[announcer] It is Mystik Dan, down toward the inside.
…coming down to the wire! Who's it going to be?
-[man] Oh yeah. -Whoo! We won the fucking Derby!
-Yes! [laughs] -Yes!
[Annie McPeek shrieks]
[announcer] In case you didn't know, Kenny McPeek has just won the Kentucky Derby.
We'll see you for the Preakness in two weeks.
[reporter] Trainer Kenny McPeek makes it official.
A week after his first Kentucky Derby win, McPeek made the decision
to send Mystik Dan to the Preakness
for a shot at the second leg
of the Triple Crown.
[interviewer] What would it be like to win Preakness 149?
[Kenny] I've run well in the Preakness, and I've had great experiences at Pimlico,
but this year's different.
[interviewer] Let's talk about the race itself.
How do things set up? What's your perfect trip?
[Kenny] Brian knows the horse really well, as we all know.
We're gonna let Brian go out and do what he does well.
[Jamie Hernandez] Are you excited?
Of course you are. You're going to the Preakness with the Derby winner.
If you win the Preakness, know what next week's gonna be like?
Cheers!
[slow country music playing]
[Nick Luck] As someone who broadcasts on both races,
it's all about, "Can the Derby winner go it again?"
The anticipation is nine-tenths of it.
[indistinct chatter]
[bell ringing]
Nothing happens without a good team, right?
-And here they are. -[clapping]
[Kenny] Winning the Triple Crown is winning three of the toughest races
back-to-back-to-back. It's the ultimate challenge.
-Here we go. -[woman] Ain't that the truth?
[Billy Koch] Kenny McPeek and Brian Hernandez are a good team.
They win races.
But if you can win the Triple Crown,
you're in the history books, you're a legend.
[excited shrieks]
[twangy country music swells]
[whooshing]
[music fades]
["Life of a Champion" by MC Tae playing]
♪ C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N ♪
♪ The life of a champion ♪
♪ C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N ♪
[interviewer 2] Have you become more popular?
[Brian] A little bit. It's been a little crazy.
The whole social media thing.
All that kept blowing up.
My wife was, like, "You need to repost this, repost that, da, da."
I was, like, "Jamie, I don't know how to do that."
-[woman] Thank you. -Yep. You're welcome.
It's been fun being able to tell people we've won the Kentucky Derby.
It's an amazing feeling,
and it's been a dream of mine since I was six or seven years old.
[horse blows]
We were down in Louisiana for a few days earlier in the week.
Got to meet the governor.
He celebrated us with a proclamation from the state of Louisiana.
[producer] So how do you think it's going to go with Dan?
[Brian] He's doing great.
He came out of the race well,
so, uh, we're excited to head to Baltimore with the Derby winner.
[indistinct chatter]
I get some people that send me texts. I don't know who the hell they are.
Like, one guy's sending me like five things a day.
[deep sigh]
I have no idea who he is.
[man] Yeah, I've had a lot of people I ain't talked to in 30 years.
-[Kenny] Yeah. -That stuff all blew up for four days.
[smacks lips]
The best one was my aunt's first ex-husband,
who I hadn't seen since I was seven. [laughs heartily]
And she had five of them.
[all laugh]
The other four haven't contacted me.
Forty years of hard work coming together at the right time, and…
It's not supposed to be easy, and
I feel very fortunate to, you know, to be young enough still
to be able to enjoy it at 61.
I had run second in the Kentucky Derby in 1995, which I was proud of,
but I always wondered if I had a Derby with my name on it.
I didn't know if that would actually happen.
[slow country music playing]
I've got a dinner with my wife. It's my anniversary.
You know, I better get some flowers or something, right?
That'll keep me out of the doghouse for half a day.
[laughs]
Typical guy, scrambling to get everything done.
[Sherri McPeek] Aww! Honey, have you…
[Kenny laughs]
-[Kenny kissing] -[Sherri] Love you.
-[Kenny] Happy anniversary. -Happy anniversary.
-Love you. -[Kenny] You too. I love you.
-There you go. -Thank you.
I just got you some money. Stuck it in there.
-One point five mil. [laughs] -Right.
[Sherri] No.
[soft music playing]
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
-[Kenny] Sorry we're late. -[man] How are you?
-[Kenny] Yeah, good. -[Sherri] We made it. [laughs]
[server] If you follow me right this way.
-[Kenny laughs] -[Sherri] Aww! That's cute. Thanks.
-[Sherri laughs] -[Kenny] That's good.
[server] And now for our congratulations, both on the wins and ten years.
-Thank you very much. -Oh, thank you.
-Well, baby, we did it. -We did do it.
That was wild.
-I can't believe it. [squeals] -Yeah.
-Forty years of hard work. -[laughs] Exactly.
It seemed very unreal.
And then when we got home, we just sat in bed and looked at each other
and were…
[clicks tongue] "What do we do now? Do we just giggle?"
[laughs]
[Kenny] I told you before the weekend.
I said, "We win both these races, our life's gonna change."
Well, Kenny told me if he wins both of them, he's gonna retire.
What happened to that? You should've done a mic drop.
-[Kenny] I told you, ten more years. -"I'm gonna mic drop."
[laughs]
A few more horses, baby. [laughs]
[Kenny] It's kind of a sickness. You get a day off, you go to the races.
[Sherri laughs]
[energetic music playing]
[music fades]
[Frankie] Do you think the water's cold?
[Catherine] I'd die if you made me go in there.
[Frankie] What about your feet?
[Catherine] My feet are okay, but I'd die in that water.
If they've got a wetsuit on, it means I can't put a toe in.
[Frankie] I know. [groans]
Enjoy that beautiful view.
It's been two weeks since the Kentucky Derby.
It was one of the closest finishes of the Kentucky Derby in history,
but, uh, unfortunately, I finished sixteenth.
I wasn't involved in the finish.
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Frankie Dettori may be the best jockey in the world.
Hoping to pull that upset with Society Man
and add that title to his historic career.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Frankie] I wish I could have made more of an impact,
but when you get beat,
you've got to move on,
because otherwise it'll eat you alive.
[serene music playing]
[Catherine] How are you feeling?
I know I had a long shot, but I really enjoyed it, to be honest with you.
Just to be part of it, and to have a shot at it,
as a jockey, that's what I'm dreaming of.
Like any other human beings, I also have bad days,
but I always try to look at the positive out of everything,
because horses feel your positivity,
and they perform better.
-We had a go at the Kentucky Derby. -I know.
An amazing thrill. I'd love to do it again.
But now, uh, I'm going back to Baltimore
for the Preakness,
and, uh, let's focus on that.
The second leg of the Triple Crown gets overshadowed by the Kentucky Derby
because it's the most famous race in the USA.
But the Preakness is just as important.
Is this Bob's only horse for the Preakness?
-Well, uh… -Has he got other chances?
I think this year, yes.
But you know what? You're on the favorite, so…
[Catherine] It's a great opportunity for Frankie.
One of the great races, again, that he grew up hearing about.
It meant the world to him when he got a phone call from Bob Baffert.
So just tell me. If you win the Preakness,
does that mean you get into the Belmont race?
I'm sure if the horse runs a big race in the Preakness,
it will back up for the Belmont. But, listen, let's take one step at a time.
Let's worry about the Preakness.
Fingers crossed, love. We can do it.
[music fades]
[upbeat country music playing]
Go that way.
Go show him some cool flips. Be careful.
[child shrieks]
[child] What is that?
-It's a microphone. -[child] For what?
To… You're gonna be on Netflix.
So don't say any bad words.
[kids laughing]
Be careful.
I grew up here in Saratoga.
It's such a special place.
My daddy bought this in
1995.
We all just come for the summer and camp out.
My family, we're all jockeys.
My dad was a Thoroughbred jockey.
My sister Jackie,
my brother Dylan,
my husband, Trevor, and I are all jockeys.
But I'm the best.
[laughs]
No, that's cocky.
[laughs]
I've been riding professionally for 11 years,
but I've been around horse racing my whole life.
[Dylan Davis] It's, like, one of the only sports where
men and women compete together.
It's crazy.
[Katie Davis] On an equal playing field.
Yeah. You're carrying the same weight.
[Trevor] There's only been a few good girl riders.
-A handful. -So there's really not much pavement.
You know. But, uh, there's only once, and it comes every blue moon.
When opportunities come, you've gotta be ready for 'em.
That's it.
Horse racing is a male-dominant sport.
But I grew up competing against men,
so it's definitely not new to me.
You're having a great year too.
You had a killer at Saratoga last meet, right? Last year.
-Oh my God. -[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Katie Davis with the win here.
-[announcer 2] Katie Davis. -[announcer 3] Fifth win of the meet.
[announcer 4] Katie Davis romping home to the easiest of wins.
[Katie] There's not many women that ride Saratoga.
[announcer 5] Katie Davis looking for the line. And gets there.
[Katie] So when, you know, the fans see a woman,
they're all, like, "Yeah! This is awesome!"
[announcer 6] …wild finish. Here's the line.
[announcer 7] All smiles, Katie Davis.
[exciting string music playing]
[announcer 8] She can ride. She can flat-out ride.
[music ends]
People want to see you do good because of the way you are
and the way you interact with the horses.
-And the fans, of course. -[Katie] Yeah.
People see that you're enjoying what you're doing.
They wanna be a part of that, like, aura you've got.
Yeah.
I wish I could take my fan club with me this weekend.
I'm getting a really big opportunity to ride in the Black-Eyed Susan.
[energetic music playing]
[Billy] This weekend is huge for racing, because
Kentucky has the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Well, Pimlico has the Black-Eyed Susan on Friday,
and then the Preakness on Saturday.
And the Preakness, obviously, is the second leg of the Triple Crown.
So there's a lot of hype.
[upbeat music]
[Dylan] The biggest thing is, when you get the opportunities…
You've gotta be ready for them. When you get opportunity, you have to be ready.
If you want to make a name for yourself, whether you're a man or a woman,
uh, you gotta win these big races.
And so for someone like Katie Davis,
when you have that opportunity,
you have to take advantage of it.
Because if you don't,
you're going right back to where you started.
[string music playing]
[Frankie] Finally, we're going back to Baltimore.
The last time I came here, I was only 17, I think.
The only thing I remember is, uh,
I was taken to this restaurant to eat crab.
I had a big plastic bib,
a bucket for the shell… [chuckles]
…and this enormous crab arrived.
I think it took me six hours to eat it. It was huge.
[laughs]
I flew with the horse in a 747,
half cargo, half people.
I sat in the last row.
And then from time to time, I had to go back and check the horse,
see if he had, uh, enough water and hay.
It was mad.
This time it's different, because, uh, it's gonna be, uh,
my first time riding Pimlico.
I'm coming to the Preakness with high hopes,
and, uh, nothing would be better to have that trophy in my mantelpiece.
[expectant music playing]
[interviewer] Does a muddy track help your horse?
[Kenny] I don't think he needs a muddy track.
-We all know he'll run on it. -[interviewer 2] So no rain dance?
We don't worry about anything we can't control.
[interviewer 3] We talked with Wayne Lukas.
He said, "If it rains, that's gonna help Mystik Dan."
Wayne. [chuckles]
[upbeat country music playing]
[Kenny] Wayne Lukas is an amazing man.
He likes to banter back and forth, and he also likes to laugh a lot.
Wayne and I have bantered here since 1995.
He actually called my horse Tejano Done.
This year, we've decided that I'm not gonna tell any age jokes,
and he's not gonna tell any fat jokes.
So… [chuckles] …we'll see how that goes.
[Nick] Wayne Lukas is a phenomenon.
One of the most decorated racehorse trainers of all time.
Certainly one of the most revered.
[twangy country music playing]
[Billy] The fact that he's still doing what he's doing
at his age and… is truly a miracle.
And it's a miracle for our sport.
He's just a legend.
[Brian] Wayne and Kenny have a friendly, kid-around relationship.
It's fun to watch those two guys kinda gig at each other.
[Kenny] Some believe he's gonna live forever.
I think he's part vampire, myself.
[laughs]
[presenter] Glad to be back at the Alibi Breakfast.
The tradition, if you can believe it, started in the 1930s.
It's a morning of boasting, toasting, and roasting.
[woman] Okay, Mystik Dan,
now the expected favorite
in the Preakness 149, trained by Kenny McPeek,
who had a banner weekend at Churchill Downs.
Uh, Mystik Dan comes back in good form,
and, of course, we're excited to maybe have a
Triple Crown second jewel winner here at Preakness.
Very exciting. I finally did something that Wayne Lukas had never done.
-The Oaks-Derby double, right? -[audience chuckling]
-I'll get the mic last. -Oh, yeah.
[Kenny] I've lost to Wayne Lukas a lot in my life, okay? [chuckles]
But with Mystik Dan, I finally found a horse good enough to beat Wayne.
Kenny.
[audience laughs]
I'm so happy that you're here.
It's always a better race when you get the, uh, the Derby winner.
We'll make it interesting. Nobody's gonna steal it.
We'll be out there.
And I hope that, uh, it turns out great for everybody.
Have fun at the Preakness. Thank you.
[audience clapping]
[energetic trumpet music playing]
[announcer] It's the day before the Preakness Stakes.
This is going to be an outstanding day of racing. The Black-Eyed Susan,
one of the most storied races for fillies in the country,
will be taking the marquee today.
Tomorrow, of course, we have the 149th running of the Preakness.
But today, it's all about the fillies.
[music ends]
[Katie] I just drove down from New York.
I got on two this morning, early in the morning.
Coming down for the Black-Eyed Susan,
riding Ringy Dingy for Danny Gargan.
I just want to go fast.
I just love that adrenaline rush.
I think if I didn't become a jockey,
I would have liked to have been in the SWAT team.
Just to knock doors down.
"Put your hands up!" A little midget.
[laughs]
I haven't gotten an opportunity in a big race
like the Black-Eyed Susan
because, as a woman, you have that stigma behind you.
[producer] What's the perception that causes that?
Um…
[smacks lips] Strength.
That's a big thing, they say.
Pretty strong. [giggles]
My arms are bigger than most men's. But…
You know, I've learned it's not about how strong you are.
It's more about finesse and connecting with horses.
If somebody says I can't do something, watch me.
[music fades]
Hi.
Valet parking two.
[Katie] I think that's the jocks' parking lot.
Actually, the valet parking two is…
[Joe Migliore] She's a jockey.
-[Katie] I'm a jockey. -…where you just passed.
[Katie] Let me call them.
[line rings]
[woman, on phone] Hi, hon.
[Katie] I'm trying to get into the jocks' parking lot. They won't let me.
[woman] Tell the guy, the cop that's there.
-Show him your jockey license. -[Katie] I did.
-[woman] They're not letting Jackie… -[Katie] Katie.
…past the valet park.
Terry's gonna walk down now to you.
[Katie] Alright. Tell him to run.
Oh my gosh.
-[Joe] That's back at Pimlico, Katie. -I swear. [chuckles]
-Dude, nothing new, I swear. -[Joe] How's it feel?
[soft music playing]
[Katie] I know the track very well.
When I started riding, I was there for four years.
Never got an opportunity to ride the Black-Eyed Susan.
Yay!
-How are you? -Good.
[Katie] Oh, I need my stick.
Come back to all my people that I was riding with, and it melts my heart.
-[woman] Hi. -[Katie squeals]
Hi. So happy for you!
-[Katie] Hi, Franky. -You look beautiful.
-[Katie] Thanks. -How are you, hon?
[Katie] Tommy!
-How you doing, hon? -[Katie] Hi, honey.
-Nice to see you. -Good to see you.
-[Tommy] Sign this for me. -[Katie] Okay.
-[Tommy] Go, jock. [chuckles] -[Katie] I know.
-I feel important for once. -You are.
[Katie] Walking through here.
-You're riding the biggest race they got. -[Katie] I know.
[pensive music playing]
[Joe] There's always gonna be challenges
trying to sell a female rider,
no matter where you are.
But the fact that she has as much ability as she does,
and she's so outgoing, so personable…
This is Buckley.
-Hi! Katie -[woman] Great to meet you.
[Joe] …certainly eases up on the difficulty
of trying to get a woman rider to the top.
To succeed anywhere at a high level, you need to be mentally tough.
You have to remain focused, and you have to remain on your game
at this level at all times.
[Katie] I love walking in the racetrack.
-Nobody knows you're a jockey. -[Joe] They might know you after the race.
[indistinct chatter]
Can we scoot in a little? Thanks.
Sorry.
I like to get to the races early
so I can do my homework and be focused before the race.
Are you guys staying all day?
-[woman 2] All day, yeah. How about you? -Yeah.
Yeah, I ride the Black-Eyed Susan.
-[woman 3] You do? Oh my gosh. -Yeah.
-[woman 4] The only woman on that race? -Yes.
[woman 4] I'm going to have to bet on that just because we have a woman rider.
[playing "Call to Post"]
[announcer] Race number one on a 14-race card,
Black-Eyed Susan Day gets underway right now
from Old Hilltop, Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland.
-[bell rings] -[upbeat music playing]
[Katie] There they go.
Whoo!
[announcer] Just Better turns for home in front,
taken on by the favorite, She Feels Pretty.
[crowd cheering]
…pouring it on late here.
[Katie] Wow. Johnny V won another race.
He's a great rider. The best of the best.
To be able to compete against him
makes me more pumped and eager to beat him.
That's the guys' room right there, so I'm not going in there.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] So, after tomorrow…
[Brian] Hopefully, we're going up to Sarasota
with the Triple Crown on the line.
-[man] That'd be great. -[Brian] That'd be fun.
Heard from people you didn't know you were friends with?
Yeah, you've heard from just about everybody.
[all laughing]
The phone hasn't stopped ringing, but it's good. It's been fun, yeah.
Now that we're here for Preakness, everybody's ramping up.
Everybody's talking about our horse.
It's like the Derby hasn't even really set in yet,
and here we are all over again two weeks later.
[upbeat music playing]
You can't let pressure get to you. You have nerves in the back of your mind,
but you gotta figure out what you need to block out and what you should focus on.
[music ends]
We're going to enjoy it all and just keep rolling with it, and…
Hopefully, by 7:30 tomorrow night, we're…
we're smiling, and we're, uh, in the Preakness winner's circle.
[energetic music playing]
[announcer] It is our top race of the day
on this Friday, Preakness Eve.
It is the Grade II George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan.
[Katie] I pull my hair in my helmet
because when you open those programs,
I want them to be like,
"Wow, who just won that race?"
"Wow, that was Katie Davis? Like, wow, she looked good."
You know what? You get them…
-[man] Katie! -I'm coming.
-[man] They want you upstairs right away. -[Katie] Oh!
Come on. Let's go.
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[announcer] Riders up for the 100th Black-Eyed Susan.
[announcer 2] Such a fun race to watch. There are so many who could win it.
This was a bit of a… a wide-open race.
Here today a lot of good jockeys. Some Hall of Famers in there.
There's number five, Gun Song.
Her chances depend on how her jockey, John Velasquez,
can ration out her speed. He's won it four times, so he's successful at it.
[announcer 3] My top pick happens to be the longest shot.
The 2, Ringy Dingy, who's 19-1.
Look out for Ringy Dingy here.
[Billy] For someone like Katie Davis, she needs to prove herself.
You've gotten the opportunity
to ride the Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness Weekend
in front of a huge crowd on a big stage.
And you're gonna ride against the best jockeys in America.
If you can beat them,
you're going places.
People will take notice.
[music swells, then ends]
-[horse neighs] -[dramatic sting plays]
[dramatic music playing]
[horse snorts]
A little bit of nerves.
[horse neighs]
[Katie] I'm not afraid of horses when they do that,
but we've gotta keep her calm, take a deep breath,
and win this race.
[music becomes expectant]
Going into the gate, she's ready to roll.
[bell rings]
[announcer] They're off in the Black-Eyed Susan.
[exciting music playing]
And it will be Jeanne Marie to go to the front.
Then Ringy Dingy on the inside, Call Another Play.
Come on, Kate.
[announcer] So they make their way around this first turn.
Ringy Dingy and Lemon Muffin at the rear of the field.
Sneaking through on their inside
as they move into the turn is Ringy Dingy,
who's now only two and a half lengths off the lead.
[music continues]
-[man] Come on, Katie. -Find a way out of there, Katie.
[announcer] John Velasquez and Gun Song ranging up alongside,
then Ringy Dingy.
Come on, Katie!
[announcer] And they're into the stretch.
Gun Song has taken the lead here.
[man] Come on, Katie!
[announcer] Gun Song and John Velasquez
win the Black-Eyed Susan!
[music swells, then ends]
[crowd cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[announcer] John Velasquez now has won this race, Jerry, for the fifth time.
[announcer 2] He's been riding for Mark a long time.
He's been riding for everybody a long time.
-[announcer laughs] -[announcer 2] He's been a dominant rider.
-[woman] She was spicy. -[Katie] Yeah, she was…
-Did you see her rear up? -[woman] Yeah.
[groans] And I got the neck strap.
I love when trainers put neck straps.
-I call them the "Holy shit" handle. -[woman] Yeah. [laughs]
Because when shit like that goes down and they start bucking,
you got leverage.
Quirky horses. They do what they want. They have a mind of their own.
You can't make them do something they don't want to do.
It's just impossible.
Go for… We live to fight another day.
[woman] Yeah.
[Katie] I'm not that hard on myself like I used to be.
Know your mistakes, but don't be too hard,
because there's other people that will be hard for you.
[poignant music playing]
If we make them believers,
then opportunity comes.
But you always have to, like, keep knocking down the bricks.
You just gotta keep knocking, knocking, knocking,
and… [inhales] …eventually
you'll break through.
Screw this place! No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
No, it was fun.
You know.
-There's good days and bad days. -I don't even think it was a bad day.
You've climbed the ladder all the way from driving from track to track
to riding in the Black-Eyed Susan,
-so, you should be proud. -[Katie] Yeah.
That race sucked, but I have another big race coming up
in the Belmont Stakes.
And it's a big opportunity for me.
[string music playing]
I always know shops, and I think it's round that way.
[Frankie] Yep.
[Catherine chuckles]
-[man] Welcome -[Catherine] Thank you.
-[Feargal] Want one? -[Catherine] Are they easy to digest?
-[Feargal] Yeah, beautiful. -[Pamela Edwards Lynch] Thank you.
-[Frankie] Right. Cheers, guys. -[Feargal] Cheers.
Nice to see you again.
-[Catherine] Chin-chin. Saturday. -[Feargal] Here's to Saturday.
[Frankie] How many years I haven't seen you?
-[Feargal] Ten. About ten. -[Catherine] Cheers.
[Feargal] I seen you at the Breeders' Cup two years ago, but he ignored me.
[all laughing]
[Frankie] The Preakness is tomorrow, and, uh,
nothing better than, uh, having a quick bite to eat
with my good friend, Feargal Lynch.
He rode in the Preakness last year.
[Feargal] So you've never ridden in Pimlico before?
It's a speed track, but it's one of them tracks that's really weird.
There's an uphill climb at the end.
-Really? -Yeah.
It's why they call it Old Hilltop.
Pimlico's really unique for that.
[Frankie] My first time at Pimlico. Obviously all new to me.
The turns are tighter than Churchill Downs,
so it's very important to get as much knowledge as I can about the track.
[server speaks indistinctly]
-Me and Feargal wanna try the caviar. -The caviar for you two?
Yes. I'm on a strict diet.
So, think you can win the Preakness for Bob Baffert?
I'm, uh…
Yeah, I think my horse is gonna run a huge race.
[Feargal] Know how hard it is to win the Preakness?
[Frankie] I know it is.
Especially when you're 53 and running out of years.
Frankie, you were 53 ten years ago.
Yeah, I'm still 53.
Talking about age, right?
-Last year who won the Preakness? -National Treasure.
-Jockey? Jockey? -Bob Baffert.
-Johnny V. -Johnny V.
And he's over 50, so there is a chance for me as well.
-[Feargal] There's a chance. -There's a chance. Oof!
There's a chance for me and Giselle as well.
[Frankie, laughing] Really?
[Catherine] You haven't got time on your side,
but if you enjoy it and can physically do it, why not?
[Feargal] As jockeys, you die twice.
You die as your career, and you die when you die.
[Frankie] I'm not ready to retire.
I still love it.
I still need it.
I'd rather die on a horse than die of boredom.
[expectant music playing]
[whooshing]
[string music intensifies]
[announcer] Overcast, showery Saturday afternoon,
but it hasn't stopped the revelers from renewing a classic sports tradition
at the 149th Preakness Stakes.
[announcer 2] Let's get this party started!
It's one of the great days of the year in these parts, rain or shine.
[string music becomes energetic]
[announcer] Mystik Dan can become the first Derby winner in six years
to also win the Preakness.
To bring a horse back in two weeks is really not that hard,
but you have to be careful.
We're pretty confident today, and of course we trust in Brian.
[music ends]
[Jamie] Let's make sure we all fit, 'cause we have all this luggage to take.
-Uh, Brian, do you need help with Annie? -[Brian Hernandez Sr.] Yeah.
Joshlyn, grab Annabelle's purse.
All right. Let's go.
[twangy country music playing]
[Brian] Let's see. Will it fit?
That's going to have to go in the front, Dad. Yeah.
[Jamie] All right.
-Annabelle, you ready for Preakness? -[Jamie] Preakness, here we go!
The journey from when Brian and I first met to where we're at now,
kind of unbelievable.
I'm just so proud of him.
What do we say? On the count of three, everybody's gonna scream,
"Go, Mystik Dan!" Three, two, one.
[all] Go, Mystik Dan! Yeah! Whoo!
Yeah, that's better.
We love being out there with Brian, but I do get nervous.
My heart starts pounding, especially at the big races.
[Brian] Have you looked at the race?
-[Jamie] Have I looked at the race? -[Brian] Yeah.
[Jamie] No.
[Brian] Why not?
-Well, I'm not the jockey today. -[Brian] I understand you're not.
I'm trying to, um,
stay away from looking at it. I'm nervous.
[music ends]
I don't know what it is. We're not… not nervous at all.
Here's the racetrack.
[announcer] Now today, the horse Mystik Dan is taking on a field
that includes a strong challenger from the Baffert barn.
Bob is back on the Triple Crown stage.
[announce 2] Bob Baffert looks for his record ninth Preakness win with this colt,
and the legendary Frankie Dettori will ride his first Preakness.
Because Bob Baffert's record in the Preakness is so good,
because Imagination comes here nice and fresh
after his break, 'cause he couldn't run in the Kentucky Derby,
Frankie Dettori is expected to deliver.
[tense string music playing]
Ten hours, be all over. We'll know who's won it.
It's a bit of water, right?
I want the rain to stop because they say, uh, Mystik Dan loves the wet.
He's won on it a few times.
Don't want to give him too much advantage.
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Go get 'em.
[Frankie] Today's conditions is not great with rain,
but I'm riding, uh, for one of the best trainers,
one of the best horses in the race, so we're here to win it.
[announcer] Another horse, Seize the Grey, a Lukas horse.
The Hall of Famer's got plenty of history here in Maryland.
[announcer 2] D. Wayne Lukas at 88 and a half years old,
showing us that it is never too late for a comeback.
[announcer] He'll turn 89 on Labor Day,
looking to become the oldest trainer to ever win a Triple Crown race.
[interviewer] You've won several times before, and looking at your team…
Several means six.
Several… Several meaning six.
You feel good about this one?
[Wayne] All of us, I think, need to stay up there somewhere on the pace.
If it stays like it is, it's gonna be hard to outrun Mystik Dan.
He loves the mud.
[suspenseful music playing]
[announcer 3] We've got a handful of horses
that have some wet track experience, most notably Mystik Dan.
[indistinct chatter]
[Kenny] Before the race, I'm thinking of every detail that I have to hit
to make sure that my horse is right,
whether it's bandages or the shoeing.
You know, all… all the little idiosyncrasies
that get you, um, around the racetrack.
But after, it's in Brian's hands.
[Brian] All right, perfect.
[Kenny] I've always felt like
I just need somebody that I can trust and depend on out there.
Somebody that's gonna get it done on the racetrack. He's one of those people.
[Brian] What's up, guys?
Hello, hello.
I've ridden Preaknesses in the past, but never with the Kentucky Derby winner.
[Javier Castellano] How you doing? Congratulations for your Derby winners.
-You know that you never… -[man laughs]
It never sinks… sinks in.
You're like, "That didn't really happen."
Yeah, I wake up, and I'm, like, "We have won the Derby."
"That's awesome."
[Brian] Everybody's looking at you because everybody wants to see
a run at the Triple Crown,
but now you just learn what you need to block out.
You gotta stay focused.
[indistinct chatter]
[Bob Baffert] Would you carry me across?
[they laugh heartily]
[Kenny] Did you hear him? He said, "Will you carry me across?"
Sounds like my eight-year-old daughter.
[expectant music playing]
What's up, Annie?
-So you know him. -Yeah.
[Kenny] Piece of cake. Do your thing.
Not a lot I can tell you that you don't already know.
[indistinct chatter]
[interviewer] Well, Frankie, welcome to Pimlico.
I know your first time riding here,
jumping back aboard Imagination.
Bob didn't tell me much when I spoke to him. Said it's in your hands.
What do you expect when those gates open?
[Frankie] This kind of race is all about the pace, really, is up to me.
Once those gates open, everybody's got their own plan.
You'll have to adapt.
[interviewer] I think you've got a touch of experience behind you, so best of luck.
You mean I'm old. You mean I'm old, right?
[interviewer] No, not at all. Of course.
Baltimore!
How we feeling?
Riders… up!
[exciting music playing]
[screams]
[intriguing music playing]
[crowd cheering in distance]
-[Kenny] Lay it on 'em. -[Brian] Yes, sir.
Brian! Whoo!
[woman shouting]
Let's go.
[announcer] …the horses approaching the starting gate for the Preakness.
[announcer 2] We have a field of eight.
The Derby winner trying to become the first horse in six years
to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[Jonathon Kinchen] Compared to the Kentucky Derby,
the Preakness feels a bit different.
Sure, the Derby has all the pageantry, and a field of 20 horses,
but at the Preakness, the field might be smaller,
the race may be shorter,
but somehow the intensity ramps up even more.
What do they say? "May the horse be with us."
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] So they are loading the eight horses on this muddy track.
Set to go. And set to get Mystik Dan, the Derby winner, in there.
Will he do it? Will he go leg one and two of the Triple Crown?
[crowd cheering]
Here's Imagination and Frankie Dettori for Bob Baffert.
They're in. They're all in line.
[indistinct chatter]
[crowd cheering]
[horse grunts]
[soft, expectant music playing]
[track announcer] All set.
[dramatic sting resonates]
[unsettling sting reverberates]
[high-pitched ringing muffles sounds]
[crowd roars]
-[bell rings] -[horses neigh]
[announcer] They're off in the Preakness.
Mystik Dan came out very well.
He's in a good spot.
[announcer] So too Imagination.
[exciting music playing]
Seize the Grey goes up in between horses,
and Brian Hernandez is going to take back on Mystik Dan,
as Seize the Grey takes the early lead.
[woman] Come on, baby! Come on!
[announcer] The opening quarter mile was 24.04 seconds
for front-running Seize the Grey, who has seized the lead.
Come on! Come on!
Let's go!
[announcer] And Frankie Dettori is keeping Imagination well off the rail
in second, a length behind.
[man] Come on!
-Come on! -[man 2] Come on, Grey!
[announcer] Then comes Mystik Dan, who's on the rail.
[man 3] Come on, Brian. Take that spot.
Take that spot, BJ. Give up the fence, six.
-[music intensifies] -[horses clopping]
[announcer] 47.33 was the half mile
for Seize the Grey, who heads up the backstretch in front,
with Imagination, his closest pursuer, in second.
-[man 2] Come on! -Come on, Frankie!
[announcer] Round the far turn they go,
and it is still Seize the Grey
who leads the way for D. Wayne Lukas.
[music slows down]
He's inching up a little there.
[music picks up]
[announcer] Mystik Dan has made a move, and now he's just to the outside.
He's taken second as they come to the top of the stretch.
[screaming] Come on, Brian! Come on, Brian!
[announcer] Seize the Grey turning for home in front.
Mystik Dan confronts him,
swinging to the outside.
[exclaiming loudly]
[announcer] Seize the Grey is still there!
Mystik Dan bearing down on the outside!
[screaming] Come on, Brian!
Run him down!
[announcer] Seize the Grey won't go away!
[horses clopping]
Mystik Dan moving down the center of the track!
Come on, Brian!
[announcer] Mystik Dan now right behind!
[loud cheering]
Come on, Brian!
[music swells]
Done.
[announcer] …but Wayne Lukas has done it!
[man] Yeah!
[announcer] Seize the Grey wins the Preakness!
Oh, my!
Wow.
Come on, Brian!
[announcer] The 88-year-old legend Wayne Lukas has done it!
Stole it.
[announcer 2] The oldest trainer to ever win a Triple Crown race
wins his seventh Preakness.
[Sherri] You okay, baby?
-[Kenny] Yeah, he ran good. -[Sherri] He ran awesome.
[Kenny] He ran good. It's not like he ran bad. He ran good.
The horse just… The other one just stole it.
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[woman] That's the way to do it. Don't get dirty. Go in front and stay clean.
[announcer 3] We talked about Mystik Dan
maybe grabbing the lead and going wire to wire.
I don't think anybody expected Seize the Grey to be able
to carry his speed all the way, so he was left alone on the lead.
[announcer] And a gallant effort and runner-up position by Mystik Dan.
He looked like the winner at the top of the stretch.
He ran hard.
Ugh!
He ran so good.
We got around the turn.
I went after him. I'm, like, "We're going to get by him."
I just couldn't get by him.
[Kenny] Good job holding on to second.
[interviewer] And if it couldn't be you, you're really happy that it was…
Yeah, Wayne and I are long friends.
I love him, actually.
Even when he beats me. Wayne.
Fifteen to three.
-What? -[chuckles] It's 15 to 3.
[both laugh]
[man] That was great.
-Thank you. Good job. -[man 2] Great race.
[Kenny] Racing's like unfair boxing.
You get punched in the mouth six or seven times.
You get to hit them once, and it feels so good, you say, "Let's do it again."
[laughs heartily]
[indistinct chatter and bustle]
[music fades]
Very true. I was second best today.
[Javier] I look at you. As soon as you go by everybody outside,
I said, "He's gonna win."
When I split Imagination, I'm, like, "Oh, we're going."
I thought that horse would come back, and he didn't.
[Javier] Yeah.
[intriguing music playing]
[Frankie] The horse broke great.
Probably too good.
I could not get him to relax.
Ultimately, we paid the price
because, uh, he didn't have the energy.
[music fades]
He was sitting on him too much.
Yeah, he was sitting too much. That's not a, uh…
-Well. -[man] It's okay.
[indistinct chatter]
[Bob] Should have let him run.
-D. Wayne Lukas. -D. Wayne Lukas.
Well, all that… all that preparing for nothing.
Hats off to him. I mean, I'm in awe of him, what he just pulled off.
You wanna see a horse go for the Triple Crown,
but, uh, the next best thing is Wayne winning one of these.
And, uh, he's creeping up. He's creeping up on me.
[all laugh]
I'm going to have to stay in for another ten years. I don't know.
[chuckles]
[Frankie] Throughout my career, I always needed a challenge.
That's what makes me tick, really.
That's why I'm gonna chase my goal
to be present at the Triple Crown next year.
[soft music playing]
[Brian] You gotta learn to lose well too.
That's one thing you have to learn in this game.
'Cause you're going to lose a lot more than win.
If you're winning at an 18% clip, that's really, really successful.
Wayne Lukas is a legend.
You're, like, "God." You hate to lose to him.
Anytime he leads one
into one of these Triple Crown races, you know he's gonna be dangerous.
[crowd cheering in distance]
[announcer] He was setting the standard when I came into the game in the '70s,
and, Mike, he is still setting the standard.
[Brian] You can't let those near misses like that eat at you too much.
You can't dwell on… on just barely getting beat.
You have to focus on what's, uh, what's ahead of you.
[music becomes hopeful]
[announcer 2] The countdown is on for the 156th running of the Belmont Stakes,
which will be held in Saratoga Springs this year.
About three weeks after the Preakness Stakes,
it's the third and final leg of the US Triple Crown,
the Belmont.
[announcer 3] This is the first time since 2013
that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners
will face off head-to-head.
Only one will win the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
[bell rings]
[Mike Repole] The Belmont was always the race I wanted to win.
This year, we have a good team,
but we'll be competing against horses like Dornoch or Sierra Leone,
so it's gonna be an incredibly tough ride.
It's going to be intense.
[screaming] Get on the rail!
[music swells]
[announcer 4] We will see you at the Belmont in three weeks.
[music ends]
[twangy country music playing]
[music fades]