Preakness 2016: Latest News, Live Stream, TV Info for Post Positions Draw
The second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is just around the corner, as the horse racing world waits with bated breath to see if Nyquist can complete two-thirds of another historic run.
At the moment, he has just 10 horses he'd have to beat at Pimlico Race Course after Gun Runner, the third-place finisher at the Kentucky Derby, was withdrawn from the Preakness on Tuesday.
Here are the contenders the Preakness has listed:
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| Nyquist | 5-8 |
| Exaggerator | 9-2 |
| Cherry Wine | 25-1 |
| Laoban | 40-1 |
| Collected | 25-1 |
| Fellowship | 33-1 |
| Uncle Lino | 33-1 |
| Awesome Speed | 33-1 |
| Lani | 40-1 |
| Stradivan | 9-1 |
| Abiding Star | N/A |
Abiding Star is listed as a contender, although there was some doubt over his participation before a quarantine on his stable was lifted yesterday, as reported by Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun.
According to Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal, the Parx Racing stable had been quarantined since April 1 due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus.
With his participation in the race now confirmed, the picture ahead of the post position draw, which will decipher what stall each horse will start out of, has become much clearer:
| Wednesday, May 18 | 5 p.m. | DRF.com |
But it's all going to come down to Nyquist, who is looking to become the second horse in as many years to win the Triple Crown.
According to Bob Baffert—the trainer of last year's Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah—Nyquist should have an easy time at Pimlico.
"The Preakness is the easiest leg of them all," Baffert told John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. "The toughest leg is the Derby. You're dealing with 20 horses [in the Kentucky Derby], and you really have to get lucky. It's easier if you have a front-runner because you can avoid all the traffic."
At the Preakness, Nyquist will have fewer horses to contend with and a shorter distance to do so. That all plays in his favor, as he is a strong, consistent horse that can fly at any point of a race.
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