2019 Preakness Stakes: Fans Were Confused After Jockey Thrown off Horse at Starting Gate

At the start of the Preakness Stakes, the horse Bodexpress lost his jockey, John Velazquez, right out of the gate, leaving fans on social media stunned.

The horse got out of the gate, and Velazquez almost instantly tumbled from the saddle. Bodexpress continued running the race without the jockey. He finished the race without Velazquez on his saddle.

There were plenty of Twitter jokes about Bodexpress’ run.

Will of War won The Preakness. Trained by Bob Baffert, the horse was involved in the objection that changed the results of the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Baffert initiated the objection, which led to Maximum Security’s disqualification and Country House being declared winner.

Bodexpress’ trainer is Gustavo Delgado. The horse finished 13th at the Kentucky Derby and entered the race with 20-1 odds to win, reports USA Today.

This year’s Preakness was notable for not including the Kentucky Derby winner for the first time since 1996. Country House was forced to sit out because of an illness, according to the horse’s trainer, Bill Mott.

“He developed a little bit of a cough this morning,” Mott told Daily Racing Form on May 7. “He appetite is good. He doesn’t have a fever. But he’s coughing. We drew blood. He’s acting like he’s going to get sick. He’s off the training list, and if he’s off the training list he’s off the Preakness list.”

“It’s probably a little viral thing,” Mott explained. “Hopefully it doesn’t develop into anything serious. Usually when something like this happens a horse misses a couple weeks of training. He’s not seriously sick right now. But he’s showing indications that something is going on.”

The Preakness is the second of three races considered part of the Triple Crown. The third leg is the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York on June 8.

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