Crupper Earns Preakness Spot

Hot Springs, Ark. — April 18, 2026.
In a performance that combined grit and control from start to finish, Cruppersecured a coveted berth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) with a determined half‑length victory in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.

Ridden confidently by Ramon Vazquezand trained by Kenny McPeek, the chestnut son of Good Magic tracked the early pace before inching to the front entering the stretch. He repelled a late bid from Chad Allan to prevail in 1:49.54 for 1 ⅛ miles on a fast main track, earning an automatic invitation to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 16.

“He’s been knocking on the door all spring,” McPeek said afterward. “We thought the distance here would bring out his best, and Ramon gave him the kind of ride that kept him engaged every step.”

Crupper was prominent throughout, sitting just off early fractions of :23.87 and :48.02, before confronting the leader on the far turn. Turning for home, he dug in resolutely as Chad Allan closed the margin, but the McPeek trainee held firm through the final sixteenth with ears pricked and something left.

The win was Crupper’s second from six starts, boosting his career earnings beyond $260,000 for owner Lucky Seven Stable. The colt had finished third in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes over the same track earlier in the season and appears to be rounding into peak form at just the right moment.

Chad Allan stayed on gamely in second, while Texian rallied for third, another 1 ¼ lengths back.

For Oaklawn Park, the Bathhouse Row has quickly become an important spring gateway to the Triple Crown, and Crupper’s victory reinforces that trend—a tough, forward‑placed colt earning his way to Baltimore the old‑fashioned way: by outrunning every rival when it mattered most.

“He’s improving with every race,” McPeek said with a satisfied grin. “He’s earned his chance in the Preakness, and he’ll get it.”