2015 Preakness: Race Info, NBC Schedule, Entry Field and Post Positions
The 2015 Preakness Stakes may feature only eight contenders, but it isn't short on drama.
Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah enters the race looking to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive; however, he has a difficult task ahead. Not only must he contend with the likes of Firing Line and Dortmund—the Derby's second- and third-place finishers—but he will also be doing so from the dreaded No. 1 gate, which has yielded only one winner (Tabasco Cat in 1994) since 1961.
Trainer Bob Baffert expressed his concern during an interview with Preakness.com:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
"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.
"
Things are shaping up to give us a compelling Saturday afternoon at Pimlico. As we anxiously await the race, let's take a look at the complete post positions, updated odds and essential viewing information.
Preakness Post Positions 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 |
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 Outlook
If we learned anything about American Pharoah from the Kentucky Derby, it's that the colt is capable of a fantastic break out of the gate. That will be immensely important to his hopes of winning the Preakness and keeping his Triple Crown hopes alive heading to the Belmont Stakes.
At Churchill Downs, Pharoah began from the No. 16 gate. Starting from a wide position in such a large field requires quick acceleration and plenty of stamina, as a burst out of the gate and a push past the thick of the pack while making up a good chunk of extra ground are necessary. That's exactly what Pharoah did, settling into third to put himself into position to make a late charge to the front.
Take a refreshing look back at his sparkling Derby performance:
While jockey Victor Espinoza's strategy will be different in the Preakness out of the No. 1 gate, that same start will be the key for another Pharoah victory.
Even in a small field, getting pinned against the rail early and falling well behind the leaders is a real threat. The risk of losing the race within the first furlong is quite possible for the Derby champion—especially with the big-bodied Dortmund starting just to his outside in gate No. 2 and looking to accomplish the same task.
If Pharoah can find his way to the front, he'll have a great position for the remainder of the race against the rail. That will be a huge advantage for the colt, as he won't be forced to run additional distance like he did in the Derby, where he ran three-wide off the rail for the majority of the race. This will allow him to salvage stamina and finish strong.
All of these factors must come into play for Pharoah to emerge victorious. He'll be heavily tested by Firing Line once again due to the Derby runner-up's solid draw of the No. 8 gate. Jockey Gary Stevens appeared confident following the post draw 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."
Stevens is a three-time Preakness winner and will be expected to challenge for his fourth atop the talented Firing Line.
The 2015 Preakness Stakes may not have a massive field, but it isn't short on compelling storylines that will make the middle jewel of the Triple Crown a must-see event.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
