Embattled trainer Baffert to skip Preakness, insists Derby winner Medina Spirit will run
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A day after his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance, trainer Bob Baffert said he was staying away from Saturday s Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing s Triple Crown. Baffert said he still intends to run the horse in the race. In this photo, Baffert holds the winner s trophy aloft after his charge Authentic with jockey John Velazquez won the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Race Course Saturday Sept 5, 2020 in Louisville, KY. Photo by Skip Dickstein/Special to the Times UnionSkip DicksteinShow MoreShow Less
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Hello Beautiful and Sheldon Russell win the Safely Kept by 11 1/4 lengths
With two program favorites for Laurel Park s rescheduled Winter Sprintfest program and another horse listed as second choice on the morning line, trainer Brittany Russell took her stakes trio on a mini road trip to keep them sharp for the big day.
Winter Sprintfest, featuring six stakes, two graded, worth $900,000 in purses, was postponed to Feb. 20 due to a winter storm that hit Laurel leading up to the original Feb. 13 date. The weather also caused training over the main track to be suspended over the weekend.
Areas north of Laurel didn t see as much ice and mixed precipitation, so Russell was able to ship Hello Beautiful, Maythehorsebwithu and Little Huntress the 45 minutes to historic Pimlico Race Course Monday, which remained open for training.