Preakness 2015 Horses: Pedigree Info, Early Odds and Lineup Predictions

The 2015 Preakness Stakes—set for Saturday, May 16, at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore—so far has a smaller field than the Kentucky Derby, with several horses carrying over from the big race at Churchill Downs.

Casual fans and newcomers have a better handle on these horses and what they are capable of, and the thoroughbreds are often subject to higher levels of scrutiny now that one leg of the Triple Crown is all said and done.

The obvious favorites are American Pharoah, Firing Line and Dortmund, the trio of colts that turned the Run for the Roses into a three-horse race on May 2. There's always the chance for an upset although American Pharoah will likely be the sentimental favorite, as many fans hope to see the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed pulled off the feat in 1978.

For a closer look at what's to come at Pimlico, here's a look at the pedigree info, odds and predictions for the tentative 2015 Preakness Stakes field.

Horse	Odds	Sire	Dam	Grandsire	Predictions
American Pharoah	5-6	Pioneerof The Nile	Littleprincessemma	Empire Maker	1
Firing Line	5-1	Line of David	Sister Girl Blues	Lion Heart	2
Dortmund	11-2	Big Brown	Our Josephina	Boundary	4
Danzig Moon	25-1	Malibu Moon	Leaveminthedust	A.P. Indy	5
Divining Rod	25-1	Tapit	Precious Kitten	Pulpit	6
Bodhisattva	40-1	Student Council	Dr. Cheryl P	Kingmambo	3
Grand Bili	50-1	City Zip	Woodsmoke	Carson City	8
Tale of Verve	50-1	Tale of Ekati	Verve	Tale of the Cat	7

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of May 12 at 1 p.m. ET.

Pedigree Info for Favorites

American Pharoah's pedigree is fit for a potential Triple Crown king. Pioneerof the Nile finished second in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, and grandsire Empire Maker won the 2003 Belmont Stakes. Going a bit further, Unbridled, winner of the 1990 Kentucky Derby, sired Empire Maker. Winning the Preakness Stakes doesn't appear to be American Pharoah's birthright, but the colt has some impressive bloodlines nonetheless.

Jockey Victor Espinoza feels that American Pharoah got much-needed experience from his scintillating Derby run.

"I think the Derby sets him up well for the Preakness," Espinoza said, via the Sports Network (h/t Lexington Herald-Leader). "I think he needed that kind of race. He really only had two races for the Kentucky Derby since coming off a layoff, and they were so easy that the Derby was a challenge, but it was a good experience for his next race."

Firing Line performed much better at the Kentucky Derby than his sire, Line of David, who finished a disappointing 18th in the 2010 edition. Grandsire Lion Heart had a much more impressive career than Line of David, including five wins and a second-place finish at the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Dortmund's sire, Big Brown, has the most impressive record of the Big Three's immediate ancestors, as he won both the Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2008 and finished in first place in seven of eight career starts.

Dortmund, who shares a trainer with American Pharoah in Bob Baffert, is a large horse who may benefit from a smaller field and slightly shorter course at the Preakness. 

Dortmund can power his way through the early bumps and jockeying even if he's posted inside, and carrying the big body through 1 3/16 miles instead of 1 1/4 miles could be just that little edge that makes the difference. That being said, it's hard not to like the ultra-fluid running style and obvious stamina of American Pharoah.

Horse racing stats and finishes courtesy of Equibase.