter framed horse and it's hard to come back in two weeks," he said. "He ran well. It was the second quarter that got us. The first (quarter-mile in :23.77) was good but when they threw up that (:46.93) it was a bit much."

Medina Spirit's loss marked the first time Baffert lost the Preakness with a May Kentucky Derby winner. He had previously been 5-for-5. 

Barnes felt some bumping at the start prevented Gary and Mary West's Concert Tour from flashing his customary speed as the Rebel Stakes (G2) winner was a surprising fifth in the early stages instead of dueling for the lead.

"He broke and got bumped out so I'm not surprised (he wasn't on the lead) but I'm disappointed," Barnes said. "But that's horse racing. You can't win every race. You go out there and try but there's nine other horses out there and if you don't get your trip, you don't get your trip."

Baffert trained five of the last six 3-year-old champions and two of them (West Coast  in 2017 and Arrogate in 2016) did not run in a Triple Crown race. Looking down the road, Barnes wondered if that might happen again this year.

"It's a long year and we usually find another 3-year-old by the time the Haskell and Travers roll around," Barnes said. "So, we'll get these back, evaluate them, and see which direction we go."