Preakness 2020: Post Time, TV Schedule and Live-Stream Hub for 145th Race

The 2020 Preakness Stakes on Saturday will round out this year's Triple Crown season, with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic serving as the race favorite.

The Bob Baffert-trained horse must hold off a tough field, however, including Art Collector and Thousand Words.

Post time is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. ET, with television coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. on NBC. Fans can live-stream the action on NBCSports.com or via the NBC Sports app (Apple/Google).

As usual, the Preakness will take place at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course on a dirt track of 1 3/16 miles.

Here's a look at some news, notes and posts heading into the Preakness.

Posts and Odds

1. Excession: 30-1

2. Mr. Big News: 12-1

3. Art Collector: 5-2

4. Swiss Skydiver: 6-1

5. Thousand Words: 6-1

6. Jesus' Team: 30-1

7. Ny Traffic: 15-1

8. Max Player: 15-1

9. Authentic: 9-5

10. Pneumatic: 20-1

11. Liveyourbeastlife: 30-1

Post and Odds Source: Official Preakness website

News and Notes

Authentic the Betting Favorite

Authentic pulled off a stunning upset of Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby. He's now listed as a 9-5 favorite to win.

Odds are subject to change until post time, but Authentic should keep his place atop the sportsbook perch until the race begins. He's finished first in five of his six races, with the lone exception a second-place result at the Santa Anita Derby to Honor A. P., who will not be taking part in the Preakness.

As it stands, Authentic has beaten every horse he's faced. Authentic bested the aforementioned Honor A. P. in the San Felipe Stakes last March, three months prior to his loss at Santa Anita. He'll look to continue that trend Saturday.

Tiz the Law Skipping Preakness

Tiz the Law could have been shooting for the Triple Crown this Saturday had he won the Kentucky Derby in September, but the Belmont Stakes victor finished second.

On Sept. 22, owner Jack Knowlton announced that Tiz the Law would be skipping the Preakness and focusing on the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7:

Knowlton spoke about Tiz the Law's potential lack of readiness on Sept. 17, per Tom Pedulla of Horse Racing Nation:

"It's wanting to make sure he's 100 percent when he has his breeze. When that comes, hopefully sooner rather than later, he'll go back on the work tab and, if we're not sure he's 100 percent, we have no pressure to run in [the Preakness]. There is another big race to point for after that."

Knowlton said he doesn't feel Tiz the Law has to be in the Preakness with the horse out of the Triple Crown running. He did say that "if everything worked out right, we'd like to be in" the Preakness, but that his team would not force the issue.

That is now the case for Tiz the Law, who will look toward the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, in five weeks.

Art Collector, No. 1 Contender

Authentic's top competition for the Preakness is Art Collector, who has been amassing first-place finishes for the past year. He's won six races since Sept. 5, 2019, including each of his last five.

Art Collector was one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, per BloodHorse, but he dropped out because of a foot issue. He's listed at 5-2 to win the Preakness.

Art Collector's owner, Bruce Lunsford, and trainer, Tommy Drury Jr., are confident in the contender's form heading into Saturday, with Lunsford speaking with Evan Hammonds of Blood Horse on Wednesday:

"He's doing terrific. You always know you are only one step away, but he's probably had the two best works I've seen him do. Tommy had the same comment, and I think he is going to get better.

"I feel good about the horse. I like the way he runs. He looks like he's special, and it looks like the smart bettors like him, too, because he's gone from whatever, 4-1, to 5-2, and (Authentic) has gone up a little."

No other horse outside Art Collector and Authentic has better than 6-1 odds. We could be set up for a duel down the stretch between the top two favored horses, much like Authentic and Tiz the Law at the Kentucky Derby.

Thousand Words' Return

Thousand Words, which is also a Baffert-trained horse, is back in the Triple Crown mix after a scary incident just prior to the Kentucky Derby.

Right before post time, Thousand Words reared up in the paddock and fell down. He was soon scratched and received an examination from veterinarians, including Dr. Kathleen Anderson, the American Association of Equine Practitioners' on‑call vet at Churchill Downs.

Thankfully, Thousand Words was OK, with Dr. Anderson providing comments to reporters (h/t Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader).

"The good news is the horse is absolutely fine," Dr. Anderson said. "He's returned to the stable area, had a thorough examination...and he has been cleared with not a scratch upon him."

Thousand Words ranks third on the odds ledger at 6-1, tied with Swiss Skydiver.

Preakness and COVID-19

The Preakness Stakes, which will see its 145th running, will be held without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That was the case for the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby as well, although horse-racing teams, family, friends and other personnel—either associated with the track, race, broadcast or otherwise—were still there.

The Preakness is normally a well-attended event: 131,256 people saw the race live in 2019. It won't get near that number this year, but the show will go on Saturday afternoon in Baltimore.