BALTIMORE (AP) — D. Wayne Lukas worked his way to Seize the Grey after his horse won the Preakness Stakes and kept getting interrupted by well-wishes offering congratulations.

“I think they’re trying to get rid of me,” Lukas said. “They probably want me to retire. I don’t think that’ll happen.”

Not when the 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer keeps winning big-time races.

Seize the Grey ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan’s Triple Crown bid Saturday by going wire to wire to win the Preakness, giving Lukas his seventh victory in the race, one short of the record held by good friend Bob Baffert.

“I’m only one behind him — I warned him already,” Lukas said. “It never gets old at this level, and I love the competition. I love to get in here with the rest of them.”

The strapping grey colt took advantage of the muddy track just as Lukas hoped he would, pulling off the upset in a second consecutive impressive start two weeks after romping in a race on the Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. Going off at 9-1 as one of the longest shots on the board, Seize the Grey moved to the lead immediately out of the starting gate and never looked back, finishing in 1:56.82.

“I thought his action down the backside was beautiful, and I knew that he was handling the track,” Lukas said. “I said, ‘Watch out, he’s not going to quit.'”

Mystik Dan finished second in the field of eight horses running in the $2 million, 1 3/16-mile race. After falling short of going back to back following his win by a nose in the Kentucky Derby, it would be a surprise if he runs in the Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

“My colt’s a fantastic colt and proud of him,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “It just wasn’t his day, but he’ll live to race again.”

Seize the Grey was a surprise Preakness winner facing tougher competition than in the Pat Day Mile on May 4. Though given the Lukas connection, it should never be a surprise when one of his horses is covered in a blanket of Black-Eyed Susan flowers.

No one in the race’s 149-year history has saddled more horses in the Preakness than Lukas with 48 since debuting in 1980 and winning that one with Codex. He had two in this time, with Just Steel finishing fifth, but Seize the Grey — owned by 2,570 people involved in the MyRacehorse group — delivered the victory.

“I just couldn’t be happier for every single one of them,” MyRacehorse founder and CEO Michael Behrens said. “We had some big expectations, but this exceeds all those expectations.”

Seize the Grey paid $21.60 to win, $8.40 to place and $4.40 to show. Mystik Dan paid $4.20 and $2.80, while third-place Catching Freedom paid $3.20 to show.

Baffert, who was looking for a record-extending ninth Preakness victory, was supposed to have two horses in the field, but morning line favorite Muth was scratched earlier in the week because of a fever. Baffert’s Imagination finished seventh.

“He is still learning,” Baffert said. “I think we are learning his style. I saw a lot today that I can change going forward. I don’t think he wants to run like that. We didn’t really have a plan. We thought it would be Wayne or us.”

Muth’s absence made Mystik Dan the 2-1 favorite, but he and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. could not replicate their perfect Derby trip to win that race’s first three-way photo finish since 1947. Instead, Jaime Torres rode Seize the Grey to a win in his first Triple Crown race of any kind, just two years after starting to ride.

“I have no words,” said Torres, a native of Puerto Rico who did not begin racing until seeing it on TV in late 2019. “I’m very excited, very excited and very thankful to all the people that have been behind me, helping me.”

This was the last Preakness held at Pimlico Race Course as it stands before demolition begins on the historic but deteriorating track, which will still hold the 150th running of it next year mid-construction.

That process is already well underway at Belmont Park, which is why the final leg of the Triple Crown is happening at Saratoga for the first time and is being shortened to 1 1/4 miles because of the shape of the course. Kentucky Derby second-place finisher Sierra Leone, a half step from winning, is expected to headline that field, though Lukas said he’d wait to see about Seize the Grey also running.

2024 — Seize the Grey

2023 — National Treasure

2022 — Early Voting

2021 — Rombauer

2020 — Swiss Skydiver

2019 — War of Will

2018 — Justify

2017 — Cloud Computing

2016 — Exaggerator

2015 — American Pharoah

2014 — California Chrome

2013 — Oxbow

2012 — I’ll Have Another

2011 — Shackleford

2010 — Lookin at Lucky

2009 — Rachel Alexandra

2008 — Big Brown

2007 — Curlin

2006 — Bernardini

2005 — Afleet Alex

2004 — Smarty Jones

2003 — Funny Cide

2002 — War Emblem

2001 — Point Given

2000 — Red Bullet

1999 — Charismatic

1998 — Real Quiet

1997 — Silver Charm

1996 — Louis Quatorze

1995 — Timber Country

1994 — Tabasco Cat

1993 — Prairie Bayou

1992 — Pine Bluff

1991 — Hansel

1990 — Summer Squall

1989 — Sunday Silence

1988 — Risen Star

1987 — Alysheba

1986 — Snow Chief

1985 — Tank’s Prospect

1984 — Gate Dancer

1983 — Deputed Testamony

1982 — Aloma’s Ruler

1981 — Pleasant Colony

1980 — Codex

1979 — Spectacular Bid

1978 — Affirmed

1977 — Seattle Slew

1976 — Elocutionist

1975 — Master Derby

1974 — Little Current

1973 — Secretariat

1972 — Bee Bee Bee

1971 — Canonero II

1970 — Personality

1969 — Majestic Prince

1968 — Forward Pass

1967 — Damascus

1966 — Kauai King

1965 — Tom Rolfe

1964 — Northern Dancer

1963 — Candy Spots

1962 — Greek Money

1961 — Carry Back

1960 — Bally Ache

1959 — Royal Orbit

1958 — Tim Tam

1957 — Bold Ruler

1956 — Fabius

1955 — Nashua

1954 — Hasty Road

1953 — Native Dancer

1952 — Blue Man

1951 — Bold

1950 — Hill Prince

1949 — Capot

1948 — Citation

1947 — Faultless

1946 — Assault

1945 — Polynesian

1944 — Pensive

1943 — Count Fleet

1942 — Alsab

1941 — Whirlaway

1940 — Bimelech

1939 — Challedon

1938 — Dauber

1937 — War Admiral

1936 — Bold Venture

1935 — Omaha

1934 — High Quest

1933 — Head Play

1932 — Burgoo King

1931 — Mate

1930 — Gallant Fox

1929 — Dr. Freeland

1928 — Victorian

1927 — Bostonian

1926 — Display

1925 — Coventry

1924 — Nellie Morse

1923 — Vigil

1922 — Pillory

1921 — Broomspun

1920 — Man o’ War

1919 — Sir Barton

1918 — War Cloud and Jack Hare, Jr.

1917 — Kalitan

1916 — Damrosch

1915 — Rhine Maiden

1914 — Holiday

1913 — Buskin

1912 — Colonel Holloway

1911 — Watervale

1910 — Lay Master

1909 — Effendi

1908 — Royal Tourist

1907 — Don Enrique

1906 — Whimsical

1905 — Cairngorm

1904 — Bryn Mawr

1903 — Flocarline

1902 — Old England

1901 — The Parader

1900 — Hindus

1899 — Half Time

1898 — Sly Fox

1897 — Paul Kauver

1896 — Margrave

1895 — Belmar

1894 — Assignee

1893-91 — No Races Held

1890 — Montague

1889 — Buddhist

1888 — Refund

1887 — Dubine

1886 — The Bard

1885 — Tecumseh

1884 — Knight of Ellerslie

1883 — Jacobus

1882 — Vanguard

1881 — Saunterer

1880 — Grenada

1879 — Harold

1878 — Duke of Magenta

1877 — Cloverbrook

1876 — Shirley

1875 — Tom Ochiltree

1874 — Culpepper

1873 — Survivor