Preakness 2015: Latest Jockey News, Post Positions and Betting Odds
The 2015 Preakness Stakes field is filled with decorated jockeys. None have won as many Triple Crown races as Gary Stevens. He's won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes three times each. Most recently, he guided Oxbow to the win at Pimlico in 2013.
He'll be trying to add yet another huge win in an American classic Saturday as he rides Firing Line. The legendary jockey's chances of winning got a great boost when he learned what the post positions would be for the race.
| 1 | American Pharoah | 5-6 | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza | 1 |
| 2 | Dortmund | 15-4 | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 2 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | 25-1 | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani | 3 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | 16-1 | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux | 4 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | 50-1 | Dallas Stewart | Joel Rosario | 5 |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | 40-1 | Jose Corrales | Trevor McCarthy | 6 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | 16-1 | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano | 7 |
| 8 | Firing Line | 17-4 | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens | 8 |
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Per Dan Wolken of USA Today, Stevens wasn't just pleased to be on the outside, he also liked that favorite American Pharoah would be pinned on the inside:
Ultimately, the post positions will have some bearing on the outcome, but the winner will be determined by which horse is able to handle his individual situation best. Stevens has been a master at that throughout his career. After two narrow losses to Dortmund, Stevens and Firing Line finally managed to finish ahead of him at the Kentucky Derby.
He'll be looking to do the same thing to both of Bob Baffert's horses Saturday.
Victor Espinoza won't go quietly. On board American Pharoah, Espinoza knows he has the horse to beat. Unfortunately, Espinoza has come under fire for potentially doing a little too much to push his horse to victory.
According to NESN.com, Espinoza whipped American Pharoah 32 times down the stretch to urge the horse to the win. It was difficult for some to stomach, and Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer thinks Espinoza might have cost American Pharoah a chance to win the Triple Crown:
"None of this means that Victor Espinoza is a bad guy or a bad jockey, or that American Pharoah was intentionally misused. It just means that a horse who is asked to expend as much as Pharoah was in what was essentially a slow, trouble-free trip is probably not destined to win three distance races in the space of five weeks. If Pharoah fails in either the Preakness on Saturday or in the Belmont Stakes on June 6, you can place the jockey's urgings during the Derby among the list of reasons.
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Espinoza has been so successful in his career—especially lately—so it's hard to criticize him. He nearly guided California Chrome to the Triple Crown in 2014, and he has American Pharoah on the cusp of grabbing the first two legs in 2015. Still, if it is perceived that he is abusing his horse, that's never a good look.
It will be interesting to see how that impacts Espinoza's actions at the Preakness Stakes, especially if it's close as the horses come down the stretch. There's never a shortage of stories during Triple Crown series, and Stevens' quest for more accolades and Espinoza's controversy are just the latest.
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