BALTIMORE - It was a turbulent, traumatic but ultimately triumphant return to the Triple Crown stage for trainer Bob Baffert. In a stirring three-furlong stretch battle with Blazing Sevens, the Baffert-trained National Treasure prevailed by a head in the $1.65 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, giving Baffert a record eighth Preakness victory and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his first in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Blazing Sevens finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Kentucky Derby winner Mage, who couldn’t overcome the slow Preakness pace and had to settle for third. He finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Red Route One in fourth. Chase the Chaos, Perform, and Coffeewithchris completed the order of finish in the smallest Preakness field since 1986. First Mission was scratched on Friday due to an injured left hind ankle. Baffert had been absent from the Triple Crown since 2021 after Medina Spirit finished first in that year’s Kentucky Derby, but was found to have tested positive for the regulated therapeutic medication betamethasone. It set off a period where Baffert was banned from the Kentucky Derby for two years and he missed all of the 2022 Triple Crown due a 90-day suspension he served associated with that medication positive. :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Join DRF Bets and get a $250 deposit match bonus, $10 free bet, and FREE DRF Formulator! Saturday, back in Baltimore, Baffert had a triumphant return when Arabian Lion, shortly after noon, won the Sir Barton Stakes by four lengths, likely earning a shot in the June 10 Belmont Stakes. But an hour later, Baffert watched in disbelief as his 3-year-old multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter Havnameltdown broke down halfway through the running of the Chick Lang Stakes. Havnameltdown had to be euthanized on track. “When that horse got hurt it was just the most sickening feeling a trainer can have,” Baffert said.  “It put a damper on the afternoon. I was hoping this horse [National Treasure] could win for the group and for Johnny. The day would have been so nice without [the fatality] happening. We grieve and I’m still grieving about it. We’re still sad about that horse and we will be for a while.” Baffert said the Preakness victory “put a little moment of spark into our lives.” Baffert broke a tie for most Preakness wins that he shared with Robert Walden, who won his Preaknesses in the late 1800s. The record wasn’t as important to Baffert as was winning on one of the biggest days of the year and sharing it with his wife and grown children, who were quite emotional after watching the race on a television located in the paddock. “We’ve had some tough moments, but it’s days like this - it’s not really vindication - I feel like we have a moment we can enjoy it,” Baffert said. It was the first Preakness that Velazquez could truly enjoy. One of the most successful jockeys in the sport - he’s won more than 6,300 races and $465 million in purse earnings - Velazquez had gone winless with 12 previous Preakness mounts, finishing second three times. “With all the blessings that I’ve had and all the success I’ve had in other races, not having this one was definitely missing,” Velazquez, 51, said. “It’s very special to have it.” :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic.  It was a crafty Velazquez ride that helped get National Treasure, who raced with blinkers on, get the victory. In a race void of speed and breaking from the rail, Velazquez got National Treasure out of the gate quicky and then brought him out into the three path coming through the stretch the first time. That forced Coffeewithchris and Blazing Sevens, the two closest pursuers, to have to go wide or take back. They went wide. “When I broke okay, I went toward the middle of the track, I wanted to make sure I put them over there [wide] for a little while,” Velazquez said. “If they wanted to go any faster, let them go in front. Just a little strategy, if it worked, it worked, and it worked today.” National Treasure had a clear advantage through a half-mile in 48.92 seconds and six furlongs in 1:13.92. Entering the far turn, when Coffeewithchris retreated, Irad Ortiz Jr. moved Blazing Sevens into second. Blazing Sevens came up alongside National Treasure around the turn and the race was on. National Treasure, who hadn’t won since his debut last Sept. 3, had enough in reserve to hold off Blazing Sevens, the Grade 1 Champagne winner of 2022, though the two exchanged bumps very late. There was no inquiry into the stretch drive. “He put up a good fight the whole way, he was not letting that horse go by, and on the gallop-out the pony had to pull him up,” Velazquez said of National Treasure. “It was a really good fight from the three-sixteenths pole to the wire. Thank God for everything he did [to] take me out of my slump from the Preakness.” Chad Brown, the trainer of Blazing Sevens, said the wide trip cost his horse the race. “I think the amount of ground probably cost him here,” said Brown, who had won two of the last six runnings of the Preakness. “He had the outside post, Irad made the best decision he could. I don’t see what he could have done differently, it’s just the way it unfolded. The winner showed a lot of heart to battle back so you have to give him credit.” National Treasure is a son of Quality Road owned by a large partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. National Treasure covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.12 and earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. He returned $7.80 as the second choice. :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator.  Mage won the Kentucky Derby taking advantage of a hot pace. Saturday, the pace was pedestrian, and Mage, the 7-5 Preakness favorite, was a lot closer to the pace under Javier Castellano. He did not have the same kick as he did two weeks ago. “I liked where I was, I didn’t want to be too far back because I knew there would not be a lot of speed in the race,” Castellano said. “Unfortunately, they went slow and I could not catch those horses.” So, there will be no Triple Crown on the line when the Belmont Stakes is run on June 10. Mage is not expected to run back in the Belmont. “We’ll regroup, take our time, and see what’s next for him,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant trainer to his father. “Nobody is going to take the Derby from him.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.