Preakness Picks 2016: Predictions and Odds for All Horses in the Lineup

Nyquist kicked off his Triple Crown quest with a victory at the Kentucky Derby from the No. 13 gate. He will look to take the next step Saturday at the 141st Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course from the No. 3 gate.

Nyquist and the rest of the 11-horse field for the Preakness learned their post positions Wednesday. The odds-on favorite avoided the risk of being too far wide on the turns and caught against the inside and now has a golden opportunity to start his career with his ninth straight win.

With that in mind, here is a look at the post positions and odds for every horse in the lineup, as well as the predicted finish for Saturday’s anticipated race:

Post	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Owner(s)	Odds
1	Cherry Wine	Dale Romans	Corey Lanerie	William Pacella, Frank L. Jones Jr., Frank Shoop	20-1
2	Uncle Lino	Gary Sherlock	Fernando Perez	Tom Mansor, Purple Shamrock Racing, Gary Sherlock	20-1
3	Nyquist	Doug O'Neill	Mario Gutierrez	J. Paul Reddam	3-5
4	Awesome Speed	Alan Goldberg	Jevian Toledo	Colts Neck Stables	30-1
5	Exaggerator	Keith Desormeaux	Kent Desormeaux	Big Chief Racing	3-1
6	Lani	Mikio Matsunaga	Yutaka Take	Koji Maeda	30-1
7	Collected	Bob Baffert	Javier Castellano	Speedway Stable	10-1
8	Laoban	Eric Guillot	Florent Geroux	McCormick Racing, Southern Equine Stable	30-1
9	Abiding Star	Ned Allar	J.D. Acosta	Stonehedge LLC	30-1
10	Fellowship	Mark Casse	Jose Lezcano	Jacks or Better Farm	30-1
11	Stradivari	Todd Pletcher	John Velazquez	John Gunther, Michael Tabor, Derek Smith, Susan Magnier	8-1

Place	Horse
1	Nyquist
2	Exaggerator
3	Stradivari
4	Collected
5	Uncle Lino
6	Abiding Star
7	Lani
8	Awesome Speed
9	Cherry Wine
10	Laoban
11	Fellowship

Can Anyone Take Down Nyquist?

Eclipse Sportswire/Getty Images

There isn’t much reason to bet against Nyquist at this point.

He is unbeaten in eight races, thrived at the Kentucky Derby as part of a crowded 20-horse field and has the tactical speed to kick things up a notch down the home stretch when victory is on the line.

What’s more, jockey Mario Gutierrez has experience on this stage from when he parlayed a Kentucky Derby win into triumph at the Preakness with I’ll Have Another in 2012. Trainer Doug O’Neill and owner Paul Reddam were right by Gutierrez’s side in 2012 and will be there once again Saturday.

Gutierrez and Nyquist drew gate No. 3 on Wednesday, which means they are not on the far outside and have two horses between themselves and the inside rail. Gutierrez can sit back just off the pace in the early going and make a critical push on the stretch run—just like he did at Churchill Downs.

The question now becomes whether anyone can beat this horse, and eyes should immediately turn toward Kentucky Derby runner-up Exaggerator.

Like Nyquist, he drew an ideal gate on Wednesday at No. 5 and has no real risk of being trapped inside or pushed outside. He also proved his mettle at the Kentucky Derby with a late charge, as he nearly came all the way back to overtake Nyquist near the end.

Exaggerator won the Santa Anita Derby, but trainer Keith Desormeaux thinks there is another reason he can beat Nyquist on Saturday, per Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun:

"

Obviously, numbers-wise, horse-for-horse-wise, it's tough to think we can beat him, right? But … the strongest attribute that Exaggerator has is his ability to recover, and as you know, this Preakness is run back in two weeks. That's not normal in this day and age, to run a horse back that quickly.

"

That may be the case, but Exaggerator is 0-4 against Nyquist and will have less room to make the late charge he demonstrated at Churchill Downs. The Preakness is 1 3/16 miles compared to the 1 1/4 miles of the Kentucky Derby. If and when Nyquist makes a run to the front, it will be all the more difficult to chase him down.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Stradivari is another horse who could end Nyquist’s Triple Crown dreams, especially since he won by more than a combined 25 lengths in his last two races (at Gulfstream Park and Keeneland).

Stradivari also didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby and should theoretically be fresher than Nyquist and Exaggerator, who are both coming off quick two-week turnarounds.

However, Stradivari drew the problematic No. 11 gate on Wednesday. That may not be as concerning as the far outside positions at the Kentucky Derby since there are only 10 other horses to overcome as opposed to the 19 others at Churchill Downs, but Marcus Hersh of Daily Racing Form said, "Stradivari stands a great chance of getting hung wide [first] turn."

That would be more than enough to dash the chances of an upset from the outside.

Another horse who could challenge Nyquist is Collected. Collected arrives at Pimlico with a two-race win streak after capturing victories at the Sunland Park Festival of Racing Stakes and at the Lexington Stakes (Grade 3) at Keeneland. He boasts four wins in six starts and has trainer Bob Baffert on his team.

Baffert has 12 career wins at Triple Crown events and trained American Pharoah all the way to the Triple Crown last year.

Still, Collected has not faced the level of competition he will see Saturday with the Nyquist and Exaggerator combination. His recent run is impressive, but he will not overcome the two favorites at the Preakness.

Nyquist also doesn’t have to worry about Gun Runner or Mohaymen in what is shaping up to be a relatively light field of competitors at Pimlico. Come Saturday, he will be one step away from the Triple Crown.