Preakness 2016 Post Time: NBC TV Start Time, Final Predictions and More
Nyquist is the major favourite for glory at the Preakness Stakes on Saturday afternoon, when the Kentucky Derby champion seeks to complete the second leg of a Triple Crown triumph.
Trained by Doug O’Neill, the unbeaten three-year-old was impressive at Churchill Downs to take the Run for the Roses earlier this month. His nearest competitor on the day was Exaggerator, who will be in hot pursuit again in Baltimore.
Here is a reminder of some key viewing details ahead of this one, including the NBC programme start time and a prediction of which horse will triumph at Pimlico Race Course.
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Date: Saturday
Post Time: 6:18 p.m. ET
NBC Start Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Nyquist Seeking Second Gem in Triple Crown
After a sublime performance in Kentucky, Nyquist will seek to follow in the footsteps of American Pharoah, who took the Triple Crown in 2015.
Mario Gutierrez handled Nyquist supremely at Churchill Downs, as the colt was carried along by the searing early pace of Danzing Candy before moving to the front and holding off Exaggerator, who timed his surge to the line too late, and Gun Runner.
Here is a reminder of what was a memorable afternoon for John Paul Reddam’s three-year-old:
It’s a performance that makes Nyquist the heavy favourite at Pimlico, with a much-changed field—Exaggerator aside—in close pursuit of the Kentucky champion.
The challengers aren’t necessarily of a higher calibre either, and given just how much stronger the colt was at Kentucky than the chasers, finding some way to beat him over the nine-and-a-half-furlong distance will be tough.
Gate 3 will allow Gutierrez, who won this race aboard I'll Have Another in 2012, some flexibility in the way he sets out his game plan, too. Here is a look at how they’ll line up, per the event’s official Twitter feed:
As we can see here courtesy of Maryland Horse Radio, the big favourite is looking sharp in preparation for the big day:
Despite the expectations on the favourite, some feel as though Exaggerator may have enough to pull off a win, especially if it rains in Baltimore, as the forecast predicts, per Weather.com.
The Kentucky runner-up does have experience in heavy conditions, after all. In the Santa Anita Derby earlier this year, Exaggerator romped to victory in the slop. While he was unable to reel in Nyquist late on at Churchill Downs, jockey Kent Desormeaux may feel his horse has what it takes to win in a late dash to the line provided there’s no blistering early pace.
His trainer, Keith Desormeaux, thinks he has it in him. “Exaggerator has much more racing experience, therefore fitness and the attribute of recovering quickly,” he said, per Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun, noting the two-week turnaround from Kentucky. “So I think I have the fitter horse and, to tell you the truth, the fresher horse going into Saturday.”
Horse racing expert Ed DeRosa doesn’t feel as though the rest of the field will get near the aforementioned duo:
The fast turnaround may work in Exaggerator’s favour, as could the heavy going should the rain tumble down at Pimlico. Even so, Nyquist continues to conquer all, and while his winning margin at Kentucky was less than a couple of lengths, there was a sense Gutierrez knew he had some left in the tank should he have needed to tap into it.
In a straight fight between these two, the experienced Gutierrez will know he can push the pace early, whittling down some challengers, finding his way to the front and potentially draining the late reserves Exaggerator called upon at Kentucky. Once that happens, as Nyquist has shown on so many occasions in his racing career already, the outcome is almost inevitable.
Prediction: 1. Nyquist, 2. Exaggerator, 3. Collected
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