Preakness 2015 Contenders: Horses and Jockeys with Best Chance at Pimlico
Like any major horse race, winning the Preakness Stakes requires an entire team coming together to perform at its best.
While most eyes are on the thoroughbred during the course of the race, a lot of credit has to go to the owners and trainers as well as the jockeys leading the horses through the field. In order to predict the winner of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, you have to examine each factor going into Saturday.
Although the upcoming race doesn't have the deepest field, here is a look at the top contenders who will separate themselves from the pack.
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| 1 | American Pharoah | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza | 10-13 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 15-4 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani | 25-1 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux | 14-1 |
| 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 |
Top Contenders
American Pharoah (Bob Baffert, Victor Espinoza)
After going into the Kentucky Derby as the favorite, American Pharoah lived up to expectations by coming through with a great closing stretch and finishing in first place.
Jockey Martin Garcia—who will ride Dortmund but competed with American Pharoah in the colt's first race—was extremely impressed watching the horse:
He clearly means this in a good way as an almost unstoppable force on the track. American Pharoah has now won five races in a row, and while he didn't quite have a dominant victory at Churchill Downs, he had to run a long way just to get into the lead.
While the inside post is difficult for most competitors, this one can use it to get into good position and have a bit of an easier race.
Jockey Victor Espinoza certainly has plenty of positive moments at this course, per Doug Salvatore of Twinspires.com:
A lot of the race will come down to the first few moments out of the gate, but Espinoza should be able to stay in good shape no matter what.
Dortmund (Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia)
Many will see Bob Baffert taking a bit of a risk at the Preakness Stakes. The trainer has one horse in American Pharoah with a chance to run for a Triple Crown, but arguably the top challenger at the next race will be another one of his horses in Dortmund.
Going into the Kentucky Derby, Dortmund was undefeated in six events and likely would have been the favorite in most years. He even led the last race for a good portion before falling back to third down the stretch. Still, the talent is there to beat anyone in the field.
Despite the possibility that one horse upsets his other, Baffert is happy to enter both contenders, per Ray Paulick:
The one issue is the post position for both, as they will start in the inside two spots. Jockey Martin Garcia will feel pressure to push Dortmund early to prevent getting caught behind the pack.
Although you never want to go too hard too early, Garcia will hopefully figure out what went wrong last time and find a way to end up first at the finish line.
Firing Line (Simon Callaghan, Gary Stevens)
There were mixed thoughts surrounding Firing Line after a second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby. Nobody likes losing, but this was an extremely impressive showing ahead of many in a very deep field.
Trainer Simon Callaghan expressed his emotions after the race, per Bob Ehalt of ESPN.com:
"I mean, straight after the race, we were naturally a little bit disappointed. But when you kind of reflect on the race, he ran an incredibly good race, really tried all the way, and we're certainly very proud of him. You can't really have asked much more. I think Gary gave him a really good ride, and he ran a fantastic race, so I think we can be nothing but very proud of him.
"
Even with the solid finish, though, jockey Gary Stevens believes the horse is capable of much more. He certainly should know after winning nine Triple Crown races in his career.
Interestingly, Stevens was envious of American Pharoah's positioning on the outside in the last race. He believes his starting point at No. 8 will be beneficial on Saturday, per Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated:
Firing Line has been incredibly consistent in his career with a first- or second-place finish in all six of his starts. No matter what happens, there seems to be a very good chance the horse will again at least finish in the money at Pimlico Race Course.
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