2024 Preakness Friday Photos

The Kentucky Derby winner (for now) is officially racing in the Preakness.

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Authentic ran a mile in 1:37.57 on Saturday. Baffert, who has won the Sham a record six times, also saddled second-place finisher, Azul Coast, who was last early and rallied to finish 1 1/2 lengths in front of Zimba Warrior.

The Bob Baffert-trained horse tested positive for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone after winning the first of the three famed Triple Crown races on May 1, raising questions over whether the three-year-old colt would be allowed to race at Pimlico Race Course. Medina Spirit was cleared to compete after “undergoing three rounds of out-of-competition blood sample testing as part of the condition of entry,” Pimlico owner Stronach Group said in a statement. Baffert, one of the most recognizable figures in the world of professional horse racing with a record seven Kentucky Derby titles, said the prior failed drug test may have been due to the use of an anti-fungal ointment.