Bob Baffert's National Treasure wins Preakness as embattled trainer takes his 17th Triple Crown race

Bob Baffert's National Treasure won Saturday's Preakness, giving the embattled trainer his 17th Triple Crown race victory on what began as a tragic day. 

The 5-2 second choice held off hard-charging Blazing Sevens down the stretch to win the 1 3/16-mile, $1.65 million race by a head.

Hours earlier, another of Baffert's three-year-old colts, Havnameltdown, went down with a fatal left leg injury in an undercard race.  It was another dark moment for a sport already reeling from the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs in a 10-day span leading up to the Kentucky Derby. 

'This business is twists and turns, ups and downs,' the Hall of Fame trainer said. 'To win this — losing that horse today really hurt. ... It's been a very emotional day.

'When he got hurt, it's just the most sickening feeling a trainer can have,' Baffert said. 'It put a damper on the afternoon.' 

Bob Baffert's National Treasure won the Preakness, giving him 17 Triple Crown victories

National Treasure, right, with jockey John Velazquez, edges out Blazing Sevens

Jockey John Velazquez #1 riding National Treasure crosses the finish line to win the Preakness

 Jockey John Velazquez won the Preakness for the first time in his 12th try.

'It's been a while,' Velazquez said. 'The success that I had in other races, not having won this one — it was definitely missing, so special to have it.'

Derby winner Mage finished third in the Preakness after receiving stitches around his eye for a scratch that reportedly took place in his stall. Mage's defeat means there will not be a Triple Crown winner for a fifth consecutive year.

Baffert had a rollercoaster day in his return to Pimlico Race Course from a suspension that kept him from entering a horse in the Preakness last year. The thrill of victories by National Treasure in the Preakness and Arabian Lion in an earlier stakes race contrasted with the agony of Havnameltdown's death.

Jockey Luis Saez was conscious and transported to a local hospital for treatment. A team of veterinarians determined Havnameltdown's left front leg injury to be inoperable.

'We are just devastated,' read a tweet from Baffert. 'This is a shock to everyone at our barn who love and care for these horses every day. Hanvameltdown was obviously hit pretty hard coming out of the gate. We don't know if that contributed to the injury, but we will be fully transparent with those reviewing this terrible accident. Right now, our thoughts are with Luis Saez and we are hopeful he will be okay.'

Black barriers were propped up on the dirt track while the horse was put down. All the while, 2Pac's 'California Love' blared from the infield speakers at what is intended as an annual daylong celebration of thoroughbred racing.

PETA slammed Baffert, claiming that '75 horses in his care have died' following news of yet another of his horses being euthanized on the track during the Preakness undercard on Saturday.

Baffert-trained horse and favorite Havnameltdown, behind the curtain, had to be euthanized

An outrider intercepts Havnameltdown after the horse suffered a catastrophic leg injury

Kathy Guillermo - Senior Vice President of the animals right advocacy group - hit out at organizers of the Triple Crown race for providing Baffert with access to the track. 

The latest controversy surrounding the 75-year-old comes barely two months after a federal judge denied Baffert's request to lift his two-year ban by coordinators of the Kentucky Derby, which the Hall of Fame trainer described as a 'cancel culture kind of thing' in 2021.

'Pimlico should have followed Churchill Downs' example and barred Bob Baffert from the track,' Guillermo exclusively told DailyMail.com. 'Baffert has been implicated in drugging scandals, the deaths of seven horses who collapsed in California, and at least 75 horses in his care have died. 

'The tragic death of Havnameltdown is the latest in a long line of fatalities. The racing industry must kick out the bad guys or it will have blood on its hands as well as blood on its tracks.' 

By evening, Baffert was celebrated for winning the Preakness for a record eighth time, breaking a tie with 19th-century trainer R. Wyndham Walden. In 2018, Baffert matched Walden with seven wins at the Baltimore race with Justify, who went on to become the sport's 13th Triple Crown winner — and Baffert's second, after American Pharoah ended a lengthy drought for the sport in 2015.

This was Baffert's first Preakness in two years because of a ban stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's failed drug test that led to a disqualification in that race. Medina Spirit was Baffert's most recent Preakness horse, finishing third.

Medical personal tend to jockey Luis Saez after falling off Havnameltdown

Baffert didn't arrive in Baltimore until Thursday this week, seeking to keep a lower profile than usual given the questions that have dogged him and clouded his reputation. A Hall of Famer and a longtime face of horse racing, Baffert sought to move past his suspension when asked Friday. 

'We just keep on moving forward,' he said. 'We have other horses to worry about. A lot of it is noise, so you keep the noise out and continue working.'

While horse racing deaths in the US are at their lowest level since they began being tracked in 2009, adding another at the track hosting a Triple Crown race will only intensify the internal and external scrutiny of the industry. Those inside it have said they accept the realities of on-track deaths of horses while also acknowledging more work needs to be done to prevent as many as possible.

In that vein, new national medication and doping rules are set to go into effect on Monday. The federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which already regulated racetrack safety and other measures, will oversee drug testing requirements for horses that should standardize the sport nationwide for the first time.