Brandon Weigel
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Assistant Editor at @AllBannerSports.
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Articles by Brandon Weigel
Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness in convincing fashion
Napoleon Solo was sensational as a 2-year-old, a victor in both his races, including a dominant 6 1/2-length win in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. The colt’s 3-year-old campaign was anything but smooth sailing for trainer Chad Summers. He ran in two key Kentucky Derby prep races, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park and Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, and finished fifth in both.
Chad Brown’s colt Iron Honor set as slight favorite in a wide-open Preakness field
Following a disappointing performance in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, trainer Chad Brown took his colt Iron Honor out of the Kentucky Derby and instead targeted the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. The hope was that the extra time would help the talented son of Nyquist out of the mare Orencia find the form he showed earlier in the year in the Grade 3 Gotham, a Derby prep he won by a length.
Bob Baffert withdraws presumptive Preakness favorite Crude Velocity
In a year when almost no Kentucky Derby runners, including the winner, are continuing on to the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown is ripe for the taking. Trainer Bob Baffert considered sending out Crude Velocity, winner of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard, to build on his record eight Preakness wins. And the colt, who’s 3-for-3 in his early racing career, would have had a good shot at making it nine.
For the second year in a row, the Kentucky Derby winner will skip Preakness
For the second year in a row and fourth time in the last eight years, there will be no Triple Crown on the line when horses contest the Preakness Stakes, the middle leg of the series. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not make the trip to Laurel Park, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday, and will instead point to the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in June. DeVaux cited a desire to give the colt a little more of a break after “the race of a lifetime” at Churchill Downs.
Horses with Maryland ties to watch at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week
For anyone involved in horse racing, the Kentucky Derby is the biggest stage. Itâs the only race thatâs practically a national holiday, giving thousands around the country a reason to hold a party, wear their best big hats and seersucker, and suck down mint juleps. Just to land a spot in the starting gate, trainers plot elaborate plans over many months to give their colts enough opportunities to accrue points in designated prep races.
Preakness drawing a strong field at an unusually early juncture
The question that lingers over the Preakness Stakes every year is still to be answered. Will the top performers in the Kentucky Derby make the two-week turnaround and come to Maryland? We’ll start to get an idea in the days after the Run for the Roses is held Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Maryland Jockey Club declines to comment on report of new Preakness date
It’s been talked about for decades. In an era where thoroughbred trainers are less inclined to have their runners make the two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, should the second leg of the Triple Crown be moved back to draw a deeper field? According to a report published Monday night by Sports Business Journal, such a change is possible for the 2027 edition.
Q&A: Mike Repole discusses MD-bred Breeders’ Cup Classic runner Mindframe
Mindframe was having a perfect 4-year-old campaign for trainer Todd Pletcher until the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga. The Maryland-bred son of Constitution out of Walk of Stars had won two Grade 1 races and earned a spot in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another strong effort in the late-August race would have set him up nicely for the Classic, the richest race in North America, scheduled Saturday at Del Mar outside San Diego.
Q&A: Mike Repole discusses MD-bred Breeders’ Cup Classic runner Mindframe
Mindframe was having a perfect 4-year-old campaign for trainer Todd Pletcher until the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga. The Maryland-bred son of Constitution out of Walk of Stars had won two Grade 1 races and earned a spot in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Another strong effort in the late-August race would have set him up nicely for the Classic, the richest race in North America, scheduled Saturday at Del Mar outside San Diego.
Pimlico Race Course: Demolition of the racetrack in photos Original
Talk of demolishing Pimlico Race Course and building a new racetrack has a long and complicated history all its own. Now that a plan is finally coming to fruition after years of stops and starts, itâs truly something that must be seen to be believed. Baltimore Banner photographer Jerry Jackson has documented the tear-down from the start.
2131 30th anniversary: The collectibles and tchotchkes I kept from the Streak
For Orioles fans of a certain age, Cal Ripken Jr. meant everything. He was the local boy done good, playing for the hometown team that employed his dad as a coach for years. And for a time he played alongside his brother Billy, giving the Orioles three Ripkens in orange and black. He was a perennial All-Star, a two-time MVP who showed tall hitters with power could play shortstop, a position requiring elite agility and footwork.
Ravens sign safety Kyle Hamilton to 4-year extension
A day after they finalized their 53-man roster, the Ravens announced they locked up safety Kyle Hamilton to a four-year extension. The deal with Hamilton is reportedly worth $100.4 million, making it the most lucrative deal for a safety in NFL history. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said negotiations between the team and Hamilton’s representatives started to pick up about three weeks ago. “I think the deal really does speak to how we feel about Kyle,” DeCosta said.
Robert MacIntyre shoots 2nd-round 64 to build lead at Caves Valley
There was little doubt Robert MacIntyre would run his birdie streak to seven. On the first hole of his second round of the BMW Championship on Friday, a day after he finished his round of 62 with six straight birdies, including 117 feet of putts in a three-hole span, the 29-year-old Scotsman left little to chance. His approach into the downhill par-4 first hole landed within 5 feet for an easy clean-up to put him at 9 under.
J.T. Poston gets first crack at Caves Valley all by himself
The BMW Championship started with a flyover from two F-18 fighter jets, the kind of spectacle reserved for NFL games, and here they were buzzing the first tee box before 9:30 in the morning Thursday. Members of the Western Golf Association, the tournament’s organizer, and Caves Valley Golf Club heralded the beginning of the first round with opening remarks and applause as the J.K. Wadley Trophy sat to the side in a fancy case.
BMW Championship: J.T. Poston gets first crack at Caves Valley
The BMW Championship started with a flyover from two F-18 fighter jets, the kind of spectacle reserved for NFL games, and here they were buzzing the first tee box before 9:30 in the morning. Members of the Western Golf Association, the tournament’s organizer, and Caves Valley Golf Club heralded the beginning of the first round with opening remarks and applause as the J.K. Wadley Trophy sat to the side in a fancy case.
Maryland-bred Post Time prepares to take a ‘big swing’ in the Whitney Stakes
There’s no way around it; the field in Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Stakes is stacked. Five of the 10 older horses entered in the 1 1/8-mile race at Saratoga Race Course have Grade 1 victories on their résumés, including the last two winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Sierra Leone and White Abarrio.
Baltimore races to clean fuel spill that turned portion of harbor red
Red water glistened around docks and along the edges of the Harbor East as over 100 personnel worked through the night to clean up a diesel fuel spill that officials said turned out to be larger than initially thought. During a press conference Thursday morning, Gov. Wes Moore said reports of the spill began trickling in Wednesday morning.
Journalism wins the 150th Preakness Stakes, last at Pimlico before track teardown
Journalism battled back from his 1 1/2-length defeat in the Kentucky Derby to win the 150th Preakness Stakes, continuing the winning ways he’s shown in his 3-year-old campaign. As the debate over the spacing of the Triple Crown races rages on once more, thanks to Derby winner Sovereignty bypassing the series’ middle jewel, Journalism capably handled the two-week turn around at Pimlico Race Course.
Preakness Stakes 150: How to watch or attend the race
The 150th Preakness Stakes, the last edition to be held at historic Pimlico Race Course before a rebuild of the racetrack, is almost upon us. For those unable to get to Pimlico, NBC will start coverage at 4 p.m. on local affiliates and Peacock. That’s just before the 4:11 p.m. post time for Race 10, the Sir Barton Stakes, kicking off a run of four straight stakes races culminating with the Preakness.
Pimlico Race Course is full of artifacts. Where will they go when it is razed?
Share Maryland State Archivist Elaine Rice Bachmann went to Preakness once, in 1991, and she didn’t venture beyond the inside of the racing oval. “Well, you know, it was the infield, so enough said, but it was exciting for a Midwesterner who had grown up around the [Kentucky] Derby and all of that excitement to sort of see how it’s done in Maryland.
What will be preserved from Pimlico Race Course before it’s torn down?
Maryland State Archivist Elaine Rice Bachmann went to Preakness once, in 1991, and she didn’t venture beyond the inside of the racing oval. “Well, you know, it was the infield, so enough said, but it was exciting for a Midwesterner who had grown up around the [Kentucky] Derby and all of that excitement to sort of see how it’s done in Maryland.
Derby runner-up Journalism is 8-5 favorite for Preakness
Journalism is a favorite. Subscribers to this nonprofit news website probably feel that way already. But no, I’m talking about the 3-year-old runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, whose late entry into the Preakness Stakes field added a lot of intrigue to a race in need of a jolt. The son of 2007 Preakness winner Curlin out of Mopotism was given morning line odds of 8-5 and drew the No. 2 post position in the nine-horse field.
Pimlico Race Course is going to be razed. Go now while you still can.
If you have never set foot on the grounds before, the things you’ve heard about Pimlico Race Course are probably bad. The malfunctioning toilets on Preakness day. The tired, outdated mid-century decor. And the feeling there’s a backlog of maintenance that’s been overlooked for far too long. For horse racing fans, “Old Hilltop” is still a sacred place.
Sovereignty will skip the Preakness and point to Belmont
The final Preakness Stakes at the old Pimlico Race Course will not have a Triple Crown on the line. In a statement, Mike Rogers, executive vice president of 1/ST, said Bill Mott, the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, will point his colt to the Belmont Stakes in June. “We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision,” Rogers said.
Horses with local ties to watch at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby weekend
These are high holy days in Kentucky, the cradle of American horse racing. The $5 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is the most important contest on the racing calendar, the one trainers from around the world point their best 3-year-olds toward. Many runners fail to accrue enough points in a months-long series of prep races to earn a spot in the field, and among those in the starting gate, there can only be one winner, of course.
Orioles announce Eutaw St. Block Party, which sure feels like an outdoor FanFest
For years, the Orioles invited fans to the Baltimore Convention Center during the winter for FanFest, with autograph signings; photo opportunities; Q&A sessions with players, coaches and front office personnel; and other events to get fans excited for the upcoming season. On the heels of a 54-108 campaign in 2019, the first season under general manager Mike Elias, the news came out that the festival would not come back in 2020, ending a favorite tradition for some fans.
John Elway trolls the Colts on his first baseball rookie card
It’s one of the great “what ifs” in Baltimore sports history. What if, instead of refusing to sign with the Colts, quarterback John Elway had accepted his fate when the team took him No. 1 overall in the 1983 NFL draft and reported to Baltimore?
No. 1 South Carolina will travel to Coppin State in 2025, coach Dawn Staley says
Coppin State’s women’s basketball team will get another crack at a Southeastern Conference powerhouse on its home court next season. Ahead of her team’s home opener against the Eagles on Thursday, Dawn Staley said No. 1 South Carolina will play Coppin State at the Physical Education Complex on the school’s West Baltimore campus in 2025. Last December, the Eagles hosted the defending national champion LSU Tigers, a team that featured Baltimore-area native Angel Reese.
The jersey patch from Jackson Holliday’s debut is now on a baseball card
You may have missed it in April. As Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday took the field at Fenway Park early in the season to make his big league debut, he did so wearing a small, red-white-and-blue patch with the words “MLB Debut” and the league’s logo on the right sleeve of his road gray jersey. That exact patch is now affixed to a limited-edition rookie card of Holliday that the 20-year-old phenom has autographed. And, because there was only the one patch, the card is the only one in existence.
Ravens-Commanders: Mayor Scott makes sports bet with musical implications
“The Battle of the Beltway(s).” “The Battle of the Parkway.” Whatever you want to call it, when the Ravens and Washington Commanders clash Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, local bragging rights will be on the line. Mostly for the fans, because the teams are in separate conferences and have faced off only seven times since the Ravens’ inaugural season in 1996.
Lamar Jackson explains why he wasn’t keen to appear on Humphrey’s IG Live
For the social media-obsessed Ravens fan, Marlon Humphrey’s victory Instagram Lives are a postgame staple. The veteran cornerback will bounce around the team plane to talk with his teammates about the game they’ve just won. Because they’re in good spirits, Humphrey’s fellow Ravens are usually happy to answer his questions or, at a minimum, offer standard jock clichés about being happy to head home with a dub.
Pimlico Race Course to hold Fan Appreciation Day with free swag
Operations at historic Pimlico Race Course will cease on Sept. 1, one more step in a plan to overhaul the racetrack and turn it into the year-round home of thoroughbred racing in Maryland. Live racing is scheduled exclusively at Laurel Park for the rest of 2024, and by the start of next month, all horses and training activity will have moved there, too. Pimlico will also close to simulcast wagering.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews was in car crash but is fine, team says
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was involved in a car crash Wednesday morning on his way to the team’s facility in Owings Mills, but he did not suffer any injuries in the incident, the team said in a statement. The location and circumstances of the crash are unclear. Andrews was evaluated by the team’s medical staff, who determined the tight end did not suffer any injuries. He was scheduled for a non-practice day Wednesday and is set to return in the “coming days,” the team said.
Maryland formally takes control of Pimlico Race Course site
The state of Maryland officially acquired the site of historic Pimlico Race Course on Monday, a key step in the plan to eventually redevelop the home of the Preakness Stakes and make it the year-round location of thoroughbred racing in the state. Racing, training and simulcast wagering at the track will cease on Sept. 1.
Some Jackson Holliday rookie cards pay tribute to notorious Billy Ripken card
It’s one of the most notorious error cards in the baseball card collecting hobby: 1989 Fleer No. 616 Billy Ripken, what Professional Sports Authenticator refers to as the “FF Error.” “FF,” here, standing for “F--- Face,” the words clearly written in black ink on the knob of the bat Ripken is resting on his right shoulder, legible for kids and collectors ripping open packs 35 years ago.
Some Jackson Holliday rookie cards pay tribute to infamous Billy Ripken card
It’s one of the most notorious error cards in the baseball card collecting hobby: 1989 Fleer No. 616 Bill Ripken, what Professional Sports Authenticator refers to as the “FF Error.” “FF,” here, standing for “F--- Face,” the words clearly written in black ink on the knob of the bat Ripken is resting on his right shoulder, legible for kids and collectors ripping open packs 35 years ago.
Mindframe comes achingly close to breaking Triple Crown losing streak for Maryland-breds
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Mindframe entered the 156th Belmont Stakes as a colt with scintillating potential, winning his first two races by a combined 21 1/4 lengths. But neither of them was in stakes company, and here he was making the leap to the last race of the Triple Crown series for trainer Todd Pletcher, running the longest distance of his career. And, though he didn’t know it, the 3-year-old son of Constitution by Walk of Stars was carrying the flag for Maryland.
Post Time’s second-place finish continues strong showing for Maryland at Belmont Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Facing some of the stiffest competition of his career, Post Time was up for the challenge, finishing second in the $1 million Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, one of the most prestigious races on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Belmont Stakes runner Mindframe has a chance to make Maryland racing history
Mindframe was conceived in Kentucky and spent the earliest parts of his life in Virginia. Over a year after his birth, the colt was sent back to Kentucky to be auctioned and sold for $600,000 to one of the most prominent thoroughbred owners in New York. But the record books will always tie him to Maryland because this is the state where he entered the world, and with that distinction comes a run at history.
How to train a racehorse: Five Towns runs ‘her race’ in the Gallorette on Preakness Day
A horse race like the Preakness Stakes takes about two minutes. But there are weeks, sometimes months, of work to get a thoroughbred ready to compete. The preparation falls to the trainer, who plots a course for their trainee to be in the best possible shape before the starting gate flings open and determines the best course for getting there. Each circumstance is unique. To better understand a trainer’s thought process, The Baltimore Banner will follow H.
Seize the Grey wins Preakness Stakes for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas
Decades into his career in thoroughbred racing, “The Coach” can still call a good game. At 88 years old, trainer D. Wayne Lukas added yet another Triple Crown race to his legendary career, guiding Seize the Grey to the winner’s circle on the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. It’s Lukas’ 15th win in American racing’s premiere series and seventh at Pimlico Race Course, the most recent being Oxbow in 2013.
How to train a racehorse: Sizing up the competition for Five Towns in the Gallorette
A horse race like the Preakness Stakes takes about two minutes. But there are weeks, sometimes months, of work to get a thoroughbred ready to compete. The preparation falls to the trainer, who plots a course for their trainee to be in the best possible shape before the starting gate flings open and determines the best course for getting there. Each circumstance is unique. To better understand a trainer’s thought process, The Baltimore Banner will follow H.
5 Preakness Stakes storylines: Which horses benefit from Muth scratching?
The outlook of this year’s Preakness changed dramatically Wednesday morning, with trainer Bob Baffert announcing the 8-5 morning-line favorite Muth would scratch due to a fever. Surprise Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is now in prime position for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, the likely favorite in a relatively weak eight-horse field. But, with rain in the forecast and a group of “new shooters” in the starting gate, a victory is far from guaranteed.
Bob Baffert scratches Preakness favorite Muth with a fever
Muth, the 8-5 morning-live favorite in the 149th Preakness Stakes, has been scratched from the middle jewel of the Triple Crown after the colt registered a fever late Tuesday night, trainer Bob Baffert said. The Good Magic colt had a temperature of 103. “We are sick about this. The horse had been doing really well,” Baffert said.
Bob Baffert’s Muth, not Derby winner Mystik Dan, is favorite for Preakness
Oddsmakers on Monday made Muth, the Bob Baffert trainee who was held out of the Kentucky Derby because of Churchill Downs’ ban on the trainer, the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 149th Preakness Stakes. It’s the first time since 2012 the Derby winner ran back in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown and did not line up as the favorite. Mystik Dan, who won the Run for the Roses on May 4 in a thrilling three-way photo finish, is the second choice at 5-2.
How to train a racehorse: Meet Five Towns, a filly set to step up on Preakness weekend
A horse race like the Preakness Stakes takes about two minutes. But there are weeks, sometimes months, of work to get a thoroughbred ready to compete. The preparation falls to the trainer, who plots a course for their trainee to be in the best possible shape before the starting gate flings open and determines the best course for getting there. Each circumstance is unique. To better understand a trainer’s thought process, The Baltimore Banner will follow H.
Preakness bound? Derby winner scarfs a meal, reassuring his anxious trainer
If you’re going to make a run at the Triple Crown, you need your energy. And that’s why trainer Kenny McPeek is a little more optimistic about Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s chances to make the trip to Pimlico Race Course, after he previously cast doubts about running his colt in the 149th Preakness Stakes on May 18. Mystik Dan ate all his food Sunday night. “I’m big on that. I always believe the faster they eat, the faster they run,” McPeek told the Maryland Jockey Club.
How to train a racehorse: It’s one thing to target a race. It’s another to get a horse there.
A horse race like the Preakness Stakes takes about two minutes. But there are weeks, sometimes months, of work to get a thoroughbred ready to compete. The preparation falls to the trainer, who plots a course for their trainee to be in the best possible shape before the starting gate flings open and determines the best course for getting there. Each circumstance is unique. To better understand a trainer’s thought process, The Baltimore Banner will follow H.
How to train a racehorse: It’s all about communication (with an athlete who can’t talk)
A horse race like the Preakness Stakes takes about two minutes. But there are weeks, sometimes months, of work to get a thoroughbred ready to compete. The preparation falls to the trainer, who plots a course for his or her trainee to be in the best possible shape before the starting gate flings open, and determines the best course for getting there. Each circumstance is unique. In an effort to better understand a trainer’s thought process, The Baltimore Banner will follow H.
David Rubenstein touts Orioles series ‘The Next Chapter’ ahead of expected sale vote
The Orioles are getting fans hyped for Thursday’s home opener with a new video series called “The Next Chapter,” set to release the day before the 2024 season begins. It’s not entirely clear what it’s about.
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