Preakness 2015 Post Positions: Final Projections, Odds Payout and Post Info
Whether you enjoy gambling on horse racing or you are just a fan of the sport, there will be a lot to enjoy at the 2015 Preakness Stakes.
American Pharoah will attempt to win the middle jewel of the Triple Crown after securing a Kentucky Derby victory two weeks earlier. However, a number of tough contenders as well as the No. 1 post could prevent this from happening.
Meanwhile, one overwhelming favorite creates a lot of value elsewhere on the board for those looking to make some money over the weekend.
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Here is a complete look at Saturday's field with predictions for how things will end up at Pimlico.
| 1 | American Pharoah | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza | 10-13 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 17-4 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani | 33-1 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | Mark Casse | Julien Leparoux | 20-1 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | Dallas Stewart | Joel Rosario | 50-1 |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | Jose Corrales | Trevor McCarthy | 50-1 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano | 20-1 |
| 8 | Firing Line | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens | 17-4 |
Predicted Finish
Show: Danzig Moon
With three top contenders seemingly ahead of the rest of the field, it doesn't make sense to go all-in on a sleeper such as Danzig Moon. However a show bet—which pays out if the horse finishes in the top three—might make a lot of sense.
Those who have watched the horse in training over the past few weeks have been extremely impressed.
"Another good morning for Danzig Moon, who came gliding along track with good energy, ears pricked," Nicole Russo of Daily Racing Form noted Friday. "Colt trained like a monster before the Derby, and outran his odds to be a creditable fifth; could be sitting on another strong effort."
A fifth-place finish in a loaded Kentucky Derby field is nothing to overlook, especially in a much smaller group of competitors at the Preakness.
Trainer Mark Casse has also seen a lot of improvement, saying, "He was training well coming into the Blue Grass, out of that he trained even better coming into the Derby, and we think he’s doing even better now," via Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form.
Look for jockey Julien Leparoux to push his horse toward the end as Danzig Moon finishes in the money.
Place: Firing Line
Being all the way on the outside is usually a disadvantage, but only seven other competitors won't make things too difficult for Firing Line. The separation between him and top competitors American Pharoah and Dortmund will also make things easier.
Veteran jockey Gary Stevens certainly likes the way the draw ended up, via Dan Wolken of USA Today:
Stevens will be able to freely move his horse around the track, putting him in the best position to win late. This is good for Firing Line, which has the talent to compete with anyone after finishing second at the Kentucky Derby.
In six starts, Firing Line has never finished worse than second and should be able to continue this streak Saturday. Jeff Greer of the Courier Journal is certainly a fan:
The only issue is the one horse simply better than Firing Line in American Pharoah. Even after a close finish at Churchill Downs, he will not be able to pull off the upset in this one.
Win: American Pharoah
Although the performance at the Kentucky Derby wasn't spectacular, American Pharoah still found a way to easily win one of the biggest races in the world. This is scary for the rest of the field.
Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated provided a look at how good the thoroughbred really is heading into the weekend:
"American Pharoah is a potentially transcendent racehorse. He looked sensational in winning two Derby prep races this spring and showed toughness and will in winning the Derby with a long, grinding stretch drive on a surface he might not have loved to beat Firing Line by a length. “I think [American Pharoah will] run a better race in the Preakness,” says rival trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
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D. Wayne Lukas has seen quite a bit of Triple Crown contenders, so he knows what to expect. The same could be said for American Pharoah trainer Bob Baffert, who won his fourth career Kentucky Derby this month and already has five Preakness Stakes wins.
Despite this impressive experience, Baffert sees something different in American Pharoah, as owner Ahmed Zayat explained:
This should tell you the pure ability of American Pharoah, even compared to a fellow Baffert-trained horse such as Dortmund. Look for the favorite to get out to a good start from the rail and close hard for a significant win.
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