Preakness 2015 Horses: Names, Pedigree Info and Ratings for All Entries

Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah is the top story ahead of this year's Preakness Stakes as he looks to take the second step on the way to the elusive Triple Crown.

Pharoah's jockey, Victor Espinoza, came close to breaking the long-running Triple Crown drought—last achieved by Affirmed in 1978—aboard California Chrome last year but failed to win the Belmont Stakes.

Espinoza has another great chance in 2015, but he is up against a strong field at Pimlico, with Kentucky Derby challengers Dortmund and Firing Line set to be the horses to beat once again.

Read on for all the pedigree information and ratings for the runners at this year's Preakness and a closer examination of a couple of the top contenders.

Horse	Sire	Dam	Rating
American Pharoah	Pioneerof the Nile	Littleprincessemma	111
Danzig Moon	Malibu Moon	Leaveminthedust	105
Divining Rod	Tapit	Precious Kitten	105
Dortmund	Big Brown	Our Josephina	114
Firing Line	Line of David	Sister Girl Blues	114
Bodhisattva	Student Council	Dr Cheryl P	107
Tale of Verve	Tale of Ekati	Verve	81
Grand Bill	City Zip	Woodsmoke

American Pharoah

Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah came into the Kentucky Derby as the favourite, and although he managed to win, it was only by a length.

Firing Line and Dortmund both ran him close, as you can see below, and it was only thanks to a late surge that Pharoah made it home in front:

With the Preakness being half a furlong shorter than the 10-furlong Churchill Downs race, Espinoza will have to send his mount sooner if he is to win again.

American Pharoah has a decent pedigree. His sire, Pioneerof the Nile, finished second in the Kentucky Derby in 2009, while his grandsire, Empire Maker, won the 2003 Belmont Stakes.

However, as ESPN's Lane Gold notes, he will have to outdo his father again on Saturday, as Pioneerof the Nile did not perform well in the Preakness:

American Pharoah has all the attributes to win the Preakness. He has a great pedigree, pace, a terrific trainer and jockey, and terrific form, having won his last five races.

But the pressure of the occasion and the  strong field could prove to be his undoing as he looks to take one more step on the dangerous road to the Triple Crown. 

Dortmund

Dortmund has the best pedigree of the top contenders for this year's Preakness Stakes.

Sire Big Brown was a winner at Pimlico in 2008 following victory in the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown failed to complete the Triple Crown in disappointing fashion, finishing in last place at the Belmont Stakes. But he was an impressive horse nevertheless, as is Dortmund.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

A truly giant specimen, Dortmund's long stride can give him a distinct advantage.

His third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby was his first defeat in seven outings, and he will be looking to get back to winning ways in Baltimore.

Also trained by Baffert, Dortmund may be in for a tough ride on Saturday if, as predicted, there is some rain. Baffert isn't sure how Dortmund will run in such conditions, per the Courier-Journal's Jonathan Lintner: "That'll be interesting. [American Pharoah] loves the mud. We don't know about the other one. We don't get a lot of rain in California."

Dortmund can threaten Pharoah on Saturday, but if it rains, it will be an unpredictable race. His family has a history of victory in Baltimore; it remains to be seen whether Dortmund can continue it.