Preakness 2015 Contenders: Favorites and Lineup Odds After Post Positions Draw

If American Pharoah is going to add the second jewel of the Triple Crown to his resume on Saturday, he is going to have to do it running from the rail in the Preakness Stakes.

The No. 1 position is always considered a bit of an impediment in most high-quality horse races, and trainer Bob Baffert has never enjoyed running from that position. Stablemate Dortmund will take off from the No. 2 position in Thursday's post draw, and that means those two horses could emerge in another memorable battle. 

"I can't believe I drew the 1-2," Baffert said after the draw was completed. "It's the luck of the draw. I don't love it, but it will be easy to watch."

Post Position	Horse	Odds	Trainer	Jockey
1	American Pharoah	5-6	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza
2	Dortmund	15-4	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia
3	Mr. Z	25-1	D.Wayne Lukas	Corey Nakatani
4	Danzig Moon	16-1	Mark Casse	Julien Leparoux
5	Tale of Verve	50-1	Dallas Stewart	Joel Rosario
6	Bodhisattva	40-1	Jose Corrales	Trevor McCarthy
7	Divining Rod	16-1	Arnaud Delacour	Javier Castellano
8	Firing Line	17-4	Simon Callaghan	Gary Stevens

American Pharoah remains the betting favorite at 4-5, while Dortmund is the second choice at 7-2, according to Preakness.com.

While Pimlico Race Course is a track with tight turns that usually favors front-runners, the No. 1 position has not been a winning one at the Preakness since 1994, when Tabasco Cat won the event.

Dortmund took the lead at the start of the Kentucky Derby, but American Pharoah had reached third place by the first point of call. Firing Line was second early on in the Derby, and those three horses kept their positions until they got to the stretch.

That's when American Pharoah asserted himself and took the lead. Firing Line held on for second, while Dortmund ran gamely throughout the 1 1/4-mile race and took third.

Since American Pharoah and Dortmund are running from the two inside positions in the Preakness, a quick getaway for both could be part of Baffert's strategy. Firing Line, the third betting choice at 4-1, is starting from the outside No. 8 position in the 1 3/16 mile race.

With the field limited to eight horses, jockey Gary Stevens and trainer Simon Callaghan could have more options than they had in the 18-horse Kentucky Derby field.

It's often imperative for horses to get off to good starts in the huge Kentucky Derby field because having to run past so many horses is often fraught with peril. However, in a smaller field, it's much easier to come from behind, and it can be advantageous if the horses on the front end engage in a speed duel.

With Baffert training American Pharoah and Dortmund and with jockeys like Victor Espinoza (American Pharoah) and Martin Garcia (Dortmund), a brutal speed duel is unlikely. However, if one of the other five horses in the field can get to the front and push the pace, that could favor a versatile horse with come-from-behind ability.