[5] The Fradkins normally breed horses to sell at auction, and Rombauer was being pointed towards the April 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sale for two-year-olds in training.

[5] Rombauer made his first start on July 25, 2020, in a maiden special weight race at Del Mar over a distance of one mile on the turf.

[6] On September 7, Rombauer finished sixth in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes after getting bumped at the start.

[7] Despite the loss, McCarthy was impressed with how the colt was training in the morning on the main (dirt) track and recommended entering him in the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita.

[9] On February 13, 2021, Rombauer made his three-year-old debut in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, run over a synthetic "all weather" surface.

"[11] For Rombauer's next start, McCarthy decided to ship the colt to Keeneland in Kentucky for the Blue Grass Stakes on April 3.

Despite being bumped at the start, he raced much closer to the early pace than he had in the past, stalking in third place behind Essential Quality and Highly Motivated.

[12] His performances earned Rombauer enough points to qualify on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, but the Fradkins decided to bypass that race in favor of the Preakness.

"Rombauer's running style is not conducive to what's been winning the Kentucky Derby lately," explained John Fradkin.

I feel when you have a good stakes horse, and he's going to run the best race ever, you want to earn some money and he had a much better chance of doing that here [in the Preakness] than in the Derby.

A co-favorite along with Midnight Bourbon was Medina Spirit, who had crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby but was facing disqualification due to a positive drug test.

Jockey Flavien Prat, riding the horse for the first time, saved ground around the turns then swung the colt wide in the stretch to find racing room.