Preakness 2017: Post Time, Post Positions and Full TV Coverage Info
Two weeks after Always Dreaming's memorable run at Churchill Downs, he will look to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown at the 2017 Preakness Stakes on Saturday.
The Kentucky Derby was a test of speed and endurance for Always Dreaming and jockey John Velazquez, who navigated through the rain-covered track to guide his horse to what ended up being an easy victory over Lookin At Lee and Battle Of Midway.
| Saturday, May 20 | 6:45 p.m. | NBC | NBCSports.com |
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| 1 | Multiplier |
| 2 | Cloud Computing |
| 3 | Hence |
| 4 | Always Dreaming |
| 5 | Classic Empire |
| 6 | Gunnevera |
| 7 | Term of Art |
| 8 | Senior Investment |
| 9 | Lookin at Lee |
| 10 | Conquest Mo Money |
The Preakness Stakes is going to present unique challenges for Always Dreaming on his quest to become the 13th horse to win the Triple Crown.
Easily the biggest physical challenge for the horse is having just two weeks of turnaround time to prepare for the Preakness. It's a shorter race at 9.5 furlongs—compared to 10 at the Kentucky Derby—but this marks the first time in his racing career he's had under four weeks of preparation time.
In the past, Always Dreaming's trainer, Todd Pletcher, has previously spoken out about not liking the two-week gap between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, saying the following about keeping Materiality out of the 2015 Preakness, per Ron Mitchell of BloodHorse.com:
"We were considering it very seriously. Basically, it came down to we just felt two weeks was a little bit risky. We felt five weeks to the Belmont would be an advantage for him. He's been at Belmont since two days after the Derby and has been training well. He's by a Belmont-winning sire. If you come back in two weeks and you turn out to be wrong, not only could you not run well in the Preakness, it could compromise your chances in the Belmont as well."
It's not a surprise to see some of the Kentucky Derby horses sitting out the Preakness, including Irish War Cry, Battle of Midway and Irap, because of the physical toll it takes to run two races in 14 days.
Always Dreaming will once again have to contend with Classic Empire, who may have had the most impressive performance in the Kentucky Derby, but that has been ignored because he didn't win.
Classic Empire drew the No. 14 gate, got off to a horrible start because of how many horses were bunched around him, pushing him back, but he stormed back after that bad half-mile stretch to finish fourth.
Trainer Mark Casse had high marks for his horse after the Run for the Roses.
"We're very proud of Classic Empire," he said, per Erin Shea of BloodHorse.com. "The winner was a superstar on Saturday, our only wish was we got a shot at him because we never did. It's one of the reasons why we're excited to go to Pimlico. We have the utmost respect for Always Dreaming, but we still want a crack at him."
Even being skeptical of pulling off another run like that two weeks after the fact, Classic Empire will be the biggest test for Always Dreaming at Pimlico.
Another substantial challenge for Always Dreaming, related to the subject of rest, is the number of horses who will be fresh for the Preakness because they did not run at Churchill Downs, including Multiplier and Conquest Mo Money.
The latter sat out the Kentucky Derby after finishing second at the Arkansas Derby. In four races this year, he has two wins and two second-place finishes.
Fresh legs and Classic Empire's quest for redemption put even more pressure on Always Dreaming, though he has yet to wilt. He's earned his status as the favorite for the Preakness and will silence all the doubters if he can pull off another win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
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