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Preakness 2024 Payout: Prize Money Payout, Order of Finish and Reaction

Erik BeastonMay 18, 2024

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 15: Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is bathed following a training session ahead of the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 15, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Rob Carr/Getty Images

There will be no Triple Crown winner this year.

Seize The Grey and 25-year-old jockey Jaime Torres held off Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan to win Saturday's race at a muddy Pimlico.

The horse, racing its first Triple Crown race, led from the start and never faded. He maintained speed around three turns, staying consistently out front and holding off the race's favored horse.

NBC Sports @NBCSports

Seize The Grey WINS the 149th Preakness Stakes! 🌻 <a href="https://t.co/Uqyb5nXPuS">pic.twitter.com/Uqyb5nXPuS</a>

At 88, D. Wayne Lukas became the oldest trainer to win the Preakness. He said of the race winner, "I knew he wasn't going to quit. He had the mile last week. It sets them up."

Lukas referred to the Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs a week ago, a race Seize The Grey won. The preconceived notion that the horse could only excel in one-turn races made his victory Saturday that much more surprising.

What reaction did the underdog victory receive and what was the payout for the prestigious race?

Let's take a look.


Order of Finish and Prize Money Payout

The total amount of money at stake in the Preakness Stakes was $2 million, up from $1.5 million a year ago.

It was awarded in the following manner to the top five finishers:

  1. Seize The Grey ($1.2 million)
  2. Mystik Dan ($400,000)
  3. Catching Freedom  ($220,000)
  4. Tuscan Gold ($120,000)
  5. Just Steel ($60,000)
  6. Uncle Heavy
  7. Imagination
  8. Mugatu
  9. Muth (scratched Wednesday)

Reaction

Much was made of the idea that Seize The Grey was at his best in single-turn races, leaving questions about his ability to be competitive in a four-turn race, let alone win it and dominate from the start but it is a testament to trainer D. Wayne Lukas and his belief in the three-year-old colt.

World Horse Racing @WHR

D WAYNE LUKAS wins his seventh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Preakness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Preakness</a>! <br><br>The 88-year-old trainer sends out SEIZE THE GREY for an all the way win at Pimlico! <a href="https://t.co/mQzYs9xhE1">pic.twitter.com/mQzYs9xhE1</a>

Lukas made the walk to the winner's circle at the Preakness for the seventh time, one short of the record held by his friend and two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer, Bob Baffert.

America'sBestRacing @ABRLive

88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas enters the winners circle <a href="https://twitter.com/PimlicoRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PimlicoRC</a> after winning <a href="https://twitter.com/PreaknessStakes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PreaknessStakes</a> with Seize the Grey for <a href="https://twitter.com/MyRacehorse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MyRacehorse</a>! <a href="https://t.co/oyQiIh54Qh">pic.twitter.com/oyQiIh54Qh</a>

The Preakness victory for jockey Torres may be the best and most interesting story of the day, thanks to a whirlwind entry into the sport. Just five years in, the 25-year-old has now captured one of the most coveted wins in horse racing.

NBC Sports @NBCSports

2019: Watched horse racing in Puerto Rico<br>2022: Went to jockey school<br>2024: Wins the 149th Preakness Stakes<br><br>Jaime Torres, jockey of Seize The Grey, reflects on his victory. <a href="https://t.co/qaxY6lWHue">pic.twitter.com/qaxY6lWHue</a>

The unlikely victory for Seize The Grey, the history for Lukas, and the eventful start to a potentially fantastic career for Torres make this year's Preakness a memorable one that should help build intrigue for the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 8.