Rombauer Trying to Write New Preakness Ending

Welcome to the middle child of the Triple Crown family, the kid that never gets to ride shotgun and has a closet full of hand-me-downs. The Preakness Stakes (G1) has been around two years longer than that race back in Louisville and boasts a roster of winners chock full of champions and Hall of Famers, and still it finds itself fighting for relevance in a modern racing landscape. Saturday's 148th running of the Preakness is under fire for not being attractive enough to lure more than seven starters and only the winner who survived the stampede in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Also, the date is all wrong, the grandstand is a mess, and the Professional Golfers Association had so little respect that they've plopped their championship tournament right over the top of an American racing classic. Rodney Dangerfield's got nothing on the Preakness. Ask anyone who's won the race, though, and you'll hear no apologies, only joy. Six of the last seven winners won only the Preakness among the Triple Crown events, which means they were content being hailed as Baltimore royalty while receiving a replica of the Woodlawn Vase, the most valuable trophy in sports. The winners of the other two races in the series did not. John and Diane Fradkin keep their trophy at home in California, polished and proud, alongside a collection of souvenirs from the victory of their homebred colt Rombauer in the 2021 version of the race. There is also Rombauer's saddle towel, along with a scrapbook of the day and a photo montage of the Twirling Candy colt in splendid isolation at the finish and the winning party, smiling and maskless, as Covid-19 positives were on the wane. Out of precaution, the attendance for the 2021 Preakness was restricted to 10,000 by government order. Normally, a crowd 10 times that would have been at the track, elbow to elbow, cheek to cheek, sharing plates of crab cakes and bottles of Bud Light. One month after the race, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the end to the state of emergency. For the Fradkins, however, the trip was a magic carpet ride, beginning with a visit with friends in Annapolis. That's where John Fradkin received a call from a number at Pimlico asking when he would like their driver to pick them up in their courtesy car and bring them to Baltimore for the festivities. "I had no idea," Fradkin said. "I immediately canceled our rental." Oh, the places a good horse will take you. And after just six starts, Rombauer was beginning to act like a very good horse. Judiciously handled by trainer Michael McCarthy, Rombauer's 2-year-old season showed promise with a second in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). He earned a paid berth in the Preakness by winning the El Camino Real Derby (G3) at Golden Gate Fields—owned by Pimlico's 1/ST Racing—and displayed just enough when third in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) to justify passing the Derby in favor of the middle jewel. As a result, Rombauer arrived on the turf course for the Preakness saddling ceremony wound tight and half past ready. Fradkin was rightfully concerned. "Rombauer was not well behaved in the pre-race lead-up," Fradkin said. "It could have gone wrong so easily. He could have dropped Flavien. As it turned out, Flavien did a great job getting him to the post. He gave a lot of credit to the groom and to the pony girl, but he really earned his money. "I went into the race thinking he'd run the best race of his life," Fradkin went on. "During the running, when he moved into third I thought, 'I think we're going to hit the board.' Then he kept going, and I went from 'He could win' to 'We're gonna win!' I couldn't believe it was happening." In historical terms, Rombauer's Preakness was fraught not only with the lingering spectre of Covid-19 but also the drug test in Kentucky that came up positive for the Derby winner, Medina Spirit. His victory was put on hold amid a media firestorm fanned by the protestations of trainer Bob Baffert and heightened testing and scrutiny by Pimlico management in order to run in their race. He did run, and finished third to Rombauer's late, impressive kick. Runner-up Midnight Bourbon pressed the pace but was no match for the 3 1/2-length winner. Fradkin was asked if a crowd of 10,000 provided enough noise to make the moment sound like victory in a Triple Crown event. "I guess so," he replied. "I know we were all screaming pretty loud." Rombauer raced once more in 2021, finishing third in the Belmont Stakes (G1). He was headed for the Haskell Stakes (G1) when McCarthy recommended the Fradkins give their colt a break. With only eight starts to his name, they were looking forward to a 4-year-old campaign. "He went back into training that October and actually hurt his ankle on New Year's Eve," Fradkin said. "We shipped him to Lexington, but it was too late to do a proper stallion deal. We decided to wait and do it right for 2023, but no one seemed too interested. He seemed to be forgotten news. "Perhaps his owner held him back a little, but with the shrinking business, there are fewer stallions needed all over the country," Fradkin said. "At that point, we had a plan A, B, and C. Plan A was to stand in Kentucky, and B was maybe selling him to Japan if they were interested. We're now on plan C, which is bringing him back to the races." Rombauer spent most of 2022 in Kentucky before heading to a Florida training center last December. According to Fradkin, the colt is up to working three-eighths of a mile. "If all goes well, it's not impossible he could make it back by July," Fradkin said. "I might even try him as a turf horse. He's certainly got credentials on turf or dirt." If there is a second chapter to the Rombauer story, he would be the happy exception to the horses he beat in the Preakness. Medina Spirit was training for his 4-year-old campaign when he collapsed dead after a December workout at Santa Anita Park. Midnight Bourbon was fashioning a stellar career when he was struck by a gastrointestinal disorder in April of 2022 and died. Of the other seven in the field, only two are still racing as 5-year-olds—Calumet Farm's Ram and the Japanese colt France Go de Ina—and only the grade 2 winner Keepmeinmind ever won another race. As for Saturday's Preakness, the fan and handicapper in Fradkin will be tuning in. "I like Blazing Sevens," he said, referring to the 2022 winner of the Champagne Stakes (G1). "He's had six starts, a fourth in the Breeders' Cup and third this year in the Blue Grass." Sounds familiar.