Preakness 2015 Contenders: Odds, Jockey and Pedigree Info for Top Favorites

The horse racing world is buzzing as American Pharoah will go for the second leg of the Triple Crown Saturday in the Preakness Stakes, but he is far from the only horse with a chance to capture the proverbial black-eyed Susans.

While the Preakness field of eight is much smaller than what the Kentucky Derby produced, a quality-over-quantity approach is seemingly being taken. With solid Derby finishers such as Firing Line, Dortmund and Danzig Moon as well as newcomer Divining Rod going for the gusto, American Pharoah will likely need to be at his very best.

As the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes draws closer, here is all the vital information you need to know about every horse in the field, along with a closer look at the top jockeys who will be looking to capture the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

Preakness Lineup

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Sire	Dam	Odds
1	American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	Pioneerof The Nile	Littleprincessemma	5-6
2	Dortmund	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	Big Brown	Our Josephina	15-4
3	Mr. Z	Corey Nakatani	D. Wayne Lukas	Malibu Moon	Stormy Bear	25-1
4	Danzig Moon	Julien Leparoux	Mark Casse	Malibu Moon	Leaveminthedust	16-1
5	Tale of Verve	Joel Rosario	Dallas Stewart	Tale of Ekati	Verve	50-1
6	Bodhisattva	Trevor McCarthy	Jose Corrales	Student Council	Dr Cheryl P	40-1
7	Divining Rod	Javier Castellano	Arnaud Delacour	Tapit	Precious Kitten	16-1
8	Firing Line	Gary Stevens	Simon Callaghan	Line of David	Sister Girl Blues	17-4

Top Jockeys to Watch

Victor Espinoza

In terms of success in Triple Crown races, few jockeys in the 2015 Preakness Stakes field can measure up to American Pharoah mount Victor Espinoza.

The Mexican star is a three-time Kentucky Derby winner, including each of the past two years, and he has won the Preakness twice as well. Espinoza has followed up each of his Kentucky Derby wins with Preakness victories this far, so history will be on his side Saturday.

The 42-year-old jockey is well aware of how special American Pharoah is, and he knows that these types of opportunities don't come around often, according to Ryan Kartje of The Orange County Register:

"Every moment I can have, every race I can win, I have to take advantage," Espinoza said. "I might not have another horse like him. It took me 12 years to win the Derby again. I might never get back here at all."

Jockeys need great horses in order to excel, but they also need to have a good synergy with their trainers. Based on this stat courtesy of BloodHorse.com's Eric Mitchell, it is clear that Espinoza has that with Bob Baffert:

Everything seems to be working in Espinoza's favor entering the Preakness except for the fact that he drew the No. 1 post. It shouldn't be a significant hindrance since there are only eight horses in the field, but it will pose a challenge of sorts.

Espinoza may not have the benefit of stalking the leaders and reeling them in like he did in the Kentucky Derby, so his strategy figures to have a major bearing on how the race plays out.

Gary Stevens

Although he is 52 years old, Gary Stevens is still among the best jockeys in the world, and he has an excellent opportunity to play spoiler at the Preakness Stakes.

Stevens guided Firing Line to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, and he wasn't far off from upsetting American Pharoah. He clearly has a horse that is capable of competing with the elite-level colts, and he also has a wealth of knowledge and experience at his disposal.

With three wins in each of the Triple Crown races, Stevens seems to thrive on the big stage. Just two years ago, Stevens led Oxbow to a shocking Preakness victory, and he will look to do the same in 2015, although not as many eyebrows will be raised if a horse of Firing Line's caliber wins.

Not only does Stevens have a talented colt, but he also has an advantageous post position. He will start on the outside, which he believes gives him the upper hand on the other riders, according to Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated:

Per Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun, Stevens feels as though there is pressure on the inside horses to set the pace, while he and Firing Line can use a wait-and-see approach:

"If you're drawn in the one hole, your cards are dealt to you," Stevens said. "American Pharoah's got speed. Dortmund's got speed and Mr. Z's got speed, and they've got to come away from there running. If for some reason they don't, then I'll seize the moment."

The bulk of big horse races are seemingly won by a horse who comes from behind when the leaders are winded. Based on Stevens' comments, that seems to be his strategy entering the Preakness Stakes.

American Pharoah may ultimately prove to be too good, but Stevens appears to have a plan capable of spoiling the pursuit of a Triple Crown.

Martin Garcia

Garry Jones/Associated Press

It may seem strange to call Dortmund a forgotten horse since he was undefeated entering the Kentucky Derby, but with fellow Baffert trainee American Pharoah stealing the headlines, Big Brown's son is flying under the radar to some degree.

That could be dangerous for the rest of the field, especially since Dortmund will be mounted by Martin Garcia. The 30-year-old Mexican jockey won the Preakness back in 2010, and he certainly has a horse capable of crossing the finish line first Saturday.

Dortmund finished third to American Pharoah and Firing Line in the Kentucky Derby, but Garcia was pleased with the way he handled the race, according to HorseRaceInsider.com:

"He's a really good horse and he ran like it today," Garcia said after the Derby. "He always comes to run; that's the kind of horse he is. He got beat today by really good horses. That can happen."

Dortmund and Garcia will be in an interesting position to start the Preakness, as they will be right next to favored American Pharoah on the inside. That could potentially intimidate them, but it could just as easily motivate them.

There is no question that Dortmund is the more physically imposing horse, so perhaps the draw will work to Garcia's advantage.

Dortmund was near the front for most of the Kentucky Derby but didn't have enough left in the tank down the stretch. Now that Garcia knows what to expect out of his colt, he figures to have an even better game plan for the Preakness.

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