Preakness 2018: Post Time, TV Schedule, Post Positions Info

Kentucky Derby champion Justify made history with his win at Churchill Downs, and he'll be looking to do the same at the 2018 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 19.

Justify became the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Derby having had no racing experience as a two-year-old, and he'll now be pursuing a historic Triple Crown victory.

Saturday will provide him with the opportunity to claim the second leg at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Here are the key details you need to know ahead of the race:

Date: Saturday, May 19

Post Time: TBD, according to NBC Sports

TV Info: Preakness Prep from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, Preakness Stakes from 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. ET on NBC (USA), At the Races (UK)

Live Stream: NBC Sports (USA), ATR Player (UK)

The post positions draw will take place on Wednesday, May 16.

At 9 ½ furlongs, Preakness is the shortest of the three Triple Crown events. It also has a much smaller field than the 20-horse Kentucky Derby—on some occasions it's less than half the size—and so post positions take on far less importance.

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Post positions can make or break a contender before the race has even begun at Churchill Downs, by making it difficult to adopt a strong position or avoid traffic early on. Indeed, Gate 17 is still to produce a winner in 40 attempts in Kentucky.

Pimlico's smaller field gives the horses more room to manoeuvre, though the trainers will still be hoping to avoid Gate 1.

While the inside may be the shortest route around the track, just two horses have won the Preakness after starting up against the rails since Belly Ache, 1960—Tabasco Cat in 1994 and American Pharoah in 2015.

The latter would go on to win the Triple Crown, and his exceptional talent was likely what allowed him to succeed in spite of the post-position hindrance.

Trainer Bob Baffert likened Justify to American Pharoah following his Kentucky Derby win, per David Grening of the Daily Racing Form:

It's high praise from Baffert, for whom American Pharoah and Justify were his fourth and fifth winners in Kentucky, respectively.

As Shannon Hall of the Courier Journal demonstrated, the praise was well-founded:

Given the comparisons Justify is drawing with American Pharoah, he too may have the talent to succeed at Pimlico even if he receives a similarly unfavourable draw.

What's more, Baffert has had even more success in the Preakness than in Kentucky having trained six winners, so he's well aware of how to get a result there.