Preakness Entries 2015: Field Odds, New Favorites After Post Positions Draw
Technically, the 2015 Preakness field features eight different horses, but it may as well be seven against one.
The storylines following Saturday’s race will revolve around one thing: whether American Pharoah completed the second leg of a potential Triple Crown run. After all, the last horse to accomplish the elusive feat was Affirmed in 1978, and every year, horse racing fans throw their hopes behind whichever horse wins the Kentucky Derby.
American Pharoah looked the part at Churchill Downs with an impressive comeback victory with a push on the outside, which marked his fifth consecutive win. If he can stretch that streak to seven, he will go down in the sport's history as one of the most accomplished horses to ever race.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here is a look at the post positions and odds for American Pharoah and the rest of the Preakness field.
| 1 | American Pharoah | 4-5 | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza |
| 2 | Dortmund | 7-2 | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia |
| 3 | Mr. Z | 20-1 | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | 15-1 | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | 30-1 | Dallas Stewart | Joel Rosario |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | 20-1 | Jose Corrales | Trevor McCarthy |
| 7 | Divining Rod | 12-1 | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano |
| 8 | Firing Line | 4-1 | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens |
Post Draw Implications for Top Competitors
American Pharoah and Dortmund
American Pharoah is the clear favorite heading into the Preakness, but Wednesday’s post draw was a kick in the gut to his Triple Crown chances.
He drew the dreaded No. 1 post and must fight through the crowd from the inside rail. The inside post is not as concerning here as it would be at the Kentucky Derby, as there are only eight horses compared to the 19 at this year's race in Churchill Downs. There is simply less competition to fend off throughout the race.
Still, American Pharoah must find a way to navigate early traffic against the rail and prevent himself from getting trapped on the inside.
Trainer Bob Baffert discussed his horse’s fate, per Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports:
Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated commented on the post position draw:
However, Dortmund is not in a much better position in the No. 2 post. He too must navigate early traffic and avoid getting trapped near the back against the rail. He jumped out to the initial lead from the middle of the field at the Kentucky Derby and nearly parlayed that into a wire-to-wire victory, but he won't have that middle-post luxury Saturday.
The fact that these two horses will start right next to each other on the inside makes this race even more intriguing, as they are the two favorites.
American Pharoah is the Kentucky Derby champion and boasts five consecutive victories, while Dortmund was undefeated before the trip to Churchill Downs. They must battle for a quick start, but they could get so caught up in seizing an early lead against each other that another horse could sneak up and seize the Preakness victory.
Don’t be surprised if that horse is Firing Line.
Firing Line
Firing Line crashed the Dortmund and American Pharoah party at the Kentucky Derby and finished in second place.
He overtook Dortmund in the final stretch but watched American Pharoah win the race from the outside. Firing Line’s four career losses have come by less than two lengths, and he has never finished worse than second place. He is accustomed to finishing near the front of the pack and could parlay a quick start into a victory at Pimlico (which is shorter than Churchill Downs).
While Dortmund and American Pharoah are battling for position on the inside, the door will be open for Firing Line to make a charge from the outside post (No. 8).
That is exactly what happened at the Kentucky Derby. Dortmund and Firing Line traded leads near the inside for the majority of the race. It left a clean break for American Pharoah on the outside, and he took full advantage with an impressive victory. That formula could work for Firing Line at the Preakness.
Layden passed along Firing Line jockey Gary Stevens’ thoughts on Wednesday’s post draw:
Options may be all it takes for Firing Line to seize a surprise win.
Follow me on Twitter:
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
