Preakness 2023: Post Time, TV Schedule, Post Positions Info
Mage raced his way to a Kentucky Derby win in the first of the Triple Crown races and will look to claim his second Saturday at the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes, but his pursuit of history will be challenged by a young field of opponents.
Which horse poses the greatest opposition to Mage and when can you watch the Derby winner attempt to remain on course for the history books with another victory?
Find out with this preview of the May 20 race.
TV, Streaming Information and Post Draw Time
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Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore
When: Saturday, May 20
Post Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
TV Coverage Start Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV and Live Stream: NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app and Peacock (pre-race coverage on CNBC from 1-4:30 p.m. ET)
Post Draw: Monday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. ET
Early Odds
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Early odds for Saturday's race are as follows, per FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Mage (Trainer: Gustavo Delgado, 3-1)
- First Mission (Trainer: Brad Cox, 4-1)
- Blazing Sevens (Trainer: Chad Brown, 12-1)
- Henry Q (Trainer: Todd Fletcher, 14-1)
- National Treasure (Trainer: Tim Yakteen, 14-1)
- Red Route One (Trainer: Steven Asmussen, 24-1)
- Instant Coffee (Trainer: Brad Cox, 25-1)
- Chase The Chaos (Trainer: Ed Moger Jr, 40-1)
- Il Miracolo (Trainer: Antonio Sano, 60-1)
- Perform (Trainer: Shug McGaughey, 15-1)
Can Mage Make It Two?
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Mage galloped away from the pack to win the 2023 Kentucky Derby in just the fourth start of his career. It was a statement victory that positioned him as the favorite to win the Preakness.
After finishing as a runner-up to favorite Forte, who was scratched from the Run for the Roses late, Mage raced to a victory that also netted jockey Javier Castellano his first Derby win.
The 45-year-old is no stranger to Preakness victories, though.
The four-time Eclipse Award winner has ridden two horses to victory at the Baltimore track, Bernardini in 2006 and Cloud Computing in 2017. He is familiar with the course and knows how it races.
If Mage's early warm-ups at the track are any indication, the Derby champion is ready for the task at hand.
"It's been a surreal last few days. The most important thing is the horse looks great. He's kept his weight and (is) relaxed when training," co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. told reporters.
Mage will find his toughest competition in First Mission, trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Brad H. Cox.
Still relatively new to racing, the horse has only competed three times, winning two and finishing second in the other. Yet, despite his relative inexperience, he is coming of a momentum-building victory at the Lexington Stakes and has the full confidence of his trainer.
"He's lightly raced but I liked what I saw of him all winter and into the Lexington," Cox told BloodHorse.com.
"He came into our barn last spring and just needed some extra time to develop. It was nothing major why we gave him time off. We just thought he was a later developing horse. Ever since we brought him back he's impressed us and been very consistent in his training."
First Mission will be ridden by Luis Saez, who has a Belmont Stakes victory on his resume and a second-place finish at the Preakness with Bravazo in 2018.
There is no sure thing in racing, but Mage will have as good an opportunity to make it two-for-two in this year's Triple Crown against a relatively young and inexperienced field.
Barring any setbacks or on-track injuries that may occur before Saturday's race, he has earned the strongest odds entering the Preakness.
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