Preakness 2025 Entries, Contenders, Odds and Lineup Analysis

On the heels of a dramatic conclusion to the Kentucky Derby, which saw Sovereignty race past Journalism for the upset victory, Pimlico Race Course hosts the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday in Baltimore.

A one-horse race on paper, with Journalism the clear favorite, it should be an adequate follow-up to the Louisville event and set the stage for the final chapter in this year's trifecta of prestigious runs.

Who joins the Kentucky Derby runner-up in the field and what does the rest of the lineup look like? Find out with this preview.

Preakness Stakes Post Draw

1. Goal Oriented
2. Journalism
3. American Promise
4. Heart of Honor
5. Pay Billy
6. River Thames
7. Sandman
8. Clever Again
9. Gosger

Lineup Analysis

When it comes to the 2025 Preakness Stakes, it is Journalism vs. everyone else.

The Kentucky Derby runner-up is the best runner in this crop of competitors and it is not particularly close. A stalking racer who bides his time before making a late surge toward the front of the field, he possesses the fastest peak speed (108, achieved at the Santa Anita Stakes) and can run past any other horse in this second leg of the Triple Crown.

American Promise and Sandman possess the raw speed to compete against him, and Gosger is a strategic runner who could surprise the racing world with a top-three finish Saturday in Baltimore.

Clever Again is the son of Triple Crown and Breeder's Cup winner American Pharaoh and is a speed horse. He has not won without the lead, though, creating questions about his ability to put up a fight against others in this field if he does not jump out to the front of the pack early.

Trainers Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. have never won the Preakness and hope that speedy colt River Thames can reverse that fortune. They have history on their side, too, as horses that have not competed in the Kentucky Derby, as he did not, have gone on to win the last five Preakness Stakes races.

Pay Billy is trainer Michael Gorham's first-ever Triple Crown entry and is, arguably, the longest shot to win the race. Heart of Honor has finished in the top two consistently throughout his six-race career but the quality of competition is questionable compared to what he will face Saturday evening in Charm City.