2020 Preakness: TV Coverage, NBC Live Stream and Purse Payout Info

Having played the role of spoiler in the Kentucky Derby, Authentic heads into the Preakness Stakes as the favorite Saturday.

Authentic didn't run in the Belmont Stakes, where Tiz the Law ran away from the field down the final stretch to claim victory. He showed off his ability at Churchill Downs, though, holding off Tiz the Law en route to glory.

Now, the colt has the chance to close out the 2020 Triple Crown season with a flourish.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 3

Time: 5:40 p.m. ET post time; 4:30 p.m. television coverage

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBCSports.com

Thanks to his Derby win, Authentic collected $1.86 million for his team in September. The figure eclipses the entire purse for the Preakness Stakes, which was raised to $1.5 million in December 2013. However, it has dropped to $1 million in a year when horse race purses are taking a hit because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winner has typically taken 60 percent of the purse. War of Will did so in 2019, taking home $990,000. That would mean this year's victor would earn $600,000.

That likely factored into Sackatoga Stable's decision to have Tiz the Law bypass a trip to Pimlico Race Course to focus on the Breeders' Cup Classic in November.

"Since we have no shot at winning the Triple Crown, our big goal with this colt is, of course, the Breeders' Cup," trainer Barclay Tagg told Daily Racing Form's David Grening. "We really want to go into the Breeders' Cup with a fresh, happy horse. He came out of his last race a little stiff, no real physical problems, but a little stiffness. We've taken our time coming back with him. Now he seems just right."

That denies fans an opportunity for a dramatic head-to-head rematch between Authentic and Tiz the Law after they put on an entertaining battle in the Derby.

Two strong contenders will be entering the field after having missed out on the first two legs of the Triple Crown. A foot injury kept Art Collector out of the Kentucky Derby, while Thousand Words was a late scratch after falling in the paddock.

Art Collector has won his past two graded races, the Blue Grass Stakes in July and the Ellis Park Derby in August. Thousand Words was runner-up to Uncle Chuck in the Los Alamitos Derby but beat out Honor A. P. in the Shared Belief Stakes.

Max Player is a strong bet to be in the thick of it toward the end as well. The three-year-old hasn't won since the Withers Stakes in February, but he had back-to-back third-placed finishes in the Belmont and Travers Stakes before a fifth-placed effort in the Derby.

While the field isn't as deep as it would be for a traditional installment of the Preakness Stakes, the 2020 edition may not be a mere coronation ceremony for Authentic.