Preakness 2015: Potential Prize Money Earnings, Projected Order of Finish, More

The 2015 Preakness Stakes features one dominant storyline, as is often the case in the aftermath of the spectacle that is the Kentucky Derby.

American Pharoah won the Run for the Roses in a fascinating finish, but his continued march toward the Triple Crown won't be easy at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore after drawing the No. 1 post position.

Derby runner-up Firing Line, along with American Pharoah's barn mate Dortmund and numerous other formidable Churchill Downs contenders, will be in the starting gates again in the Preakness. That should only lead to a similarly entertaining second leg of the Triple Crown campaign on Saturday.

Check out the list of entries for the 140th Preakness Stakes along with predictions as to who will finish atop the strong field and how they'll be rewarded for their efforts.

Post No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Morning-Line Odds
1	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	4-5
2	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	7-2
3	Mr. Z	Corey Nakatani	D. Wayne Lukas	20-1
4	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	15-1
5	Tale of Verve	Joel Rosario	Dallas Stewart	30-1
6	Bodhisattva	Trevor McCarthy	Jose Corrales	20-1
7	Divining Rod	Javier Castellano	Arnaud Delacour	12-1
8	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	4-1

Pos.	Horse	Earnings
1 (Win)	American Pharoah	$930,000
2 (Place)	Dortmund	$300,000
3 (Show)	Firing Line	$150,000
4	Danzig Moon	$75,000
5	Divining Rod	$45,000

Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, and the last to do so was Affirmed in 1978. Odds Shark nevertheless has American Pharoah bucking the trend as a 5-2 favorite to win both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

This just goes to show how respected American Pharoah is.

Just one year removed from California Chrome, who won the first two Triple Crown jewels but fell short in the Belmont, it'd be easy to overreact and label the newest Derby champion as a legitimate candidate to win all three Triple Crown races.

There is no hyperbole when it comes to American Pharoah, though. The only major concern is how hard jockey Victor Espinoza seemed to ride him at Churchill Downs.

But to take Hall of Fame trainer and industry expert Bob Baffert at his word would be wise in most instances. Baffert didn't express too much concern with Espinoza's style, per the Courier-Journal's Jonathan Lintner:

"

I never noticed it during the race, and after I read something (Wednesday), I went back and looked at it. First of all, the whips they use now are so light. He was just keeping him busy.  The horse wasn't responding when he was turning for home. It looked like it took a lot to just keep him busy and focused.

"

Espinoza helped Baffert to Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins in 2002 aboard War Emblem and was also in the irons for California Chrome in 2014.  With four of the other top five finishers from the Derby lining up in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, Espinoza will have to be on his game.

The hope is that American Pharoah doesn't need as much encouragement from the whip to run well this time around. One positive to bear in mind is that American Pharoah didn't kick it into high gear until the final stretch in Louisville, yet he still kept up with quite a fast early pace.

Pimlico is a slightly shorter track, so it favors a sprinter with American Pharoah's skill set. As long as he breaks well, it's hard to envision anyone keeping him from the winner's circle.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports weighed in on the Preakness lineup, which features a mere eight horses:

Gary Stevens has won the Preakness three times and looms as a threat aboard Firing Line, but Dortmund, a winner in six prior starts leading up to Churchill Downs, will try to get the better of him this time around. Dortmund was leading for much of the Derby, and adjustments in strategy combined with a slightly shorter trip will lead to a better finish.

For those just outside the money, Danzig Moon seems like a sound superfecta bet with Julien Leparoux aboard. Canadian sprint specialist trainer Mark Casse had Danzig Moon ready for the Derby and should see him secure a nice payday at Pimlico.

Note: Race information courtesy of Preakness.com unless otherwise indicated.