Preakness Start Time 2015: NBC TV Schedule, Live Stream Info and Picks

American Pharoah emerged from a crowded Kentucky Derby field to prove the immense hype was warranted by winning the first leg of a Triple Crown. Now, he will look to move within one win of history Saturday at the 2015 Preakness Stakes.

Much like California Chrome last year, American Pharoah has the look of a horse capable of making a serious run at the Triple Crown. It's a pursuit that becomes more intriguing with each passing year given the extended drought. Affirmed was the last horse to accomplish the feat in 1978.

Let's check out all of the important details for the annual Pimlico Race Course showcase. That's followed by a preview of the action and race picks.

Viewing Information

Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland

When: Saturday, May 16 at 6:18 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

2015 Preakness Field

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	American Pharoah	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza	10-13
2	Dortmund	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	17-4
3	Mr. Z	D. Wayne Lukas	Corey Nakatani	33-1
4	Danzig Moon	Mark Casse	Julien Leparoux	20-1
5	Tale of Verve	Dallas Stewart	Joel Rosario	50-1
6	Bodhisattva	Jose Corrales	Trevor McCarthy	50-1
7	Divining Rod	Arnaud Delacour	Javier Castellano	20-1
8	Firing Line	Simon Callaghan	Gary Stevens	17-4

Preakness Preview

The Kentucky Derby played out pretty much as expected. American Pharoah found himself in a heavily contested battle as the field turned for the home stretch. Firing Line was the toughest challenger but simply couldn't outpace Pharoah over the final furlong.

In the end, the favorite galloped gently across the finish line. It didn't appear as if he had to empty the tank to win the race, which is important given the quick turnaround. He should be ready to run at close to top form once again in the second leg.

Jennie Rees of USA Today passed along comments from trainer Bob Baffert about some of the pre-race preparations for the Derby winner.

"Pharoah, he's still floating over the ground, looked like he was really into it," Baffert said. "We just let them pick up their gallop a little bit the last half and they went really well."

Firing Line and Dortmund, which rounded out the top three at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, are set to return for the Preakness. It should ensure Pharoah is going to get another major test, although the main threat may change.

That's because Dortmund, the son of Big Brown, is a physically imposing horse. A contender with all of the tools to complete a turnaround and come back strong. Firing Line has the speed, but what we'll see from him on short rest is less clear.

Tim Sullivan of the Courier-Journal noted Baffert's decision to bring Dortmund back certainly helps the Preakness as well as the Triple Crown story:

Outside of that top group, Bodhisattva is an interesting long shot.

He's coming off a victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes. His time in that race (1:45.18) was actually a few fractions quicker than Pharoah's last win at the 1 1/16 mile distance in the Rebel Stakes. That was merely an average showing by the Derby winner's standards, though.

DRF Formulator also pointed out it's been a long time since a horse completed the Tesio-Preakness double at Pimlico:

So he's probably best off being used in exotic wagers as opposed to pegging him for outright victory.

Ultimately, it should be another competitive battle right down to the final few hundred yards. American Pharoah looked a little better than his counterparts heading into the Kentucky Derby and won. Nothing has changed to alter that outlook ahead of the Preakness.

The short break between races always adds a little more uncertainty to the equation. That said, Pharoah should be able to kick the Triple Crown talk into overdrive for a second straight year.

Picks: 1. American Pharoah 2. Dortmund 3. Bodhisattva