Improbable Looks To Give Bob Baffert Record-Breaking Eighth Preakness Win

By J.J. Hysell
With many of the top finishers from the dramatic Kentucky Derby bypassing Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, the 144th edition appears to be a wide-open, competitive race.
Country House, awarded the Derby win after Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, is sidelined with an illness. It’s the first time a Derby winner hasn’t run in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown since 1996 when Grindstone was retired with an injury.
Maximum Security, who crossed the f