Preakness Stakes Results
2020 Preakness Stakes Recap
During the first 144 editions of the Preakness (G1) at Pimlico, only five fillies managed to beat their male rivals to the finish line. Only one had achieved the feat since 1924, but such imposing statistics failed to deter Swiss Skydiver, who displayed unwavering determination to conquer a quality field in the 145th running of the Preakness.
Winner of the Alabama (G1) during a productive spring and summer campaign, Swiss Skydiver entered the 2020 Preakness (delayed from May 16 to Oct. 5 due to COVID-19) off a runner-up effort in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) against fellow fillies. It seemed as though racing 1 3/16 miles against Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic would be too formidable a task, but Swiss Skydiver was up to the challenge.
A brilliant ride from jockey Robby Albarado played a big part in Swiss Skydiver's triumph. Albarado kept the filly reserved off the pace early on, saving ground about three lengths off the pace as Authentic dueled for the lead through modest fractions of :24.48 and :47.65. But when an opening appeared inside of Authentic on the backstretch, Albarado boldly encouraged Swiss Skydiver to advance, giving the daughter of Daredevil a tenuous lead heading into the far turn.
“I had an opportunity, a split second, to take advantage of the rail because [Authentic] was sitting off the fence there,” Albarado told NBC Sports. “I made a conscious decision on the backside. 'It's give or take now. Do I make that move now or do I wait to see if they come back to me?'”
Albarado clearly made the right decision. Authentic tried to battle back, but Swiss Skydiver refused to concede. As the pace accelerated, Swiss Skydiver dug deep to prevail by a neck, with Authentic pulling 9 3/4 lengths clear of the rest. The final time of 1:53.28 ranked as the second-fastest Preakness in history, behind only the 1:53 recorded by Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
“She is just a real bull. She loves what she does every day. She likes to go to work. She wants to go out early because she doesn't want to wait to go out,” said Kenny McPeek, who trains Swiss Skydiver for owner Peter J. Callahan. “I've had a lot of special horses in my career, but she's definitely right there at the top right now…”
Overlooked at odds of 11-1, Swiss Skydiver paid $25.40 to win. Bred by WinStar Farm, Swiss Skydiver picked up $600,000 from a purse of $1 million, and—more importantly—cemented her status as the nation's leading 3-year-old filly. How can anyone top beating males in a Triple Crown race?
2020 Preakness Stakes order of finish
- Swiss Skydiver
- Authentic
- Jesus' Team
- Art Collector
- Max Player
- Excession
- Mr. Big News
- Thousand Words
- Ny Traffic
- Pneumatic
- Liveyourbeastlife