Preakness 2015 Odds: Updated Lines and Favorites After Post Positions Draw
Wednesday marked the draw for post positions in the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes.
Four of the top five finishers in the Kentucky Derby comprise the exclusive field of eight at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for Saturday's race, headlined by Triple Crown hopeful and prohibitive favorite American Pharoah. The champion from Churchill Downs drew the No. 1 post and is considered the horse to beat with 4-5 morning-line odds.
Check out the complete list of entries below:
| 1 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | 4-5 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 7-2 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | Corey Nakatani | D. Wayne Lukas | 20-1 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 15-1 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | Joel Rosario | Dallas Stewart | 30-1 |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales | 20-1 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | Javier Castellano | Arnaud Delacour | 12-1 |
| 8 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 4-1 |
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert works with American Pharoah and third-place Derby finisher Dortmund. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported how Baffert wasn't too thrilled about the draw for either of his elite competitors:
KY Derby Contenders had more from Baffert:
Dortmund had won six career starts before leading in the early going in Louisville, only to be passed by his barn mate and Firing Line.
Three-time Preakness winner Gary Stevens will be in the irons for Firing Line at Pimlico furthest from the rail. Stevens last won aboard a long shot in Oxbow in the 2013 Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.
It comes as a bit of a surprise that Firing Line is the No. 3 favorite in the Preakness Stakes. His finish at the Kentucky Derby allowed him to almost catch American Pharoah and beat a previously undefeated horse he had lost to multiple times before.
Dan Wolken of USA Today noted how Stevens was quite pleased about how the posts shook out—even though his horse has work to do from the outside:
But American Pharoah's connections can take solace in the fact that jockey Victor Espinoza tends to cash in on Triple Crown contenders. Espinoza rode War Emblem to victory for Baffert in the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and then won the first two legs of the Triple Crown with California Chrome last year.
Jerry Bossert of BloodHorse.com alludes to just how small the field will be at this year's Preakness:
"It's official. Eight confirmed starters for the Preakness. Smallest field since 2000. Post position draw is at 5 pm
— Jerry Bossert (@JerryBossert) May 13, 2015"
If there were more entries, American Pharoah might have a tougher time recovering from a start against the rail. Traffic shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, and as long as Espinoza breaks him well, there's enough speed to break away from any early trouble.
Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated weighed in with his thoughts on American Pharoah's post position:
Dortmund presents an interesting challenge since he's positioned right next to American Pharoah. It would be fascinating to see him derail a Triple Crown hopeful who doesn't have many other formidable foes to deal with in Baltimore on the 9.5-furlong journey.
It wouldn't be a shock to see the same top three finishers from Churchill Downs come down to the wire in the Preakness. Oddsmakers seem to believe that American Pharoah will prove to be a cut above the rest again.
Based on the blend of trainer-jockey combination and talent he boasts, along with the smaller size of the Preakness field, it's hard to argue against American Pharoah as a legitimate Triple Crown threat.
