Preakness 2020 Post Positions: Updated Odds for Entire Lineup After Draw

The 145th running of the Preakness Stakes is just days away, and with the post positions drawn, the shape of the race is starting to form. 

With the starting gates established, the lines should start moving closer to where they will be when post time comes around on Saturday. Kentucky Derby winner Authentic remains the favorite after drawing the No. 9 post. 

The Triple Crown isn't in play. Those hoping to see a rematch between Belmont winner Tiz the Law and Authentic will potentially have the opportunity to see it in the Breeders' Cup Classic, but Tiz the Law's connections chose not to race their colt in the Preakness. 

Still, there are some horses in the field that could beat Authentic on the right day, and the odds reflect that. Here's a look at the latest odds after Monday's post draw. 

2020 Preakness Post Positions, 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)

Odds via Preakness Stakes

Race Preview

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Once again, trainer Bob Baffert's success is a key story in a Triple Crown race. Baffert can take sole possession of the record for most wins in the Preakness with his eighth victory, and he'll have two horses with the opportunity to do so in the field. 

The obvious choice is Authentic. The Derby winner has only lost one start in 2020 and was clearly in peak form in Louisville. The son of Into Mischief had plenty of speed to be at the front of the pack in the early running and enough endurance to fend off Tiz the Law down the stretch. 

At the slightly shorter Pimlico race, he won't even need the endurance, the speed will be enough. 

Jockey Martin Garcia, who worked with Authentic in his final preparations at Churchill Downs before shipping to Baltimore, has been impressed with how the colt continues to work leading up to the final jewel. 

"He's such an amazing horse," Garcia said, per BloodHorse. "He worked awesome. I've worked a lot of nice horses for trainer Bob Baffert in California, and this horse is just as special. He's doing amazing for the Preakness."

If he's at the top of his game, he'll be difficult to beat on Saturday. 

The Derby winner isn't the only chance that Baffert has to break the record, though. He's also trained Thousand Words, who will break from the fifth gate. The Florida-bred colt was a late scratch at the Derby after suffering a fall in the paddock just before loading into the gate. 

The horse had just put in his best performance with a win at the Shared Belief Stakes in August before the scratch derailed some of his momentum. With time to recover from the fall, he's worth taking a look at outside of the favorites. 

Playing the role of top competition to Authentic is Art Collector, who has the best odds outside of the Derby winner. 

The Bruce Lunsford colt is a difficult one to handicap because he's largely untested, but he's 4-0 as a three-year-old. The level of competition hasn't been great. His highest achievement this season was a win at the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes in which he topped a field that included the only filly in the field, Swiss Skydiver. 

Mr. Big News was another horse in that field. The third-place finisher in the Derby did so as a 46-1 longshot but will have much tighter odds when he breaks from the second post. 

Speaking of longshots, the aforementioned Swiss Skydiver isn't one according to the odds but is historically speaking. The three-year-old would be just the sixth filly to win the Preakness if she pulls the upset. She has been a consistent performer all year, though. 

She has made eight starts, winning four of them and hitting the board on all but one. Her latest performance saw her take second at the Kentucky Oaks despite getting pinned inside from the first post. 

Breaking from the fourth spot isn't going to prevent that from happening again at the Preakness, but it is better than her positioning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Kenny McPeek believes a win in Baltimore should have her in the running for Horse of the Year. 

"I think if she wins a race like this, you've got to include her possible Horse of the Year," McPeek said, per Paulick Report. "She's danced every dance, and she's been hickory, and she had entertained the fanbase like probably no filly in years. I think it's a chance to make history."

A filly finishing second in the Oaks only to come back a few weeks later and win the Preakness against a field full of colts would be quite the story. But then again, 2020 has been far from a traditional year for horse racing or sports in general, for that matter.