How Many Preakness Winners Had Also Won The Kentucky Derby?

With Mystik Dan winning the Run For The Roses earlier this month, horse racing fans will now be asking how many Preakness winners also won the Kentucky Derby before heading to Pimlico?

So, with that in mind, we take a deeper look at how many Kentucky Derby winners followed up in the middle leg of the US Triple Crown, which is set to be run this year on Saturday, May 18.

We’ve Seen 36 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winners Over The Years

The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes make up the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the USA. This trio of races all come in just five weeks, so it takes a special horse to land all three.

This is backed up with just 13 horses over the years claiming the Triple Crown. So, with the Kentucky Derby having already been run, this year’s narrow winner – MYSTIK DAN – will be the latest horse trying to etch his name into US horse racing folklore.

But just how many Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners have there been? The answer to this question is 36 horses have won at Churchill Downs, then gone on to follow-up at Pimlico in their careers.

While of these 36 past Preakness Stakes winners, there have been 23 that have won JUST the first two legs of the Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby and Preakness – and falling short in the final race, the Belmont Stakes.

It was Sir Barton in 1919 that has the honor of being the first ever horse to win Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. While he also went onto land the Belmont Stakes that year, so the H. Guy Bedwell-trained colt was the first Triple Crown winner too.

Past Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winners

23 Horses Have Won ONLY The Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby

As mentioned, there have been 36 horses to have won Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby.

However, with 13 of these also going onto land the Belmont Stakes, this means there are 23 horses that have landed ONLY the first two Triple Crown races.

The first of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners was Burgoo King in 1932 as his Belmont Stakes was scraped due to lameness.

While the last horse to win only these two Triple Crown races was California Chrome in 2014. He went onto finish a dead heat 4th in the Belmont which ended his dream of racing immortality.

Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winners (Horses That Have Won JUST These Two US Triple Crown Races)

Justify Was The Last Horse To Win Both The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes 

California Chrome was the last horse to win ONLY the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2014. But we’ve had two Triple Crown winners since.

American Pharoah took all three races in 2015 for trainer Bob Baffert, but the most recent Triple Crown hero was Justify in 2018. Another Baffert-trained colt.

Therefore, this Scat Daddy colt remains the last horse going into the 2024 Preakness Stakes to have also won the Kentucky Derby.

Last Year’s Kentucky Derby Winner Mage Was Only Third In The Preakness Stakes

Mage, who landed the 2023 Kentucky Derby, was trying to keep his Triple Crown dream alive in the Preakness Stakes a few weeks later.

But the Gustavo Delgado-trained colt could only manage third to burst his bubble.

He actually never won another race after going onto run second in the Haskell Stakes and ended his career with a poor 7th in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Who Won The 2023 Preakness Stakes?

With Mage trailing in third it was left for the Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure to pick up the Preakness Stakes pieces in 2023 (watch below).

This Quality Road colt bypassed the Kentucky Derby that year with Baffert still banned at Churchill Downs. However, he made amends at Pimlico with a battling head win.

National Treasure has gone onto run six more times, with his only other success coming in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream Park earlier this year. While his last run was a fourth in the lucrative Saudi Cup at the end of February 2024.

Mystik Dan Looking To Become The Next Kentucky Derby Winner To Land The Preakness Stakes

The connections of Mystik Dan have had their hand forced to run in the $2m Preakness Stakes as they attempt to keep the Triple Crown dreams afloat.

There will only be 14 days for the horse to recover and, in what looked a hard-fought win at Churchill Downs, those looking to take him had steered towards the Bob Baffert runner – Muth.

Muth wasn’t able to run in the Kentucky Derby due to his trainer’s ban, but many thought he would have had a big say. This is backed up having won the Arkansas Derby on March 30. With a certain Mystik Dan just over 6 lengths back in third (watch below).

However, Muth will now MISS the 2024 Preakness Stakes after flying over to the Pimlico track with a high temperature – making Mystik Dan’s chance much easier.

Therefore, with Muth now scratched it’s also no shock the latest Preakness Stakes odds 2024 have Mystik Dan as the new market leader. He’ll be looking to become the first winning favorite since Justify in 2018.

When is the Preakness Stakes 2024?

The 2024 Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday May 18 at Pimlico racetrack.

We’ve also got the complete Preakness Stakes schedule so you can look ahead to all the other races at the two-day meeting.

📅Time/Date: 7:00pm (ET), Saturday May 18, 2024
🏇Racecourse: Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland
💰 Purse: $2m
📺 TV: NBC Sports and Peacock
🎲 Preakness Stakes Odds: Mystik Dan +190 | Tuscan Gold +400 | Imagination +400 | Catching Freedom +400

WATCH: Mystik Dan Winning The 2024 Kentucky Derby

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How Many US Triple Crown Winners Have There Been?

There have been 13 horses that have won the US Triple Crown. Mystik Dan is the latest horse to try and become number 14, but he’ll need to win the Preakness Stakes first.

US Triple Crown Winners

2024 Preakness Stakes Betting and Bookmaker Winning Percentage Chance

See the latest Preakness Stakes odds with the best Preakness Stakes betting sites below.