Preakness 2015 Post Positions: Slot Info, Predictions for Finishing Order

Following trainer Todd Pletcher's decision to scratch his four contending horses from the 2015 Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah's chances to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive heading into the Belmont Stakes skyrocketed.

Then there was the matter of the post-position draw.

The odds-on favorite wasn't exactly fortunate, drawing the No. 1 gate—a starting position that has only produced one winner (Tabasco Cat in 1994) since 1961. Meanwhile, Kentucky Derby runner-up Firing Line drew the favorable No. 8 gate and will have plenty of strategic options at his disposal.

All of a sudden, a bit of doubt was cast over American Pharoah's chances of winning at Pimlico.

So, here's the burning question: Will Pharoah's pure talent be enough to overcome his situation and keep his Triple Crown hopes alive, or will another horse play spoiler? Before predicting an answer to that inquiry, let's take a look at the race's complete post positions and updated odds.

Preakness Post Positions and Odds

Post	Horse	Odds	Trainer	Jockey
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 Predictions

Finish	Horse
Win	American Pharoah
Place	Firing Line
Show	Dortmund
Fourth	Divining Rod

American Pharoah strikes again.

Sure, picking the Kentucky Derby winner to take the Preakness is a bit of a risk considering his unfavorable starting position. Even trainer Bob Baffert agreed there's a cause for concern 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.

"

Although, Pharoah's sparkling display in the Derby was enough to provide faith that the colt will be able to flourish in the Preakness despite starting against the rail.

At Churchill Downs, Pharoah broke cleanly from the gate. In fact, his name is the first you hear when watching the replay due to his fantastic start. He accelerated quickly from the outside, making up plenty of ground in the process, to settle into third and put himself in great position for the remainder of the race.

Take a look back at the Kentucky Derby to see for yourself:

If Pharoah can start in a similar fashion in the Preakness, he should be able to escape from Dortmund's shadow and avoid getting pinned against the rail and falling behind early. That will lead to a great position out front on the inside, and Pharoah will be able to take advantage of his great stamina and stellar finishing ability to dominate the race from there.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Expect Firing Line to give Pharoah a run for his money once again. Starting in the No. 8 gate, the colt has plenty of strategic options at his disposal, so we can expect to see him near the front of the pack at Pimlico. That will likely lead to a duel between the top-two Derby finishers once again, and there's no reason to believe the result will be any different.

The powerful Dortmund is a prime candidate to finish third. He likely won't start as quickly as Pharoah and won't be in position to make a run down the final stretch as a result. Still, he's a stronger horse than the majority of the field, and the shorter Preakness distance will help mask the shortage of stamina he displayed at Churchill Downs.

Rounding out the top four is Triple Crown newcomer Divining Rod. The colt has been rather inconsistent during his short career, but he recently put on a solid showing in the Coolmoore Lexington Stakes, winning by three lengths after displaying good early patience and solid closing ability. There's no reason to think he won't be in the mix down the final stretch at Pimlico.