Seize the Grey

Seize the Grey won his maiden race in his second career outing as a 2-year-old with a win at Saratoga on July 29, 2023.  He tried stakes competition for the first time in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 16 and finished fourth.

Seize the Grey tried stakes competition again as a 3-year-old in the Grade 3 $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks going 1 1/8 miles on the all-weather track at Turfway Park on March 23, and finished third, just a head out of second in a 10-horse field. Seize the Grey then took one final shot on the Triple Crown trail in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 6 but finished seventh in a 10-horse field.

Seize the Grey regrouped in his next start and cut back in distance to race in the Grade 2 $600,000 Pat Day Mile Stakes at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 4. In the Pat Day Mile, Seize the Grey pressed and then stalked the pace and then won a multi-horse scramble in the stretch to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The winning effort in the Pat Day Mile was good enough to convince trainer D. Wayne Lukas to send the colt to Pimlico to make his next start in the $2 million Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in racing's Triple Crown.

Two weeks after winning the Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs, Seize the Grey was entered in the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes on May 18, 2024. The move by Lukas turned out to be a winning one as Seize the Grey took control from the start in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, controlled the pace, and was able to go gate to wire to prevail by a winning margin of 2 1/4 lengths under jockey Jaime Torres in a time of 1:56.82 over a muddy sealed racetrack at Pimlico. Seize the Grey was the sixth choice on the tote board in a field of eight and paid $21.60 to win. 

Seize the Grey returned three weeks after his Preakness triumph to race in the third jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, which was run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga on Saturday, June 8. Seize the Grey led through the first half of the race under heavy pressure and faded to seventh in the stretch in the seven-horse field.

Seize the Grey was back at Saratoga for his next start in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on July 27 but he once again disappointed in that spot, finishing fourth in a field of six when beaten 12 lengths by Fierceness.

Seize the Grey made amends in his next outing when he found the right spot for the second Grade 1 victory of his 3-year-old campaign in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby going 1 1/8 miles at Parx on Sept. 21. Sent off as the 4.30-1 third choice on the tote board in an 11-horse field of 3-year-olds in the Pennsylvania Derby, Seize the Grey went right to the front and was allowed to lope along on easy :23.4 and :49.1 quarter-mile and half-mile fractions on a comfortable lead. When confronted by runner-up Stronghold at the top of the stretch, Seize the Grey rebroke and accelerated to a 3 3/4-length victory under jockey Jaime Torres who stood in celebration in the irons as he crossed the finish line.

Seize the Grey is trained by D. Wayne Lukas. He was bred in Kentucky by the sire Arrogate out of the mare Smart Shopping by Smart Strike.