Preakness 2020: Post Time, TV Schedule, Post-Positions Info

There's a lot that's different about the 2020 Preakness Stakes from past years, and that starts with when the annual horse race is being held. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the race was postponed from the third Saturday in May and rescheduled for the first Saturday in October.

It also isn't the second leg of the Triple Crown schedule like it usually is. The Belmont Stakes took place in June, while the Kentucky Derby occurred in early September. So while a horse usually heads to the Preakness with Triple Crown aspirations following a Derby victory, that's not the case this year.

Tiz the Law won the Belmont, then Authentic won the Kentucky Derby, meaning there won't be a Triple Crown chase taking place at the Preakness in this unorthodox year. Authentic is expected to be in the Preakness field, but Tiz the Law will not be running the race.

Here's everything you need to know heading into Saturday's race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

2020 Preakness Stakes Information

Date: Saturday, Oct. 3

Post Time: 6:45 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live

Post-Position Info

The post draw is scheduled to take place Monday at noon ET (streamed live on Facebook), and according to HorseRacingNation.com, the projected field for the Preakness Stakes is currently at 12 horses.

Here are the horses that are expected to enter the race:

Authentic

Swiss Skydiver

Art Collector

Max Player

Ny Traffic

Country Grammer

Mr. Big News

Mystic Guide

Thousand Words

Pneumatic

Excession

Jesus' Team

Liveyourbeastlife

Among the projected horses, four took part in the Kentucky Derby—Authentic (finished first), Mr. Big News (third), Max Player (fifth) and Ny Traffic (eighth). Thousand Words was supposed to be in the Derby, but he was scratched 20 minutes before post time as he flipped over while leaving the paddock.

Authentic and Thousand Words are both trained by Bob Baffert, who is a seven-time winner at the Preakness Stakes. He last was victorious at the event in 2018 with Justify, who won the Triple Crown.

With Authentic's Kentucky Derby victory, Baffert became a six-time Derby winner, tying Ben Jones for the most by a trainer. His seven Preakness victories are also tied for the most all-time, as R. Wyndham Walden also won the event seven times.

There's a strong chance that Baffert could break that tie on Saturday if Authentic fares as well as he did at the Kentucky Derby. Authentic went wire-to-wire at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5, upsetting Belmont winner Tiz the Law and denying his bid for the Triple Crown.

Like the Derby, the Preakness won't have fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic. And according to Baffert, that has taken away some of the atmosphere from these marquee events.

"The Derby was so strange. It didn't feel like the Derby until the gates came open, and I think the Preakness, it won't feel like the Preakness until the gates come open," Baffert said, according to Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. "There's no vibe, nothing. It's the crowd that gets you pumped up. But we'll go in there like we always do and hope to get another one."

One entrant that could compete with the Baffert-trained horses is Art Collector, who was going to be among the favorites for the Kentucky Derby but ended up not competing in the race because of a minor foot injury. Art Collector has won each of the past five races he's entered, which includes the Blue Grass Stakes on July 11 and the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9.

Art Collector is the son of 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini. His trainer (Tommy Drury) and jockey (Brian Hernandez) have never won a Triple Crown race.

Swiss Skydiver will be the 55th female horse to participate in the Preakness, per Paulick Report. The event has had five fillies win in its history. The last filly to win the Preakness was Rachel Alexandra in 2009.

Swiss Skydiver finished second in the Kentucky Oaks earlier this month, and her jockey for Saturday, Robby Albarado, rode Curlin to victory at the Preakness in 2007.