Preakness 2015 Weather: Latest Race-Day Forecast for Pimlico

Rain or no rain, the 2015 Preakness Stakes is just hours away from commencing, and contenders in the field will be left to deal with the conditions.

Precipitation has yet to really hit Baltimore, Maryland, in advance of Saturday's race at approximately 6:18 p.m. ET, but that could all change in the final hours leading up to the race. If American Pharoah is going to continue his run at history, it might require trudging through the mud.

You can find a complete breakdown of the race-day weather forecast below, along with the full lineup.

2015 Preakness Stakes

Post Position	Horse	Trainer	Jockey
1	American Pharoah	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza
2	Dortmund	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia
3	Mr. Z	D. Wayne Lukas	Corey Nakatani
4	Danzig Moon	Mark Casse	Julien Leparoux
5	Tale of Verve	Dallas Stewart	Joel Rosario
6	Bodhisattva	Jose Corrales	Trevor McCarthy
7	Divining Rod	Arnaud Delacour	Javier Castellano
8	Firing Line	Simon Callaghan	Gary Stevens

Forecast and Preview

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Umbrellas and/or personal fans might be in order.

Saturday's forecast in Baltimore offers a sharp contrast to the clear skies and fair weather at the Kentucky Derby two weeks prior. Weather.com reports a decent chance of precipitation throughout the hours leading up to the race, starting near 30 percent around 3 p.m. ET and spiking to as high as a 50 percent chance of rain just before race time at 6 p.m. ET. 

The wind should stay below 10 mph, but that's about the only guarantee. Sweltering temperatures could be another curveball, and they may even help to exacerbate the storms.

According to AccuWeather.com's Mark Leberfinger, the thermostat could hit 90 degrees and help to increase the chance of rain during the race.

Nick Wass/Associated Press/Associated Press

"The warmth and humidity will help fuel a pop-up shower or thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening that will threaten to interrupt the race," meteorologist Andy Mussoline told Leberfinger. "The showers or thunderstorms will be spotty enough that chances will favor the race will stay dry."

So those at Pimlico Race Course should expect to see some raindrops. But with no more than a 50 percent shot at thunderstorms prior to, the field just might dodge a bullet and be able to race dry.

If the track gets mucked up, though, how does it impact the horses?

Well, that depends on which horse you're talking about. Some of them respond well to the muddy conditions, while others simply lose their ability to compete at a high level. 

American Pharoah is the former, not the latter. He ran on a muddy track as recently as March at Oaklawn, as Daily Racing Form's Nicole Russo captured:

Not only did American Pharoah avoid letting the muck affect his race, but he seemed to relish in the conditions. His fellow favorites don't follow suit in having a rainy race to pull from.

Firing Line has never faced the mud, and the same can be said of Dortmund, whom trainer Bob Baffert was relatively coy about when addressing potential rain, per KY Derby Contenders:

A muddy track could make a thrilling break even more exciting, as American Pharoah and Dortmund will be battling from the start in posts Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. If the conditions are so that both are slowed down in the opening, it could turn into anyone's race down the stretch.

Inclement weather in a race like this can prove to be the great equalizer, slowing down the top horses and allowing for an underdog to rise from the wreckage. Perhaps Mr. Z, Divining Rod or Danzig Moon has that in him.

But whether the rain comes or holds off, the fact that American Pharoah is well-versed in these exact conditions isn't the best news for the other seven horses. Wet or dry, the Derby winner looks to have the advantage.