Jockey Flavien Prat and Rombauer ride in the Winners Circle after capturing the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Before Rombauer won the Preakness, his owners planned to sell the bay colt

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 5/16/21

Rombauer won the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday in an upset, and the horse has a cool backstory.

Rombauer, which entered the race with 11:1 odds, passed by Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to win the race at Pimlico Race Course. Medina Spirit finished third, while Midnight Bourbon was second.

ROMBAUER HAS WON THE @PreaknessStakes! pic.twitter.com/Qtn4JP00dj

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 15, 2021

So what’s the deal with Rombauer? His owners, Diane and John Fradkin, planned to sell him. They view themselves as “small-time, commercial breeders” who sell most of their horses.

The Fradkins were planning on selling Rombauer last year, but the pandemic threw things off.

#Preakness146 winner Rombauer is an amazing story. His owners, John and Diane Fradkin, were planning to sell him before the COVID 19 pandemic hit.

But the pandemic delayed the auction, so they kept him and raced him.
Now, they’re in the Winner’s Circle at a Triple Crown race.

— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) May 15, 2021

The Fradkins ended up racing Rombauer instead, with the hope they would be able to sell him later. He won at Del Mar, but the (later proved inaccurate) time was regarded as unimpressive. That made a sale more difficult. They continued to race him, and he ended up improbably winning the Preakness. He has won three times in seven starts.

The entire story via Blood Horse is a good read.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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