Preakness 2017: Updated Predictions, Betting Lines and Post Time

After Wednesday's post position draw, the field of 10 is set for the 142nd Preakness Stakes.

The race, the second jewel in the Triple Crown, will be held on Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The post time is 6:45 p.m. ET.

Unsurprisingly, Kentucky Derby champion Always Dreaming, who drew the No. 4 post position, has emerged as the favorite heading into the Preakness, with his early line at 4-5 per OddsShark. 

Classic Empire, who came in fourth in the Kentucky Derby, is right behind Always Dreaming in the early odds:

Let's take a look at the post positions and betting lines for the entire field, then make some predictions about the outcome of the race.

Post Position	Horse (Odds)	Prediction
1	Multiplier (40-1)	8th
2	Cloud Computing (14-1)	5th
3	Hence (20-1)	7th
4	Always Dreaming (4-5)	1st
5	Classic Empire (3-1)	2nd
6	Gunnevera (16-1)	6th
7	Term of Art (33-1)	9th
8	Senior Investment (33-1)	10th
9	Lookin At Lee (11-1)	3rd
10	Conquest Mo Money (18-1)	4th

2017 Preakness Stakes Predictions

1st Place: Always Dreaming

If you ever have a chance to bet on a horse making it all the way through the three races of the Triple Crown, why wouldn't you?

After winning the Run for the Roses, the dark bay colt has a legitimate shot of winning the Preakness Stakes and completing two out of three hurdles en route to a Triple Crown bid. 

Always Dreaming drew the No. 4 gate for the race, but his trainer, Todd Pletcher, doesn't think that's an issue, pointing out the success the colt has had away from the gate to date.

"I think [the post] is fine," Pletcher said, per Mike Dempsey of OddsShark. "He was four in the Florida Derby and five in the Kentucky Derby. He's generally a very good horse away from the gate. We'll just come away and try to establish some position and see what some other horses are doing."

Pletcher added that his trainee is training "forwardly, aggressively, manageably" at Pimlico.

2nd Place: Classic Empire

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby has a legitimate shot to foil Always Dreaming's Triple Crown bid, but given some recent issues, it seems more likely that Classic Empire will finish somewhere in the top three outside first place. 

Classic Empire was banged-up heading into the Run for the Roses, having suffered a foot abscess at Holy Bull back in February. 

Then, in the Kentucky Derby, Classic Empire collided with McCraken coming out of the gate and suffered a swollen eye.

"I don't honestly know how he finished fourth," trainer Mark Casse said, per John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times. "And then to come back with his eye the way it was. It just seemed to make him more determined. He's fired up and ready."

Classic Empire finished fourth in that race, and though the contender has overcome other setbacks this year, winning the Preakness would be a tall order. 

3rd Place: Lookin at Lee
With 33-1 odds, Lookin at Lee surged back to place second in the Kentucky Derby, five lengths ahead of Battle of Midway.

As a result, he's more of a favorite heading into the Preakness Stakes (11-1), and if he can keep the momentum going he's been building since his third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby on April 15, he could place at least the same on Saturday.

In both the Arkansas and Kentucky Derbys now, Lookin at Lee has rallied late to finish third. 

The late push can be attributed to the skill of his jockey, Corey Lanerie, who steered the colt past the rest of the field along the rail but couldn't catch Always Dreaming. 

"His personality and gamesmanship are what gave us confidence in him going into the Derby," trainer Steve Asmussen said about Lookin at Lee, per the Associated Press via the New York Daily News. "You have no control over how the other horses run, but you always feel Lookin At Lee is going to do his best."

Despite his near-win in the Kentucky Derby, Lookin at Lee remains an underdog heading into the Preakness Stakes. However, he could surprise come Saturday.