Forget the Triple Crown. Even the Derby

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Preakness has turned into a quite a spoiler lately on the road to the Triple Crown.

Mystik Dan’s 2 1/4-length defeat Saturday marked the sixth consecutive year the Kentucky Derby winner failed to win the Preakness. This time it was Seize the Grey and Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas who beat the Derby winner in the Triple Crown’s middle race at Pimlico.

Mystik Dan finished a solid second, but couldn’t catch the front-running Seize the Grey, who led wire to wire.

“I’m proud of my entire team. I’ve got people everywhere that are working their tail off that aren’t here, and this game, it’s a team effort,” said Kenny McPeek, Mystik Dan’s trainer. “My colt’s a fantastic colt and proud of him. It just wasn’t his day, but he’ll live to race again.”

After a dramatic Derby win in a three-horse photo finish, Mystik Dan was the Preakness favorite after Muth was scratched earlier in the week. Mystik Dan went off at 2-1 odds, but Seize the Grey seized the lead quickly and wasn’t under much pressure while running the first quarter-mile in 24.04 seconds. He finished a half-mile in 47.33, but with Mystik Dan positioned nicely near the rail, McPeek had reason to be hopeful.