Preakness Race 2015: Full Schedule, Live Stream Info and Predictions
In a little more than 24 hours, we'll have the narrative for the final leg of the Triple Crown season.
If Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah can come up with the victory at the 2015 Preakness Stakes, we can look forward to a month's worth of discussion about his chances of becoming the first horse in 37 years to win the sport's Triple Crown.
If he falls short, most—if not all—casual fans will return their attentions to other interests while a dynamic group of horses attempt to win the 2015 Belmont Stakes. It's safe to say that most are probably rooting for American Pharoah to keep hope alive. The sport is simply more interesting to all when there's still a chance for a horse to capture the elusive Triple Crown.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here's the information you'll need to watch American Pharoah's quest for immortality.
Preakness Stakes 2015
Date: Saturday, May 16
Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
TV Time: 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET
Post Time: 6:18 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Post Positions, Trainer Disposition and Prediction
Trainer Bob Baffert has perhaps the two best horses in the field. Along with American Pharoah, there's Dortmund, who finished third at the 2015 Kentucky Derby. You have to figure Baffert has a good chance to win one way or the other.
Baffert's chances of seeing a horse come out on top are slightly decreased by his colts' less-than ideal post positions. According to Preakness.com, American Pharoah will start on the rail in the first position, and Dortmund will be right next to him at No. 2. A trainer would usually want to see his horses on the outside, but that wasn't in the cards this time around.
It has had little impact on the odds. According to Odds Shark, American Pharoah is the favorite at 10-13, while Dortmund is 15-4.
In any case, Baffert is seemingly removing the interior pressure from the upcoming experience. He told Joe Drape of the New York Times: “I want my horses to run well; otherwise I really don’t care. The Triple Crown is more for history and the media and New Yorkers. I wanted to win the Kentucky Derby this year. I knew it was mine to lose. I really didn’t think I had that many more opportunities left to win another one.”
We hear you, Bob, but while winning the Derby is an awesome and lucrative accomplishment, it's hard to believe you could care less about having another shot at the Triple Crown.
This is the fourth time Baffert has brought a horse to the Preakness with a chance to win the Triple Crown. All four of the previous times he's left Pimlico with his horse's chances still alive.
Despite his deferred interest in winning the Preakness, it seems he'll have yet another opportunity to win the Triple Crown when this race is done. American Pharoah, Dortmund and Firing Line—who starts in the eighth position—seem to have the rest of the field outclassed.
Of the three horses—which also made up the top three at the Derby—American Pharoah has already proven to be the superior horse. Despite an inside start, he'll prove to be the fastest again at Pimlico on Saturday.
The Derby win was the fifth straight for American Pharoah. He hasn't just won races; he's produced three-digit Beyer Speed figures in all five of those wins. His wins have been by a combined 23.25 lengths, and he's clearly been the best horse on the track in each race.
Barring something strange or unexpected, nothing should change.
While the story may not be as charming as the journey we took with California Chrome last year, the Triple Crown talk will continue heading into the Belmont Stakes.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
