The $2 million dollar, 1 3/16 miles, Grade 1 Preakness Stakes is Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
The second leg of the Triple Crown will not feature the Kentucky Derby Winner SOVEREIGNTY as his connections elected to bypass the 150th edition of the Preakness and are pointing him to the Belmont Stakes (at Saratoga) on June 7th.
Even without the Derby Winner this year’s Preakness sets up as a competitive race featuring Derby runner-up JOURNALISM, fan favorite SANDMAN, as well as several promising colts on the cusp of breaking through with a Stakes-level Victory.
Here is a brief look at the field for the Preakness:
1. GOAL ORIENTED [ML 6-1] Jockey: Flavien Prat. Trainer: Bob Baffert. He returns on two weeks rest for Baffert, who will attempt to extend his all-time Win record in the Preakness to nine. It will be interesting to see where Prat positions GOAL ORIENTED in the early going, as the race has several other speed horses entered. He will need to break sharp leaving the inside post position.
2. JOURNALISM [ML 8-5] Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. Trainer: Michael McCarthy. Look for JOURNALISM to make an effort to get a similar stalking trip as he had in the Kentucky Derby – less the troubled start. Perhaps the small cutback in distance to 1 3/16 miles will help him come out on top this time. If the two-week turnaround doesn’t affect him, this CURLIN colt will be tough to beat Saturday night.
3. AMERICAN PROMISE [ML 15-1] Jockey: Nik Juarez. Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas. After being bumped at the start of the Derby he backed out of contention rapidly and finished 38 ½ lengths behind Winner. This well-bred colt is, seemingly, better than that showing, and if he produces a rebound effort that puts him back at the level he showed when Winning the 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby, he might have a chance to post a mild upset Saturday.
4. HEART OF HONOR [ML 12-1] Jockey: Saffie Osborne. Trainer: Jamie Osborne. Overall, he has raced well in his five Dubai starts, but the level of competition is suspect. At the very least, this colt is a threat to fill out the bottom half of exotics. There are several speed horses entered in the Preakness which should result in a solid pace for HEART OF HONOR to close into. The trainer/jockey, father/daughter combo is one of the best stories of Preakness week.
5. PAY BILLY [ML 20-1] Jockey: Raul Mena. Trainer: Michael Gorham. The Federico Tesio at Laurel Park is an automatic qualifier for the Preakness, and PAY BILLY Won that race with the same tactics he’s used in most of his starts: race just off the early pace, bid for the lead coming into the stretch, and finish strong. The big question is whether he can maintain a level of success competing against a tougher field in the Preakness. His speed figures are about 10-12 points lower than those earned by most of the other horses entered as well as the historical standard for Winning this race.
6. RIVER THAMES [ML 9-2] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. He earned enough qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with a runner-up finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and a solid 3rd-place effort in the Blue Grass Stakes. However, his connections chose to skip the May 3rd Derby and point to the Preakness. He projects to be one of the top two or three betting choices in the race and could be sitting on a breakthrough race after running very well in his two Derby preps. Both jockey and trainer are seeking their first Preakness Victory.
7. SANDMAN [ML 4-1] Jockey: John Velazquez. Trainer: Mark Casse. He was second betting choice in the Kentucky Derby. SANDMAN was racing on a wet track for the first time, so perhaps he was affected by the kickback on a sloppy track. He did rally from off the pace through the far turn and into the homestretch, but did not make up much ground and ended up 12 ½ lengths behind the Winner. Several front-runners are entered here, and they should ensure a swift pace, which SANDMAN will need in order to set up his late kick under first-time rider, 2023 Preakness Winner Johnny V.
8. CLEVER AGAIN [ML 5-1] Jockey: Jose Ortiz. Trainer: Steve Asmussen. This colt by AMERICAN PHAROAH is an intriguing Preakness Win candidate who might wander up to an attractive price in the 10-1 range as he takes a big jump up in class. He is coming off of back-to-back impressive Wins this winter/spring in career starts two and three, both at Oaklawn Park. CLEVER AGAIN has plenty of untapped potential with only three career starts and a pedigree suited for racing at longer distances.
9. GOSGER [ML 20-1] Jockey: Luis Saez. Trainer: Brendan Walsh. This colt did not develop fast enough to qualify for the Kentucky Derby and has been patiently brought along by his trainer since making his debut in December 2024. GOSGER is 2-for-2 this year at age 3, Winning a one-turn mile Maiden race at Gulfstream in February and then moving up to the Graded Stakes level and Winning the 1 1/16-mile Lexington Stakes April 12th at Keeneland. He needs to take another (big) step forward in terms of speed figures Saturday but still rates an upset chance at what should be appealing Post-Time odds.
The Preakness Stakes is slated as race 13 on a card of 14, with a scheduled Post Time of 7:00.
Best of luck however you play it.
