Preakness 2020 Contenders: Race-Day Overview for Entire Field and Undercard

A Triple Crown season unlike any in the history of horse racing will come to an end Saturday when the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes occurs at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

With Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law not running in Saturday's race, Kentucky Derby winner Authentic will be the only horse with a chance to win multiple Triple Crown races this season.

The Preakness is traditionally the second leg of the Triple Crown, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in schedule alterations that saw the Belmont Stakes come first, Kentucky Derby second and Preakness Stakes third.

While the circumstances are unique, there is still plenty of intrigue surrounding Saturday's race, especially if Authentic can become the first horse since California Chrome in 2014 to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but not the Belmont.

Preakness Morning Line Odds

Contenders to Watch

As the betting favorite and reigning Kentucky Derby champion, all eyes will be on Authentic when the Preakness Stakes goes off Saturday.

Authentic has been dominant with five wins and six races, plus his only loss with a second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby.

The Bob Baffert-trained colt owns wins in the Kentucky Derby, Haskell Stakes and San Felipe Stakes, and a win in the Preakness would likely cement his status as the top horse of 2020.

There is no shortage of horses with the ability to spoil things for Authentic, though, including stablemate Thousand Words, who is among the top betting choices.

Thousand Words is another Baffert-trained colt who is coming off a win in the Shared Belief Stakes. Humberto Gomez, who works with both Thousand Words and Authentic, sees Thousand Words as a legitimate threat to win:

Another horse to watch is Swiss Skydiver. The Peter Callahan-trained filly has finished first or second in each of her past six races, including wins in the Santa Anita Oaks and Alabama Stakes.

Jeffrey Byrnes of Horse Racing Nation believes Swiss Skydiver's draw should allow her to challenge Authentic:

Another potential threat to Authentic is Art Collector, who has won five consecutive races, including the Blue Grass Stakes and Ellis Park Derby.

The Thomas Drury-trained colt would likely be the clear favorite without Authentic in the fold, and there is reason to believe that the Preakness will come down to a dual between the two most highly touted horses in the field.

Ruling out any of the other horses would be irresponsible given the unpredictability of this Triple Crown season, but the likes of Excession, Mr. Big News, Jesus' Team, Ny Traffic, Max Player, Pneumatic and Liveyourbeastlife feel more like dart throws to add value to your exacta, trifecta or superfecta rather than legitimate threats to win.

Undercard Races to Watch

Prior to the Preakness Stakes main event, 11 other races will be run at Pimlico on Saturday, and there is no shortage of intrigue in several of them.

The $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is chief among them, as many of the best three-year-old fillies in the sport will be entered, including previous graded stakes race winners in Bonny South, Hopeful Growth, Perfect Alibi and Project Whiskey.

Bonny South is the favorite and it's easy to see why, as she finished a close second to Preakness entrant Swiss Skydiver in Alabama and will have Florent Geroux aboard at Pimlico.

The $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes will also be a highly bet race, and it too has a heavy favorite in the form of Factor This.

Like Bonny South, Factor This is jockeyed by Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, and he also boasts an impressive resume that should play well at Pimlico.

Factor This finished second in the Turf Classic, which was his most recent race, but he won four in a row before that and will be a tough horse to beat, although Hembree, Somelikeithotbrown and Doctor Mounty all have a fighting chance.