Preakness 2016: Horses, Favorites and Contenders for This Year's Field

Nyquist is heavily favored to win the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday at the 2016 Preakness Stakes, which could give the racing world a chance to see a horse notch the prestigious trifecta in consecutive years.

American Pharoah was able to win all three major horse races in 2015, and wins from Nyquist on Saturday and at the Belmont Stakes on June 11 would mark the second time ever that the Triple Crown was achieved in back-to-back years. Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978 are the only two horses to do so.

Nyquist will have plenty of competition, including returning challengers from the Kentucky Derby and new horses who skipped Churchill Downs but are rested and capable of pushing the favorite.

Take a look at the odds for each horse expected to run at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, courtesy of Odds Shark.

Horse	Odds
Nyquist	5-7
Exaggerator	9-2
Stradivari	12-1
Gun Runner	14-1
Suddenbreakingnews	14-1
Destin	16-1
Mor Spirit	16-1
Creator	16-1
Outwork	20-1
Dazzling Gem	20-1
Collected	25-1
Cherry Wine	25-1
Swipe	25-1
Uncle Lino	33-1
Fellowship	33-1
Awesome Speed	33-1
Lani	33-1
Laoban	40-1

Contenders

Nyquist and Exaggerator finished as the top two horses at the Kentucky Derby while also having the best odds heading into the race. The Preakness seems to be no different.

Nyquist is 8-0 for his career, but he was nearly overtaken by Exaggerator at the Derby coming down the stretch before crossing the finish line 1 1/4 lengths ahead. Exaggerator's closing speed was impressive, but with the Preakness being 1/16 of a mile shorter than the track at Churchill Downs, he will need to make a run much earlier than in his previous race.

Regardless, Exaggerator can never seem to overcome Nyquist, as he has finished second to the Preakness favorite four times, according to AL.com's Mark Inabinett.

While Nyquist and Exaggerator are the clear top contenders, other horses like Stradivari could also make some noise.

Stradivari is a bit of a wild card due to his lack of racing participation. Per Inabinett, he has only three races under his belt, but he won the last two by a combined 25 lengths. No matter who the competition is, that is an impressive number.

Nyquist trainer Doug O'Neill is certainly aware of this. He believes Exaggerator and Stradivari, the latter trained by Todd Pletcher, are two real threats to his horse, according to Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal.

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Maybe their thinking is there’s more speed in this race, which could help [Exaggerator's] style. The fact that they’re talking about coming back in the Preakness shows you how good he came out of the race as well. I would definitely fear him.

But these new shooters, like the Pletcher horse, there’s no telling how good that son of Medaglia d’Oro could be with what she’s done his last couple of starts.

"

Gun Runner is another horse to watch. He was among the leaders all the way through the Derby before fading slightly at the end for a third-place finish. His trainer, Steve Asmussen, is considering entering the horse in the Preakness, but he has not yet decided, per Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form:

Should he run, Gun Runner could push Nyquist again.

Nyquist looks likely to win the Preakness, considering his track record and overall physical dominance. It is no guarantee, though, as the other horses mentioned are more than capable of pulling an upset and ruining history in the making.