Preakness 2019: Horses, Favorites and Contenders for This Year's Field

There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2019, although the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday should still be an absorbing occasion.

The Kentucky Derby champion Country House will not take part in the event, having been pulled out by trainer Bill Mott. Mott told Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman that the horse had been ill following the dramatic triumph at the Run for the Roses.

Even so, the Preakness Stakes is a fascinating race in its own right, and there are many high-class competitors going for the title. Improbable, who was fourth at Churchill Downs, is the favourite.

Here is the field for Saturday's race, the latest odds and a closer look at some of the horses most-fancied for the Pimlico showpiece. 

Odds

Improbable: 2-1 

War of Will: 3-1 

Bourbon War: 8-1 

Alwaysmining: 8-1 

Win Win Win: 8-1 

Owendale: 10-1 

Anothertwistafate: 12-1 

Signalman: 14-1 

Bodexpress: 16-1 

Laughing Fox: 20-1 

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.

Preview

Following on from the drama of the Kentucky Derby, racing fans across the globe will likely be glued to the showpiece in Baltimore on Saturday.

For the first time in the history of the prestigious race at Churchill Downs, the horse that crossed the line first was disqualified on the same day. Maximum Security was deemed to have impeded rivals during the race, and Country House was subsequently named the winner.

Here is how the race played out:

While the Preakness has traditionally been a venue where historic horses have sought to cement their greatness, this year there will be a chance for a new name to etch themselves into folklore with a win in one of the Triple Crown events.

Improbable is the bookmakers' favourite to do so. Sportscaster Fred Cowgill posted the following clip of him in action on the track:

Improbable's trainer is the legendary Bob Baffert, and he spoke about the horse's preparation for Saturday's race:

Baffert's colt was fancied for the Derby but was only good enough to finish in fourth place following Maximum Security's disqualification.

The horse carried tremendous pedigree into Churchill Downs, winning the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby earlier this year. According to oddsmakers, his most serious challenge will come in the form of War of Will.

Gary Barber's horse was the one impeded by Maximum Security at Churchill Downs, and it'll be interesting to see what he's capable of if he gets a clear run at Pimlico.

Some were critical of War of Will following the controversial disqualification in the Derby, something that Barber disputed after the race, per Marcus Green of WDRB News:

Further down the betting, Bourbon War has the potential to go well, having impressed in some of the warm-up races to the Derby. He also won at Gulfstream Park in January, taking the AlwOC. Alwaysmining comes into this race on the back of six successive wins, the most recent being the Federico Tesio at Laurel Park on April 20.

Improbable will be difficult to beat, though. In a tough race at Churchill Downs, he wasn't far off the front, and in what is a weaker field at Pimlico, Baffert's horse will be too good for the rest.