Preakness 2016 Post Time: Race Schedule, Post Positions Info and Prediction

Nyquist can move within one victory of horse racing's second consecutive Triple Crown with a triumph in the 2016 Preakness Stakes on Saturday. He'll face a field featuring a few familiar foes and a group of new shooters in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.

Kentucky Derby runner-up Exaggerator should be in the mix once again after his rally attempt two weeks ago came up a little short. Stradivari is the most promising contender who didn't take part in the Derby and should be fresh after racing just once in 2016, a win last month.

Let's check out all of the important details for the second leg of the Triple Crown. That's followed by a look at the entire field and a preview of Saturday's marquee race.

Viewing Information

Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore

When: Saturday at 6:45 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Preakness Stakes Field

Post	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1	Cherry Wine	Corey Lanerie	20-1
2	Uncle Lino	Fernando Perez	20-1
3	Nyquist	Mario Gutierrez	3-5
4	Awesome Speed	Jevian Toledo	30-1
5	Exaggerator	Kent Desormeaux	3-1
6	Lani	Yutaka Take	30-1
7	Collected	Javier Castellano	10-1
8	Laoban	Florent Geroux	30-1
9	Abiding Star	J.D. Acosta	30-1
10	Fellowship	Jose Lezcano	30-1
11	Stradivari	John Velazquez	8-1

Race Preview

Nyquist enjoyed an ideal trip in the Kentucky Derby, as jockey Mario Gutierrez managed to avoid any early pitfalls to push the favorite toward the front. The most talented horse in the field took care of business from there and didn't need to use all his energy to get the win.

He's now unbeaten in eight career starts, and many of them looked similar to the Derby. No one has been able to push him to the limit, which is great news since endurance now becomes a key factor in completing a Triple Crown bid.

Jake Lourim of the Baltimore Sun noted trainer Doug O'Neill has been pleased with what he's seen from the horse leading up to the Preakness.

"He looked great," O'Neill said, "and we're just looking for him to continue what he's been doing here since he's been in Baltimore—keep his appetite up, stay injury-free and stay loose."

Although Nyquist is the rightful favorite, no one can count out Exaggerator. The Santa Anita Derby winner got caught up in the crowd during the early going two weeks ago, and by the time he finally started to make his charge, it was simply too late.

A smaller field should give him a much better opportunity to get a clean break and allow jockey Kent Desormeaux to settle in closer to the lead. That doesn't mean he can outpace the favorite, but it should make for a more competitive battle.

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet believes it's a two-horse race between the top choices:

Stradivari may play the role of spoiler in that storyline, though. He's an intriguing mystery due to a lack of experience, including none against high-end competition.

The colt finished fourth in his first career start before breaking his maiden the second time out. He followed that victory by going more than four months without a race. He returned last month to win an allowance race at Keeneland.

For some observers, not having gone up against Grade I or Grade II fields before jumping into the Triple Crown fray will be enough to rule out Stradivari this weekend. Mike Joyce of TVG isn't among the analysts in that group of skeptics:

Ultimately, any horse outside that group of three is going to need a perfect day to win. Whether it's Collected, Cherry Wine or another hopeful from that next wave of contenders, the margin for error is thin against the ever-reliable Nyquist.

Even if it ends up being an off track—the Weather Channel is forecasting a 90 percent chance of rain Saturday—the outlook doesn't change much. Nyquist won the Florida Derby on a wet track and won't mind if the conditions are a little sloppy this weekend.

Prediction: Nyquist by a length