Preakness Schedule 2015: Live Stream, TV Coverage and Lineup Info
Although many consider the Kentucky Derby to be the biggest event in horse racing, Saturday's Preakness Stakes isn't far behind as American Pharoah will look to take another step toward the elusive Triple Crown.
No horse has accomplished the feat since Affirmed in 1978, but after witnessing American Pharoah's excellent showing at Churchill Downs, he has the look of a horse who could make history. Luckily, watching the dominant colt attempt to do just that at Pimlico Race Course is extremely simple.
The race will be covered extensively both on television and via live stream, so fans will have the opportunity to watch from almost anywhere.
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Here is a rundown of everything you need to know in order to follow the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes, as well as a look at the entire field.
Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore
When: Saturday, May 16 at 6:18 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: Preakness.com
Preakness Stakes Lineup
| 1 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | 10-13 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 15-4 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | Corey Nakatani | D. Wayne Lukas | 25-1 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 14-1 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | Joel Rosario | Dallas Stewart | 50-1 |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales | 50-1 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | Javier Castellano | Arnaud Delacour | 20-1 |
| 8 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 17-4 |
Horses to Watch
American Pharoah
There is no shortage of strong contenders in the Preakness field, but there is no question that the bulk of the focus will be placed on American Pharoah as he looks to nab the second leg of the Triple Crown.
American Pharoah has won all but one race during his fantastic career, and although he needed to come from behind in order to win the Kentucky Derby, it seemed as though he was very much in control for the entire event. Because of that, there is reason to believe that he can repeat his Churchill Downs performance at Pimlico.
Also, indications leading up to the Preakness suggest that American Pharoah is in excellent form and very much prepared to follow up with another victory.
According to Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal, American Pharoah was nothing short of eager and energetic during his workouts:
In addition to that, Zayat Stables racing manager Justin Zayat felt as though the Derby winner had an ideal demeanor:
A lot of factors will come into play during the Preakness Stakes that can't be accounted for during preparation, but there is no reason to believe that American Pharoah will be anything short of great.
Provided trainer Bob Baffert has everything in place and jockey Victor Espinoza gives him a good trip, American Pharoah should be in position to continue his Triple Crown pursuit.
Dortmund
While Dortmund entered the Kentucky Derby undefeated, many still expected him to finish behind American Pharoah. Dortmund set the pace and led for much of the race, but those expectations ultimately came to fruition as he faded to third.
Even so, Dortmund performed admirably and proved that he can at least hang with American Pharoah. After seeing that Dortmund couldn't quite go wire to wire, jockey Martin Garcia could give him a better chance to win at Pimlico by being a bit more patient and making a later move.
Baffert, who trains both American Pharoah and Dortmund, is very comfortable with where his two contenders are in terms of conditioning and readiness prior to the Preakness Stakes, according to Jennie Rees of the Courier-Journal:
"Pharoah, he's still floating over the ground, looked like he was really into it. We just let them pick up their gallop a little bit the last half and they went really well. Dortmund was getting really aggressive with Dana (Barnes). But they looked good. They were traveling really well over it. They look like energy-wise they still have it. You can tell by their brightness and the way they carry themselves to the track.
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It is clear that Dortmund has his work cut out for him since Baffert is equally excited about American Pharoah, but the fact that he has reacted well to the Kentucky Derby is a very positive sign.
In terms of size and strength, no horse in the Preakness field can match Dortmund. Perhaps that worked to his detriment down the stretch at Churchill Downs, since he may have gotten tired, but because the Preakness is a shorter race, it stands to reason that he'll have more left in the tank this time around.
Firing Line
Like Dortmund, Firing Line gave American Pharoah a good run in the Kentucky Derby. The Simon Callaghan-trained horse very nearly held off the eventual winner, but he had to settle for a highly impressive second-place finish instead.
American Pharoah may be the best horse in the field, but he played with fire to some degree at Churchill Downs. If the Preakness plays out in a similar fashion, then Firing Lane might burn American Pharoah this time around.
His exercise rider, Humberto Gomez, believes Firing Line is in an excellent state as the Preakness approaches.
"He is the same as he was before the Derby, which is a good sign," Gomez said, per Lintner. "He is what I would call scary calm. He is so professional."
Nobody was quite sure how Firing Line would fare against the likes of American Pharoah and Dortmund in the Kentucky Derby, but he removed any doubt that observers may have had about his ability to compete with the elite.
The fact that Firing Line finished a close second in Louisville, Kentucky, likely made his team even hungrier for a win, and that means American Pharoah's camp will have to work that much harder to score a repeat victory.
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