Preakness 2015 Post Time: Race Schedule, Post-Positions Info and Prediction
The week leading up to the 2015 Preakness Stakes has been chock-full of surprises.
Trainer Todd Pletcher provided the race's first bizarre twist, announcing Tuesday that he would not enter any of his four horses—Materiality, Carpe Diem, Competitive Edge and Stanford—in this year's race, leaving a field of just eight contenders at Pimlico. Pletcher explained his decision during an interview with Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal:
"We were considering it very seriously. Basically, it came down to we just felt two weeks was a little bit risky. We felt five weeks to the Belmont would be an advantage for [Materiality]. He's been at Belmont since two days after the Derby and has been training well. He's by a Belmont-winning sire. If you come back in two weeks and you turn out to be wrong, not only could you not run well in the Preakness, it could compromise your chances in the Belmont as well.
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Wednesday's post-position draw continued the twists and turns, as Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness favorite American Pharoah drew the dreaded No. 1 gate—a starting position that has only yielded one winner (Tabasco Cat in 1994) since 1961.
Trainer Bob Baffert didn't appear pleased during an interview with Preakness.com:
"I don't like the inside. I never like the one-hole. Sometimes they don't break as well. [American Pharoah has] drawn the one-hole before at Santa Anita. When I was watching the draw and all these numbers were coming up, I go, 'This is not looking good.' It's the luck of draw. We're there. I don't love it, but they'll be easy to watch.
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With the field of contenders set and post positions locked in, the race's odds have shifted accordingly. Here's a look at the post positions and updated lines for the Preakness, followed by its essential viewing information and predictions.
Preakness Post Positions and Odds
| 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 |
All Preakness odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Preakness Viewing Information
Date: Saturday, May 16
Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore
TV Time: 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET
Post Time: 6:18 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Preakness Predictions
| Win | American Pharoah |
| Place | Firing Line |
| Show | Dortmund |
| Fourth | Divining Rod |
The prediction may not be overwhelmingly bold, but there's a very good chance we'll see the same top three we saw in the Kentucky Derby.
Before we get into some analysis for these predictions, let's quickly take a refreshing look at the Derby:
The first name you hear following the Derby's start is American Pharoah. He broke beautifully from the No. 16 gate and quickly galloped toward the front of the pack, eventually settling in third place. That fantastic start put him in position to come away with his eventual victory.
While starting in the No. 1 gate will pose a different threat for Pharoah, his initial burst should allow him to hug the rail and move out in front of the traffic. If he's able to set the pace while remaining on the inside, his impressive stamina and great finishing ability will be enough to take the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
Firing Line will be Pharoah's biggest threat once again. The colt drew the No. 8 gate, giving him plenty of options during the onset of the race. If Firing Line is able to move into position near the front and salvage stamina by avoiding a strenuous pace, he'll be left with enough strength to give Pharoah a run for his money down the final stretch.
After the post draw, jockey Gary Stevens appeared rather confident in Firing Line's chances during an interview with Dan Wolken of USA Today: "It's a huge advantage. Having American Pharoah on the outside of me in the Derby, (jockey) Victor (Espinoza) had options and he took advantage of them. Hopefully I'll be able to take the same kind of advantage in this race. I'm going to sleep a lot easier tonight than had I drawn on the inside."
Dortmund is a bit of a wild card in the Preakness. If he's able to get out to a good start, he could cause problems on the inside for Pharoah; however, the powerful colt has been inconsistent out of the gate this year. He didn't break cleanly in the Santa Anita Derby but looked good in the Kentucky Derby, and his lack of stamina down the final stretch at Churchill Downs is a cause for concern.
Triple Crown newcomer Divining Rod rounds out the top four. He's been an inconsistent horse this year, coming in third in the Tampa Bay Derby but recently winning the Coolmore Lexington Stakes by three lengths.
Starting in gate No. 7, Divining Rod will have a good opportunity to put himself in a solid position to remain in the mix for the majority of the Preakness; however, his inexperience in longer races—he's never entered a race longer than 1 1/16 miles—will be a disadvantage against the top contenders, and he should finish just behind them.
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