Champion and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist will face 10 foes in his quest to stay undefeated and take the next step toward a possible Triple Crown bid in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
Nyquist, convincing winner of the Derby over fellow Preakness entrant Exaggerator, was pegged as the 3/5 morning-line favorite for the 141st Preakness Stakes during Wednesday’s post-position draw at Pimlico. Post time for the Preakness is set for 6:50 p.m. ET Saturday and the race will be televised during NBC’s broadcast that starts at 5 p.m.
Should the public agree with Pimlico’s oddsmaker, Nyquist could join the prior three Derby winners – American Pharoah, California Chrome and Orb – and go to the post at odds of less than even-money for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. American Pharoah and California Chrome won the Preakness, as did Big Brown, the next previous Derby winner to go to the post at odds-on in the Preakness and win.
Heavy rain is expected in the Baltimore area throughout the day Saturday – the Weather Channel predicts 70 percent chance of rain as of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday – and many believe that will aid the chances of 3-1 second choice and Derby runner-up Exaggerator.
Exaggerator won the Santa Anita Derby in the slop and was a late-running second four weeks later in the Kentucky Derby.
The only other member of the 11-horse field for the Preakness listed at single-digit odds is Stradivari. Dominating winner of a Keeneland allowance race in his last start, Stradivari is listed at 8-1 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
The Preakness field, with jockey and morning-line odds:
- Cherry Wine, Corey Lanerie, 20-1;
- Uncle Lino, Fernando Perez, 20-1;
- Nyquist, Mario Gutierrez, 3/5;
- Awesome Speed, Jevian Toledo, 30-1;
- Exaggerator, Kent Desormeaux, 3-1;
- Lani, Yutaka Take, 30-1;
- Collected, Javier Castellano, 10-1;
- Laoban, Florent Geroux, 30-1;
- Abiding Star, J. D. Acosta, 30-1;
- Fellowship, Jose Lezcano, 30-1;
- Stradivari, John Velazquez, 8-1.
