Preakness Odds 2016: Race Lines and Post Positions for Pimlico

Can anybody beat undefeated Nyquist in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore?

Based on the odds, the answer would be a resounding "No." With two days to go before the second jewel in the Triple Crown is held, Nyquist is a clear, convincing, odds-on 3-5 favorite, according to Preakness.com.

He also had a favorable draw, as he will be running from the No. 3 post position. Nyquist is a versatile sort, and he can run from the lead or come from behind. However, he is at his best when he is stalking the pace, and he should be able to do that from his post position.

Trainer Doug O'Neill did not sound worried about the draw or the post prior to the selections, and his confidence in Nyquist's ability to win the race remains strong.

"Having the gate speed that Nyquist has, and just the continuity of [jockey] Mario [Gutierrez] and Nyquist, is so huge," O'Neill told Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. "There are certain posts you don't really want, but no matter where he gets, as long as he leaves there running, Mario's got enough speed underneath him to put himself in a good position."

If Nyquist can come out on top in the Preakness, he will have a chance to join American Pharoah in becoming a Triple Crown winner if he can also take the June 11 Belmont Stakes in New York.

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Odds
1	Cherry Wine	Dale Romans	Corey Lanerie	20-1
2	Uncle Lino	Gary Sherlock	Fernando Perez	20-1
3	Nyquist	Doug O'Neill	Mario Gutierrez	3-5
4	Awesome Speed	Alan Goldberg	Jevian Toledo	30-1
5	Exaggerator	Keith Desormeaux	Kent Desormeaux	3-1
6	Lani	Mikio Matsunaga	Yutaka Take	30-1
7	Collected	Bob Baffert	Javier Castellano	10-1
8	Laoban	Eric Guillot	Florent Geroux	30-1
9	Abiding Star	Ned Allar	J.D. Acosta	30-1
10	Fellowship	Mark Casse	Jose Lezcano	30-1
11	Stradivari	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	8-1

Exaggerator finished second to Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby and figures to be his top challenger in this race as well. Exaggerator will start from the No. 5 hole and is the 3-1 second choice.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux does not want his brother, jockey Kent Desormeaux, to change tactics in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. He believes his hard-charging colt ran a strong second at Churchill Downs and that the same tactics could result in a victory because the Baltimore race has 11 horses in the field as opposed to the 20 horses that ran in the Derby.

Exaggerator is a strong come-from-behind runner, and the smaller field should mean less traffic to negotiate and fewer opponents to pass once he mounts his run.

"The smaller field, it's got to help," Desormeaux said, according to Walker. "It's common sense."

The other factor in Exaggerator's favor is he is a strong runner on an off track, and poor weather appears likely for the Baltimore area Saturday. The Weather Channel forecasts a 100 percent chance of rain on race day.

Trainer Bob Baffert will send 10-1 shot Collected into the race from the No. 7 hole, and he knows Nyquist is a strong favorite. However, Baffert does not have a legitimate contender to run in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, so he's going to let Collected run in the Preakness.

Collected is a speed horse and will likely go to the front at the start of the race.

It's going to be difficult for Collected to perform well here. Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form said Collected has beaten ordinary horses in the past and is in his best form, but this is going to be difficult for him.

Stradivari is trained by Todd Pletcher and is coming off a win at Keeneland, but he has been lightly raced to this point in his career, and it's hard to say how he will react to the competition. Stradivari is 8-1 and will start from the 11 hole.

Lani is the only other Derby runner besides Nyquist and Exaggerator who is also running in the Preakness. The spirited Japanese horse is an extreme long shot at 30-1, and it seems unlikely he will be a factor once the three-year-olds reach the home stretch.