Preakness 2015: Entries, Contenders, Odds and Lineup Analysis
The differences between the 2015 Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby that precedes it are plentiful, but one thing has remained constant between the two this year—it figures to be a three-horse race.
Of course, that's not officially the case, as the Derby ran 18 horses and Saturday's Preakness includes a field of eight contenders. But it's no secret the hype starts with American Pharoah and all but ends with Firing Line and Dortmund, which is only reflected in the odds coming out for the 140th Preakness.
With that said, Wednesday's post-positions draw proved very telling in deciphering how the race might shake out. Take a look below for the complete field, as well as analysis to figure out which horses have the advantage.
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2015 Preakness Stakes Field and Odds
| 1 | American Pharoah | 10-13 | 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 | 14-1 | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | 50-1 | Dallas Stewart | Joel Rosario |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | 50-1 | Jose Corrales | Trevor McCarthy |
| 7 | Divining Rod | 20-1 | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano |
| 8 | Firing Line | 17-4 | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated May 14.
Will history be made by American Pharoah Saturday afternoon?
It won't take exactly that for his Triple Crown dreams to live on, but it's hard to deny that history isn't kind to his chances of winning. That's because the Derby winner drew the dreaded No. 1 post and will start from the opening gate.
As told by Mark Singelais of the Times Union, American Pharoah is attempting to become just the second horse in well over 50 years to accomplish the feat:
American Pharoah had absolutely no post issues at Churchill Downs, where he assumed one of the outside gates and remained close by until he took over during the final stretch. That won't be the case at Pimlico, where he will have to overcome an unfavorable starting position.
But will the No. 1 post doom American Pharoah's chances? Much of that is up to Dortmund.
He may be trainer Bob Baffert's second-best horse, as Baffert also oversees American Pharoah, but Dortmund is far from a secondary option. The Derby marked his first defeat in seven career races, and he nearly took that one as well before fading down the stretch.
Dortmund can put American Pharoah behind the eight-ball by jamming him inside on the rail early and keeping any escape lanes closed down. In order to do that, Dortmund will likely have to forgo setting the pace like he did in the Derby.
Possibly taking his place as the pace-setter should be Firing Line, who will start on the outside gate of No. 8. He turned an unfavorable post draw into a second-place finish at the Derby but is eyeing a much better result at Pimlico, as Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden noted:
Among the three horses are five contenders that could muck things up by running valiantly for the entire 1 3/16 miles. Danzig Moon is looming after a fifth-place Derby finish, while Tale of Verve and Divining Rod come in fresh after not running at Churchill Downs.
But considering how that race went, it's hard to imagine any horse other than Firing Line, Dortmund or the favorite American Pharoah galloping into victory lane.
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