Preakness 2015: Horses, Favorites and Contenders for This Year's Field

The Preakness figures to be run in similar fashion to the Kentucky Derby when the best three-year-old runners get together at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday.  

Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah, second-place finisher Firing Line and third-place finisher Dortmund all held the first three positions in the Run for the Roses from start to finish—although not in that order—and it's quite possible the Preakness will once again favor the front-runners.

That's been the traditional bias of the second jewel of the Triple Crown, although it's far from a guarantee. The tight turns and shorter stretch run in the 1 3/16 mile race make it harder for the best come-from-behind runners to advance their cause, but it is certainly possible for a strong horse to come from off the pace and win the Preakness.

The current odds favor the top three finishers in the Derby to once again dominate the race. According to Odds Shark, American Pharoah is the 5-6 favorite, while Firing Line is 5-1 and Dortmund is 11-2 in the 12-horse field. 

However, there are several other contenders that should have a chance to either win the race or work their way into the top three. 

Horse	Odds	Skinny
American Pharoah	5-6	Looking for second jewel
Firing Line	5-1	Powerful effort in Derby
Dortmund	11-2	Shorter race, smaller field could benefit
Carpe Diem	14-1	Never fired in Derby; hard to recommend
Competitive Edge	16-1	Undefeated, but first time going more than a mile
Materiality	16-1	Has a shot with a better start
Danzig Moon	22-1	Passed tired horses in Derby; must show more
Divining Rod	22-1	Has looked good, but strong field is a problem
Bodhisattva	40-1	Overmatched here.
Stanford	40-1	Fresh runner with plenty of speed
Grand Bili	50-1	Nothing to believe in
Tale of Verve	50-1	Only win came in maiden race

One of those horses is Materiality (16-1), who got off to a terrible start in Kentucky and had to race from the back of the 18-horse field. That had never been his style before the Derby, but he still managed to work his way up to sixth place at the race's end. If Materiality can get off to a better start and place himself in the middle of the pack, he could make an impact on the race. 

Stanford (40-1) probably represents the best of the competitors in this field who did not race in the Derby. However, he likes to run near the front of the pack, and that means he would have to take on the big three right from the start. He may not have the stamina if he takes that challenging route.

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Danzig Moon (22-1) is a come-from-behind runner, and he received quite a bit of backing in the Derby. However, when the top three were able to get to the front and stay there without overexerting themselves, that hurt Danzig Moon. However, if the fractions are faster at the quarter-, half- and three-quarter-mile marks in this race, that could help Danzig Moon improve his chances of winning.

Horse players will probably pay attention to Competitive Edge (16-1) because he is 4-of-4 in his career, and any undefeated horse obviously has some ability. However, Competitive Edge still has a lot to prove, because none of those races have ever been run at longer than a mile.

Five other horses will compete for the Black-Eyed Susans, but Carpe Diem, Divining Rod, Bodhisattva, Tale of Verve and Grand Bili would all seem to be outclassed in this field.