Preakness 2020 Odds: Jockeys to Trust, Fastest Horses and More Picks

Since 2012, four horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. 

Authentic has an opportunity to join that group Saturday in what will be the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown. 

The Kentucky Derby champion has one of the best teams behind him to prepare to conquer Pimlico Race Course. 

Art Collector may not have the same backing as Authentic, but he could be faster over the 1 3/16-mile course. 

Authentic and Art Collector are joined by Thousand Words in the favorites category. They are the only three horses that entered Saturday with odds below 10-1.

Preakness Stakes Odds

Jockeys to Trust

John Velazquez (Authentic)

John Velazquez has won almost every major race in American horse racing. 

The Preakness Stakes is the one crown jewel missing from his resume, but he could achieve that with Authentic. 

Velazquez rode a near-perfect race with the Bob Baffert-trained horse at the Kentucky Derby, as they took control of the race from the outside lane and fended off a late surge out of Tiz the Law. 

Authentic finds himself in a similar position Saturday, as he was drawn into post nine in an 11-horse field. 

If Velazquez employs a similar strategy at Pimlico to Churchill Downs, he could guide Authentic to the winner's circle. 

If that occurs, Velazquez would take his sixth overall win in a Triple Crown race, while Baffert would take his eighth Preakness victory

Robby Albarado (Swiss Skydiver)

There is a glaring lack of Triple Crown race winners on the list of Preakness Stakes jockeys. 

Robby Albarado is the only other rider to have a Triple Crown victory on his resume, and that came back in 2007 at the Preakness Stakes with Curlin. 

In the same year, Albarado also won the Breeders' Cup Classic with Curlin, but he has not achieved the same high level of success since. 

But with the low level of Triple Crown race winners in the field, Albarado could be a difference-maker aboard Swiss Skydiver, whose odds have risen throughout the week. 

The lone filly in the field is capable of running up front and may find a path to the top running alongside Art Collector and Thousand Words. 

If Albarado has a good feel for the pace set by Art Collector and Thousand Words and helps Swiss Skydiver match it, she could be in contention down the final stretch.

Fastest Horses

Art Collector

Art Collector has been consistently fast as he has raced at longer distances. 

In his last two wins at 1 1/8 miles, Art Collector picked up first place in one minute and 48 seconds. 

The difference between his finishing times at the Ellis Park Derby and Blue Grass Stakes was nine-hundredths of a second. 

Art Collector could use that consistent pace to break fast on the inside lane from Post 3 and force Authentic to challenge him from the outside for most of the event. 

His early advantage could be created by the lack of pace from the two inside horses. Excession and Mr. Big News are long shots to win compared to Art Collector, and he could breeze past them at the start to eliminate a few potential surprise winners.

Authentic

Authentic galloped to his Kentucky Derby win in just over two minutes.

The pace over 1 1/4 miles was too much for Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law and the other horses in the field to match. 

If that is the case again Saturday, it could take Mr. Big News, Max Player and Ny Traffic out of contention since they finished well behind Authentic at Churchill Downs. 

The big question surrounding Authentic is if he can match Art Collector's pace if the two go head-to-head in the final few lengths. 

Authentic posted a slower 1 1/8-mile time at the Haskell Stakes and Santa Anita Derby than Art Collector produced in his last two starts. 

In fact, Authentic was close to two seconds slower at the Haskell Stakes than he was at the Santa Anita Derby. 

But if Velazquez gets Authentic going at a fast pace, he could be hard to slow down and may only have one or two competitors near him at the end.

Picks

1. Art Collector

2. Authentic

3. Max Player

4. Thousand Words

5. Ny Traffic

6. Swiss Skydiver

7. Mr. Big News

8. Pneumatic

9. Excession

10. Liveyourbeastlife

11. Jesus' Team 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from HorseRacingNation.com.