Preakness 2020 Lineup: Final Field Odds and Predictions for All Entries
The Preakness Stakes will take center stage on Saturday with the 145th running of the famed Triple Crown leg. There just won't be a Triple Crown up for grabs.
A victory by Authentic at the Kentucky Derby ended Tiz the Law's bid for horse racing's ultimate prize and effectively ended the colt's season.
Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg elected not to run the Preakness this year in order to prepare for the Breeders' Cup in early November. Yet there's still plenty on the line. Authentic will face his first test as the unquestioned favorite in a field teeming with as much talent as any the sport has seen this year.
145th Preakness Stakes Odds
(Morning line odds via Preakness.com)
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)
Predictions
Bob Baffert Back in the Winners Circle
This wouldn't be a hot take in a season that wasn't disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, and it still isn't one. Baffert remains the sport's best trainer, and after leading Authentic to a Kentucky Derby victory last month, it makes sense his latest prized thoroughbred is expected to take two of the three jewels.
Yet Authentic isn't his only opportunity to earn a victory on Saturday. Baffert will run two entries, with Thousand Words looking to get back on track after becoming a veterinary scratch moments before the Kentucky Derby began.
Thousand Words was expected to contend at Churchill Downs before bucking on his way out of the paddock and knocking his head. The horse was checked and cleared, but the vets wouldn't take any chances.
With a shot a redemption, Baffert should walk away with his eighth Preakness victory.
Ny Traffic and Max Player Top 3 Finish
The Kentucky Derby marked the first time since February that Ny Traffic finished worse than second place, with the colt ending up in eighth place.
Look for him to get back on track at the Preakness.
The thoroughbred has found success in some of the biggest races of the year—Haskell Stakes, Louisiana Derby and Matt Win Stakes—making his outing at the Kentucky Derby more of an aberration than anything. The Preakness offers a chance to prove it.
The same goes for Max Player, who entered the Kentucky Derby having finished in the top three of every race he entered only to finish in fifth place at Churchill Downs.
Ultimately, both are too strong to bet against, and it's what steers them towards favorite status heading into Saturday.
Swiss Skydiver Slumps
It's hard not to bet against a horse like Swiss Skydiver after an impressive second-place showing at the Kentucky Oaks, but the Preakness field is just too stacked to trust the Kenneth McPeek-trained filly.
Most importantly, with 6-1 morning line odds, Swiss Skydiver isn't worth eating the juice on a ticket that seems too good to be true. While the horse has found plenty of success on dirt tracks, ultimately the field on Saturday will overpower the three-year-old and jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
A middle-of-the-pack finish seems more likely than first place here.
