Preakness 2015 Post Positions: Draw Start Time, Horses Lineup and More

Following an exciting Kentucky Derby that saw American Pharoah outlast some top-level competition, the field will officially be set for the 140th Preakness Stakes on Wednesday in the form of the post draw.

American Pharoah, jockey Victor Espinoza and trainer Bob Baffert will look to secure the second jewel of the Triple Crown, but they will have no shortage of opponents looking to knock them off. Based on how strong the spectacular colt was down the stretch at Churchill Downs, though, that will be no easy task.

Here is a look at the horses who are currently scheduled to be part of the Preakness Stakes, as well as a rundown of when and where the post draw and the race itself will take place.

Draw Start Time: Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m. ET

Race Start Time: Saturday, May 16, at 6:18 p.m. ET

Location: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore

Entered Horses

Horse	Jockey	Trainer
American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert
Bodhisattva	Trevor McCarthy	Jose Corrales
Carpe Diem	TBA	Todd Pletcher
Competitive Edge	TBA	Todd Pletcher
Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse
Divining Rod	TBA	Arnaud Delacour
Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert
Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan
Materiality	TBA	Todd Pletcher
Grand Bili	Tyler Gaffalione	Gustavo Delgado
Stanford	Florent Geroux	Todd Pletcher
Tale of Verve	Joel Rosario	Dallas Stewart

Horses to Watch

American Pharoah

American Pharoah proved his worth with an excellent showing in the Kentucky Derby, and he is now the latest hope to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Those are tough expectations to live up to, but he certainly has what it takes to win the Preakness.

While the Belmont Stakes requires a ton of stamina to win, the Preakness isn't too unlike the Derby. Because of that, Baffert feels confident in American Pharoah's chances ahead of the event at Pimlico Race Course, according to Tom Pedulla of America's Best Racing (via FoxSports.com). Baffert said:

"

If you run well in the Derby, it means your horse is in top shape. ... What we saw (at the Derby) was that he is not one-dimensional, which is so nice to have. He's quick. He's handy. You can move on him at any time. ... He had never had a stiff race. Now that he's had a stiff race, he should really move forward.

"

In addition to that, horse racing agent Terry Norman feels as though American Pharoah's showing at Churchill Downs bodes very well for his entry into the Preakness Stakes:

"

Preakness shouldn't be a problem - fractions weren't strong today - and there is hope he will get 1m4f. #TripleCrown #AmericanPharoah

— Terry Norman (@tjnnorman) May 2, 2015"

The Preakness is essentially setting up to be just like the Kentucky Derby, with Dortmund and Firing Line likely to be among American Pharoah's top challengers. They gave him a great run, but he ultimately had plenty left in the tank at the end.

If this race plays out in a similar manner, then look for American Pharoah to enter the Belmont Stakes with a potential Triple Crown hanging in the balance.

Dortmund

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Dortmund was undefeated entering the Kentucky Derby, but he finally suffered his first loss as he ran third to American Pharoah and Firing Line. The massive colt may not be invincible, but he is still a top contender to win the Preakness.

Baffert had two great chances to win the Derby as the trainer of both Dortmund and American Pharoah. The latter ultimately came through, which led some to speculate that Baffert would hold Dortmund out of the Preakness in order to create an easier road for the Kentucky Derby champion.

That isn't the case, though, as Baffert seems to welcome the competition, according to Jonathan Lintner of The Courier-Journal:

Also, while some might view Baffert's training two top horses as a conflict of interest, he doesn't believe that to be the case, per Gary Mihoces of USA Today:

"

I felt bad for (Dortmund owner) Kaleem (Shah) for running third (in the Derby). I didn't feel awkward because they know when you're in a big barn like mine ... they understand that sometimes I'll beat them with another horse. ... Some owners can't be in a barn like mine because they don't like that. ... My guys, they know I'm going to do what's best to get them there.

"

There is no question that if Baffert is going to win the Triple Crown, he wants to do it the right way. Dortmund is arguably American Pharoah's biggest threat, and Baffert seemingly has no reservations about entering him.

Dortmund definitely has a chance to spoil the Triple Crown party, and if he can leave a little more in reserve down the stretch than he did at Churchill Downs, then he may be able to hold off American Pharoah this time around.

Divining Rod

Garry Jones/Associated Press

While the horses in the Preakness field who already ran in the Kentucky Derby are on the receiving end of most of the hype due to familiarity, it wouldn't be wise to sleep on Divining Rod's chances.

The impressive three-year-old was victorious his last time out at the Lexington Stakes, and he has shown steady improvement ever since his debut. If that continues, then Divining Rod will at least be a factor in Baltimore.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour believes that his horse is progressing in a significant manner, per Lintner:

Going from winning the Lexington Stakes to vying for a victory in the Preakness Stakes against the likes of American Pharoah, Dortmund and Firing Line is admittedly a big leap, but Divining Rod has enough talent to pull off the big upset.

He is a wild card of sorts in this race since many aren't sure what to expect of him. That can be a dangerous thing in horse racing, and he is definitely the under-the-radar colt to watch in terms of who could surprise American Pharoah.

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