Three horses are confirmed as headed to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes, though the status of Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan remained unclear Tuesday, with no imminent decision expected.
Mystik Dan is scheduled to return to the track Wednesday at Churchill Downs, site of his photo-finish victory Saturday ahead of Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the most-watched Derby in 35 years. Trainer Kenny McPeek has not committed to running Mystik Dan in the Preakness, telling the Maryland Jockey Club that he and owners would let the rest of the week play out before making a decision on the 3-year-old colt.
Entries for the Preakness must be made by Monday, when the post position draw is held.
If Mystik Dan does not run in the Preakness, it will be the fifth time in six years that the race goes on without a true Triple Crown on the line, a combination of Derby circumstances, the pandemic and other factors. McPeek has expressed concern about putting the horse through another two-week turnaround, which did not work out so well in November.
At least one Derby entrant is on track for the Preakness, with Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas bringing 17th-place finisher Just Steel, along with Seize the Grey, who won the Pat Day Mile on the undercard Saturday. Lukas, 88, has won the Preakness six times.
Also going is Mugatu, the last horse left out of the Derby field, with trainer Jeff Engler calling the Preakness a logical spot.
Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert is expected to have a couple of horses in the Preakness after he was unable to run any in the Derby because of the ban on him that Churchill Downs extended for an additional year, based on Medina Spirit’s positive drug test from 2021. Muth, winner of the Arkansas Derby in his most recent start on March 30, could be the Preakness favorite ridden again by Juan Hernandez, while Frankie Dettori is set be aboard Imagination.
Baffert, 71, won his record-breaking eighth Preakness last year with National Treasure, whose victory ended Mage’s chance at a Triple Crown.
The Preakness is May 18. The Belmont Stakes, being run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York each of the next two years, is June 8.
Skenes is coming off a dominant performance in his first season in the majors. The 22-year-old right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for Pittsburgh in 2024, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
The Pirates posted a video on social media on Saturday that showed Shelton informing Skenes of his decision.
In the video, Skenes walks into Shelton’s office and answers a couple questions about how his bullpen went and how he was feeling. Shelton later got up from behind his desk and informed Skenes he would be starting March 27 at Miami. He shook hands with Skenes and gave him a hug.
“Congrats, brother,” Shelton said to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
“Appreciate it,” Skenes responded.
The 22-year-old Skenes has been working on incorporating a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to go along with his blazing four-seam fastball.
The Ottawa Senators have opened up a nice gap as the first wild card, with 75 points and 26 regulation wins in 65 games. Beyond them, things get interesting.
If it comes down to the regulation-wins tiebreaker at season’s end, the Rangers have an upper hand over all the rest, with 29 in that column, compared with 23 for the Jackets, Red Wings and Bruins, and just 22 for the Habs.
The Canadiens host the Panthers also at 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
The Blue Jackets face the visiting Rangers also at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
And if they have their sights set on catching the Senators, these clubs are all rooting for the Maple Leafs, who host Ottawa (7 p.m., ESPN+). It’s a great night for multiple streaming devices!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 62 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 75.9 Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 22
Points: 45 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 15 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 5
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
The Texas Rangers‘ pitching staff took another hit Friday, when right-hander Jon Gray suffered a right wrist fracture.
Gray was struck by a line drive from Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia to lead off the fourth inning that knocked him out of the game.
“Not good news, not good news,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “It’s terrible. I feel awful for him, to be this close to getting the season going. It’s just not good news. I’ll get back in there and find out more, but right now, there is a fracture.”
Gray’s injury is the third setback for the Rangers rotation this week. The team said Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford would start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow. Tyler Mahle had been scratched from a start with forearm soreness, but the right-hander returned to pitch in a minor league game Thursday.
Gray went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Rangers last season, when he was shut down in September for a foot injury that required surgery. He is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.