Preakness 2021 Results & Payouts: $25.60 Rombauer romps home

The 2021 Preakness was overshadowed by all the talk about Bob Baffert and the failed drugs test of his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. The story was a punchline for all the late night comics and made front page news in newspapers from coast-to-coast. Baffert himself made it a political story by appearing on FOX News. It just took a lot of the charm away from the event but after several days of wrangling - both Medina Spirit and the other Baffert three-year-old entered - Concert Tour were in the field and were set to race.

Our two handicappers covering the race went into it with completely opposite views. Sean has been on Medina Spirit all year and saw no reason to move away from the Kentucky Derby winner Pre-Race. J.N. has never been high on him and thought he got the perfect trip in the Derby and owed his win in large part to the fact Essential Quality had a terrible trip. So it was always going to be interesting here at HorseRacing.net Towers as to who would have bragging rights going into the Belmont in three week's time.

As the pools went live - it was Steve Asmussen's Midnight Bourbon who had moved in from 5-1 on the Morning Line to 5-2 favorite. Whether that was a lot of pool money coming in against Medina Spirit because of what has gone on or bettors truly fancied the winner of the Lecomte is something we might never know. Medina Spirit initially drifted to 3-1 before swiftly joining Midnight Bourbon at 5-2, Concert Tour saw a small move outwards from 3-1 to 7-2.

NBC's pundits were mostly against the Derby winner coming back to take the second leg of the Triple Crown although most notably - Steve Kornacki decided to stick with the Baffert horse - who he picked a fortnight ago under the Twin Spires.

Medina Spirit and Midnight Bourbon broke well and they went to the lead early as the two favorites went stride for stride. Medina Spirit is the final moments before the race did become the favorite but it was those two all the way to the turn.

Midnight Bourbon got his nose in front as they turned for home but then Rombauer came around the pair of them and just pulled away from the field to romp home to victory. 

I wrote earlier in the week on the horse:

Michael McCarthy's Rombauer is one that I'm thinking could go well. Taking victory at the El Camino Real Derby over at Golden Gate Fields isn't much to write-up about but a third-place finish behind Essential Quality and Highly Motivated was a really good result. This son of Grade I winner Twirling Candy is not a horse to ignore when looking at the field.

It was a thoroughly deserved victory. The two favorites just went at each other and allowed a quality competitor to surge past. It was a fine ride by Flavien Prat and in my opinion it wasn't a huge shock. Quite simply the best horse on the day won. No-one can have any complaints.

He paid a very tasty $25.60 for the win as Midnight Bourbon finished second and Medina Spirit finished third. The Exacta paid out $98.60 with the Trifecta $162.70. If you nailed the Superfecta you got $1,025.50 per dollar.

There will be no controversial Triple Crown this season and in my opinion - that is a good thing. On to the Belmont in three weeks...