Preakness Picks 2015: Predictions and Odds for All Horses Before 140th Race
Not even a less-than-ideal post position could keep Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah from maintaining his spot as the favorite to win the 140th Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Despite drawing the dreaded first post position, per Odds Shark, American Pharoah's odds are at 10-13 to win.
Here's a look at the full odds table:
| 1 | American Pharoah | Bob Baffert | Victor Espinoza | 10-13 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 9-2 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani | 25-1 |
| 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 | 33-1 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | Arnaud Delacour | Javier Castellano | 22-1 |
| 8 | Firing Line | Simon Callaghan | Gary Stevens | 17-4 |
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Just behind American Pharoah is Dortmund. Both horses are trained by Bob Baffert, and they will begin the race right next to each other, as Dortmund drew the second post position. Dortmund finished third at the Kentucky Derby, and his handlers hope to have him better his results at Pimlico.
Next on the list is Firing Line. He finished second at the Derby, and he'll have the legendary Gary Stevens in the saddle. While most will be rooting for American Pharoah to continue his attempt to win the sport's Triple Crown, it's easy to see how some fans might be behind Stevens as his legendary career as a jockey winds down.
The 52-year-old has been on the back of three previous Preakness Stakes winners in his career. He'd love one more, as there's no guarantee how many opportunities he'll have left. However, don't tell him the end might be near.
Per Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe, Stevens said: “I remember telling [jockeys] Eddie Delahoussaye and Bill Shoemaker, when I was about 26 or 27 years old, that I was going to retire when I was 30. Delahoussaye looked at me and laughed. Here I am, still going. I wouldn’t have thought it. Age is just a number at the end of the day.”
Predictions
Just as the oddsmakers have installed American Pharoah as the horse to beat, I too see him coming out on top. The smallish, eight-horse field takes some of the pressure off the horse on the far inside.
The field is devoid of Todd A. Pletcher-trained horses, which brings down the overall quality of competition for American Pharoah. The Derby winner has already beaten Dortmund and Firing Line, and he'll do it again Saturday. Here's a look at the full predictions table:
| 1 | American Pharoah |
| 2 | Firing Line |
| 3 | Dortmund |
| 4 | Danzig Moon |
| 5 | Divining Rod |
| 6 | Mr. Z |
| 7 | Tale of Verve |
| 8 | Bodhisattva |
Firing Line will again win the race for second place. He had lost two consecutive races to Dortmund before finally getting the better of him at Churchill Downs. Firing Line drew the coveted eighth post position, and that should help him run a strong race.
Look for him to be American Pharoah's stiffest competition before dropping back in the last moments of the race.
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