Preakness 2024 Post Positions: Complete Listing for Every Horse

The post positions for the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes were announced on Monday, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan earning the fifth post and coming in at 5-2 odds.

Mystik Dan won't be the favorite, however. That distinction belongs to Muth at 8-5 odds, riding one post inside of the Derby winner at No. 4.

There were questions about whether Mystik Dan would appear in the race, given the short two-week turnaround between the first and second legs of the Triple Crown. Trainer Kenny McPeek had some initial concerns about the short break between the races after the horse didn't fare well in a similar turnaround period back in November, but ultimately decided to give it a shot.

"All systems go," he told reporters Saturday. "The horse is doing fantastic."

The sport hasn't seen a Derby winner top the field at the Preakness since Justify in 2018, which also went on to win the Belmont Stakes and claim the prestigious Triple Crown. In two of the past four years, the Derby winner didn't even appear at the Preakness, cutting short the hype surrounding the possibility of a horse making it through the Triple Crown gamut.

That hype is alive and well this year, however, though Muth may play spoiler. The Preakness favorite wasn't permitted to run at the Kentucky Derby since it was trained by Bob Baffert, who is currently banned from Churchill Downs due to Medina Spirit failing a drug test after its Kentucky Derby conquest in 2021.

Muth's four wins include a victory over Mystik Dan at the Arkansas Derby, and he'll come into the Preakness well-rested having been excluded from the Derby.

Plus, Mystik Dan didn't dominate the Derby, winning by just a nose over Sierra Leone and Forever Young in one of the most memorable finishes in race history.

So Muth is a very real challenger to the throne.

After the top two, Imagination and Catching Freedom come in at 6-1 odds. The latter finished fourth at the Derby.