Preakness 2015: Early Odds and Predictions for Entire Entry Lineup
Like many, Las Vegas doesn't think any horses will come close to 2015 Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah at the 2015 Preakness Stakes.
It's a fair presumption this early in the process. Not only did American Pharoah overcome one of the deepest fields to hit the Kentucky Derby in years, he's trained by a legend, Bob Baffert. Oh, and jockey Victor Espinoza is up top, the same guy who guided California Chrome last year.
There's an interesting field developing for the event in Pimlico, though. There are those who skipped the Kentucky Derby, and there's also contenders who gave American Pharoah everything he could handle at Churchill Downs.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here's an early look at some of the entries listed on the Preakness' official site, although some are yet to confirm and may change.
2015 Preakness Stakes Lineup
| American Pharoah | 5-6 |
| Firing Line | 5-1 |
| Dortmund | 11-2 |
| Carpe Diem (pending) | 12-1 |
| Competitive Edge (pending) | 14-1 |
| Materiality (pending) | 16-1 |
| Danzig Moon | 20-1 |
| Divining Rod | 22-1 |
| Bodhisattva | 40-1 |
| Stanford (pending) | 40-1 |
| Grand Bili (pending) | 50-1 |
| Tale of Verve | 66-1 |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark as of May 11th at 11 a.m.
Predictions for Entry Lineup
Firing Line Shocks Again
Few gave much attention to Firing Line before Churchill Downs, a silly idea in hindsight thanks to past strong performances and the presence of 52-year-old legend Gary Stevens in the saddle.
Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form is one of many who agree the combo makes for a great story:
Firing Line almost pulled off the upset at Churchill Downs, losing a bit of steam down the stretch.
The finish meshes well with the fact he finished a close second in the Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes and Robert B. Lewis Stakes beforehand, also at the hands of serious Kentucky Derby contenders. The performances reinforce what a dangerous due the two are going to Baltimore.
Anything can happen in a smaller field and a shorter race, especially if Firing Line draws a spot outside of American Pharoah. Look for the underrated pair to put up a strong fight again and almost ruin all hopes of a Triple Crown bid.
Divining Rod Almost Pulls off Upset
Divining Rod is a new face the globe may want to get to know.
There's an alarming amount of potential and upside with the Arnaud Delacour-trained horse, who came in third at the Tampa Bay Derby, his first major taste of serious competition, before winning the Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes.
Delacour tells Jonathan Lintner of The Courier-Journal his horse looks good ahead of the Preakness, too:
"I am happy with him. It's been a pretty uncomplicated preparation. We've had no setbacks, no major issues, so I feel good about it. Of course, it's a big race. It's a step up. It's not an easy race, but as far as the preparations and the way he looks I'm very happy with everything.
"
There's elite speed with Divining Rod, who offers upside difficult to ignore, even more so if the post-positions draw falls in his favor.
On fresh legs, look for Divining Rod to make contenders nervous at Pimlico.
American Pharoah Cruises to Victory
In the end, American Pharoah looks like the clear-cut winner.
Baffert's doing the training, Espinoza knows how to breeze this venue and, most important of all, there's not a horse as impressive as American Pharoah.
The advantages don't stop there, though.
Ponder this—he's still on fresh legs, with just three starts as a two-year-old and two Derby preps. Compared to the rest of the field, endurance doesn't figure to be an issue. Neither does history—a Kentucky Derby participant has won the Preakness every time out since 2007, and Baffert's three prior Derby winners have won the Preakness.
The fact is, American Pharoah already took care of business against Firing Line and previously undefeated stablemate Dortmund. He did it from an unfavorable starting position, too, biding his time until late.
American Pharoah may not blow away folks from a time standpoint, but there's little debate he's the best horse headed to Pimlico. Barring a major upset, he'll head to New York a serious contender to shatter a 37-year drought.
Stats and information via Preakness.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
