Then he commenced his rally midway on the turn and closed rapidly on the leaders under intense whip urging, but lost by a head to dual classic winner Silver Charm after a prolonged stretch duel.
It was nearly five lengths back to third-place finisher Free House, who had won the Santa Anita Derby, with Blue Grass Stakes winner Pulpit in fourth.
Thousands of fans bet him to reverse the placings with Silver Charm in the Preakness, making him the post time favorite again.
He closed an enormous amount of ground in the final 100 yards in a fixture voted the "race of the decade" in a fan poll conducted by The Blood-Horse.
Captain Bodgit entered stud in 1998 at Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky, and stood there his first four seasons for a fee of $10,000.