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Filly Swiss Skydiver wins 145th Preakness Stakes to finish unusual Triple Crown season

An out-of-order and out-of-the-way Triple Crown season ended on Saturday with filly Swiss Skydiver winning the 145th Preakness Stakes.

The empty stands at Pimlico were witness to a thrilling photo finish between Swiss Skydiver, racing at 6-1 odds, and Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, with the two breaking away from the pack and going step-for-step down the stretch. Swiss Skydiver surged to take the lead midway through the race and managed to hold off for a surprise win over the 3/2 favorite.

Swiss Skydiver is the sixth filly to win the Preakness, and the first since Rachel Alexandra in 2009. She was the first filly to even run the race since Ria Antonia six years ago.

Jockeyed by Robby Albarado and trained by Kenneth McPeek, Swiss Skydiver finished second in the Kentucky Oaks in September and had five career wins entering Saturday.

Jesus’ Team, a heavy underdog at 30-1, finished in show well behind the two frontrunners, holding off Art Collector.

Preakness was delayed from May to October

In any other year, observers would turn to the Belmont Stakes to complete the Triple Crown, but the sport was not immune to the scheduling havoc caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes were both delayed from their usual spring dates, and all three races were held without spectators.

The Belmont Stakes was the first to be run back in June, with heavy favorite Tiz the Law winning big and setting up a potential Triple Crown run. Those hopes were dashed months later at the Kentucky Derby in early September, won Authentic captured trainer Bob Baffert’s record-tying sixth title at Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law later pulled out of the Preakness, ensuring there would be no rematch on the third leg. Now, the Triple Crown ends with a third horse winning a race.

Swiss Skydiver (4), ridden by Robby Albarado, wins the 145th Preakness Stakes horse race ahead of  Authentic (9), ridden by John Velazquez, at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The 2020 Triple Crown has finished with a third different winner. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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