Preakness 2015 Post Time: Important Start Time and Lineup Info
Coming on the heels of a thrilling Kentucky Derby, the 2015 Preakness Stakes has a lot to live up to. The good news is this year's field is shaping up to be another deep group similar to the one that ran at Churchill Downs, with American Pharoah being the star attraction.
One advantage the Preakness has compared to the Belmont Stakes in June is the hope for a Triple Crown is at its apex. Things can come crashing down for the Kentucky Derby winner at Pimlico Race Course, though two of the last three Derby champions have conquered the Preakness (I'll Have Another and California Chrome).
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The lineup for this year's Preakness Stakes features American Pharoah looking to keep his quest for a Triple Crown alive, but he will be going up against familiar competition. Firing Line, Dortmund and Danzig Moon are also slated to run on Saturday.
Here's all the post information you need to prepare for the 140th Preakness Stakes.
| Date | Post Time (ET) | Network | Track | Race Distance |
| Saturday, May 16 | 6:19 p.m. | NBC (Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET) | Pimlico Race Course | 9.5 Furlongs |
Confirmed Horses
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | 5-6 |
| Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 20-1 |
| Divining Rod | TBD | Arnaud Delacour | 22-1 |
| Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 6-1 |
| Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 5-1 |
| Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales | 40-1 |
| Carpe Diem | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 12-1 |
| Competitive Edge | TBD | Todd Pletcher | 14-1 |
| Grand Bili | Tyler Gaffalione | Gustavo Delgado | 50-1 |
| Materiality | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 16-1 |
| Stanford | Florent Geroux | Todd Pletcher | 40-1 |
| Tale of Verve | Joel Rosario | Dallas Stewart | 50-1 |
Lineup via Preakness.com.
The Race
The Preakness Stakes is the fastest of the Triple Crown races thanks to the shorter distance. Horses and jockeys only have to plan for 9.5 furlongs, giving pure sprinters an edge that doesn't exist at Churchill Downs or Belmont Park.
It's also the smallest Triple Crown race with a maximum of 14 horses allowed for entry. Some teams specifically save their thoroughbreds for the Preakness Stakes because of the distance and quieter field.
For instance, Stanford was a horse who entered the Kentucky Derby and drew the No. 11 post. However, his team, led by trainer Todd Pletcher, decided to pull him from that race for the purpose of building toward a later-race run at one of the two Triple Crown tracks, per Sports Network (via Kentucky.com):
"We were on the fence as to whether or not to run him, but we thought we'd take a look. But after seeing the draw and talking to the owners, we decided it might be best to take him out and consider other options.
We're thinking now that either the Peter Pan (at Belmont Park on May 9) or the Preakness (at Pimlico on May 16) might be better spots for him. The horse is fine. We'll train him tomorrow morning and we'll probably work him the morning of the Derby before we ship him to New York.
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Stanford has never run a race longer than nine furlongs in his career before the Kentucky Derby and hasn't won a race longer than six furlongs in his career, so dropping him into a longer race with better competition didn't make sense other than the glory of running at Churchill Downs.
But even with a field that features a nice mix of fresh horses and strong Kentucky Derby finishers, all eyes are on American Pharoah. He was the favorite to win at Churchill Downs from the time he entered the field and will get the betting love once again.
There are also numbers to back up how impressive American Pharoah's victory was. According to Mike Curry of America's Best Racing, the 2015 Kentucky Derby champion moved faster than any winner since 2008:
"The 111 Equibase Speed Figure also is the highest Kentucky Derby figure since Big Brown’s 114 in 2008 and very close to the last three for California Chrome (2014), Orb (2013), and I’ll Have Another (2012), each of whom earned 109s for their Derby victories.
According to Trakus, American Pharoah traveled 29 feet more than runner-up Firing Line and 69 feet more than pacesetting stablemate Dortmund, who held on for third after entering the race unbeaten in six races.
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It's one thing to be a favorite in a race, but it's another thing entirely to justify that hype and line up with some of the best horses this century. American Pharoah has shown the ability to win on short- and long-distance tracks and against elite competition.
Per Brian Brinkmeyer of Horse Racing Nation, recent history does suggest that American Pharoah will come out on top:
"American Pharoah just became the third consecutive Kentucky Derby favorite to win the roses," Brinkmeyer wrote. "This came after a prep season that was all but dominated by the post time favorites. So, it would not be wise to leave out the heavy favorite in the Preakness Stakes."
The quest for a Triple Crown will bring out the best horse racing has to offer in an attempt to stop American Pharoah. He's risen to the challenge in each of his last five races and hasn't given any reason to suspect the momentum will slow down on Saturday.
Firing Line and Dortmund were his biggest challenges at Churchill Downs and should be ecstatic to take on the shorter track at Pimlico, but American Pharoah also has the luxury of cutting loose sooner in this race, so things don't have to be as interesting down the stretch.
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