Preakness 2015 Post Time: NBC TV Start Time, Final Predictions and More

Will American Pharoah emerge victorious in the 2015 Preakness Stakes and keep his Triple Crown bid alive? That's the question on everyone's mind in the waning hours before post time.

Much has developed in the week leading up to the Preakness, and it's been a roller-coaster ride for American Pharoah over that span. An early announcement from trainer Todd Pletcher opting to withdraw his four horses from Pimlico's race improved his odds; however, drawing the ominous No. 1 post cast some doubt over the favorite's chances.

American Pharoah will have to buck a historical trend if he's going to win out of the No. 1 gate. According to Preakness.com, only one horse—Tabasco Cat in 1994—has won from that position since 1961. That will surely make outlasting top contenders Firing Line and Dortmund increasingly difficult.

So, before the highly anticipated middle jewel of the Triple Crown gets underway, let's take a look at its essential viewing information, view the updated odds and predict the ultimate outcome.

Preakness Post Positions and Odds

Post	Horse	Odds	Trainer	Jockey
1	American Pharoah	10-13	Bob Baffert	Victor Espinoza
2	Dortmund	9-2	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia
3	Mr. Z	25-1	D. Wayne Lukas	Corey Nakatani
4	Danzig Moon	20-1	Mark Casse	Julien Leparoux
5	Tale of Verve	50-1	Dallas Stewart	Joel Rosario
6	Bodhisattva	33-1	Jose Corrales	Trevor McCarthy
7	Divining Rod	22-1	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 Predictions

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

That result should look familiar—it's the same finishing order as the Kentucky Derby's top three.

Yes, American Pharoah has his work cut out starting from the No. 1 gate, but the impressive colt could easily turn that position into an advantage. He displayed an ability to get a quick jump out of the gate in the Derby and used his acceleration to burst past the traffic and into third position. Here's a refreshing look back at the race:

So, how does that relate to the Preakness? If American Pharoah gets a similar start, he'll be able to shoot past the initial traffic—a field of eight contenders makes that an easier feat—and move out in front. He has the ability to post a wire-to-wire victory due to him great stamina and closing ability, and hugging the rail will only further help his chances.

Firing Line will give American Pharoah a run for his money at Pimlico. Following his impressive runner-up finish in the Derby, there's plenty of reason to think he'll be in the mix down the final stretch once again—especially considering his favorable starting position in the No. 8 gate.

Jockey Gary Stevens exuded confidence in that location 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."

Garry Jones/Associated Press

Expect a good start for Firing Line, as Stevens will have plenty of strategic options during the race's infancy. That will allow him to maneuver into a good position to ensure his opportunity of making a late run to the front. Although, while he's a talented horse, he wasn't able to outlast American Pharoah down the final stretch at Churchill Downs, and there's no reason to think it will be any different this time around.

Dortmund's fate at Pimlico will rest on his start. He'll be right alongside his stablemate in gate No. 2 and will need a great jump to beat the quick American Pharoah to the front of the pack. Dortmund has been inconsistent in that department this year, struggling out of the gate at Santa Anita but starting well at Churchill Downs. He isn't likely to start faster than American Pharoah and doesn't possess the closing ability to catch the favorite in the end.

Rounding out the superfecta is Triple Crown newcomer Divining Rod. An inconsistent horse, Divining Rod put on a nice performance in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes, winning by three lengths. However, that was after a third-place showing in the Tampa Bay Derby. Adding to the uncertainty surrounding this colt, he's never entered a race longer than 1 1/16 miles. Divining Rod isn't polished, but he'll finish fourth on raw talent alone.