Preakness 2015 Post Time: TV Schedule, Weather Forecast for 140th Race
American Pharoah's journey to the Triple Crown will next pass through the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore today.
The three-year-old colt was pushed hard at the 2015 Kentucky Derby and eliminated any lingering doubts that he couldn't win a close race. He hung back off the leader a bit until the final turn, and once he hit his full stride, nobody could catch him.
Now, the question is whether he can repeat at the Preakness Stakes.
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Post Time: 6:18 p.m., Saturday, May 16
Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Weather Forecast
Mother Nature may not cooperate for the Preakness. According to the Weather Channel, the forecast calls for possible showers in the morning and thunderstorms into the day and evening. The chance of precipitation is 50 percent, so it's not a foregone conclusion that the heavens will open up and drench Pimlico.
"It's looking like there would be at least some scattered showers and thunderstorms and kind of a typical humid summer pattern," said meteorologist Bryan Jackson, per The Baltimore Sun's Scott Dance.
A muddy track would likely mean the faster horses are at a big disadvantage. Wet conditions would slow down the pace of the race, thus mitigating the edge that top contenders like American Pharoah, Dortmund and Firing Line would own.
Preview
The biggest and seemingly only storyline going into the Preakness is whether American Pharoah can continue his hunt for the Triple Crown. Since Affirmed last won the Triple Crown in 1978, 13 horses have captured the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short at the Belmont Stakes.
One thing that has hampered previous contenders in the past is the distance of the track itself. Pimlico is the shortest of the three Triple Crown tracks at 1 3/16 miles. While that's just a shade under Churchill Downs' 1 1/4 miles, that little bit can make a difference.
The good thing for American Pharoah is that he's built for speed and distance. He shouldn't have much difficulty adjusting to Pimlico.
Trainer Bob Baffert believes the hard work is already done with regard to the race itself.
"To me, the Preakness is the easiest of the three legs," he said, per Richard Rosenblatt of the Associated Press (Via ABCNews.com). "The Derby is the hardest. Once you get through there, you know your horses are in top form. It's a two-week turnaround. It's just a matter of getting there."
Anything other than a victory for American Pharoah will certainly be a surprise. Rosenblatt noted that Baffert is a perfect 3-of-3 in the Preakness when his horse wins the Kentucky Derby. In addition, jockey Victor Espinoza is no stranger to high-pressure situations, per ESPN's Chris Fallica:
Both Dortmund and Firing Line will be tough challengers, though. They ran third and second, respectively at the Derby.
Of the two, Dortmund might be most suited to Pimlico. He led the Derby almost right from the start and held the lead until roughly the final turn. On a somewhat shorter track, maybe jockey Martin Garcia pushes the colt a little bit harder since stamina won't be as much of an issue.
However, Dortmund is a bit of an odd case, since he is also trained by Baffert. It doesn't seem that crazy to think that Baffert would prioritize American Pharoah's Triple Crown pursuit ahead of Dortmund's Preakness Stakes preparation.
TwinSpires.com's Ed DeRosa and Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden attempted to get into Baffert's head and predict his motivations:
That subplot certainly adds more intrigue to the Preakness Stakes. Who doesn't love a little trainer internal strife?
Should American Pharoah fall and Dortmund rise, then that will certainly ruin a lot of the excitement already building for the Belmont Stakes.
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