The 145th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course won’t have a Triple Crown at stake, but the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans will be historic nonetheless. This is just the 12th time since 1931 the race has been run after the Belmont Stakes and the first time in 75 years it will be contested outside May. It’s also going to pull double duty this year and serve as a “win and you’re in” race for the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Kentucky Derby winner Authentic will look to claim two legs of the Triple Crown, but Belmont Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law will skip the event and wait for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Other Preakness contenders include Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector, who scratched from the Kentucky Derby because of an injury, and Bob Baffert-trained Thousand Words, the Shared Belief Stakes winner who scratched in the paddock minutes before the Derby.
No. 1 Excession (30-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Sheldon Russell
This son of Union Rags has not raced since he needed surgery to remove a knee chip in March after finishing a close second in the Grade II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
No. 2 Mr. Big News (12-1)
Trainer: Bret Calhoun
Jockey: Gabriel Sáez
Mr. Big News rallied from 10th at the half-mile marker to finish third in the Kentucky Derby at 46-1 odds. He also upset the field in the Oaklawn Stakes in April at 47-1 odds, making him dangerous at any price.
No. 3 Art Collector (5-2)
Trainer: Tom Drury Jr.
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
The Grade II Blue Grass and Ellis Park Derby winner was forced out of the Kentucky Derby after he nicked a piece of flesh off his left front heel in training. His sire, Bernardini, won the Preakness in 2006.
No. 4 Swiss Skydiver (6-1)
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Jockey: Robby Albarado
Swiss Skydiver — winner of three graded-stakes races this year, all at different tracks — is the most accomplished 3-year-old filly. She took on the boys in the Grade II Blue Grass Stakes and finished second. Five fillies have won the Preakness in the past 144 years, with the latest Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Swiss Skydiver could be the sixth.
No. 5 Thousand Words (6-1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Florent Géroux
Thousand Words won three key Kentucky Derby prep races (the Los Alamitos Futurity, Robert B. Lewis Stakes and Shared Belief Stakes) and made it to the Churchill Downs paddock only to rear up and flip over when Baffert’s longtime assistant, Jimmy Barnes, went to tighten his saddle. The horse was immediately scratched from the Kentucky Derby.
No. 6 Jesus’ Team (30-1)
Trainer: Jose D’Angelo
Jockey: Jevian Toledo
Put up for claim in May at Gulfstream Park, he has since gone winless in his next four starts. Two of those outings were graded stakes, resulting in a fourth-place finish in the Grade I Haskell and a third-place finish in the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes.
No. 7 Ny Traffic (15-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph
Jockey: Horacio Karamanos
A lost shoe was to blame for a lackluster eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. The son of Cross Traffic did finish second to Authentic in the Grade I Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
No. 8 Max Player (15-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Paco López
The only horse to compete in all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown, Max Player finished third in the Belmont Stakes and fifth in the Kentucky Derby. He also took third in the Grade I Travers.
No. 9 Authentic (9-5)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: John Velazquez
Authentic became Baffert’s record-tying sixth Kentucky Derby winner last month with a 1¼-length victory over Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law. The son of Into Mischief is 5 for 6 for his career.
No. 10 Pneumatic (20-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joe Bravo
The Preakness has always been the goal for Pneumatic since he captured the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park in August. The only other win on his résumé is in optional claiming company at Oaklawn Park. He finished third in the Grade III Matt Winn Stakes and fourth in the Belmont Stakes.
No. 11 Liveyourbeastlife (30-1)
Trainer: Jorge Abreu
Jockey: Trevor McCarthy
The Jim Dandy runner-up has two victories on his résumé: his maiden win at Belmont Park in 2019 and an allowance win at Saratoga last August. He seems overmatched here.
