American Pharoah is the 4-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness (Photo credit: Maryland Jockey Club)
Kentucky Derby (G1) winner American Pharoah will break from the one post as the 4-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.
The Bob Baffert trainee faces seven foes as he seeks to keep his Triple Crown bid alive with a victory. Derby runner up and third place finisher Firing Line and Dortmund return, as does the fifth place finisher Danzig Moon and 10th place finisher Mr. Z.
There are three new shooters in the field, Divining Rod, Tale of Verve and Bodhisattva.
Baffert is seeking his sixth in in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. He won it with his three previous Kentucky Derby winners—Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002) and won it with Point Given (2001) and Lookin At Lucky (2010).
American Pharoah comes into the race riding a five race winning streak. His lone loss was a fifth place finish in his debut last August at Del Mar. He is currently at betting odds of 10-13 at Bovada.
Dortmund is the second choice on the morning line at 7-2, with Firing Line at 4-1. Dortmund got the best of Firing Line by winning photos in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) and San Felipe (G2), but the tables were turned on Derby Day.
Danzig Moon (15-1) had a rough trip in a fifth place finish in the Derby, beaten 6 ½ lengths. Mr. Z, who was purchased privately on Wednesday and will race in the colors of Calumet Farm, had a rough trip in his 13th place finish. His trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won the Preakness six times.
Among the new shooters, Divining Rod may have the best shot of pulling off the upset. The colt won the Coolmore Lexington (G3) at Keeneland in his last outing. He was installed at 12-1 on the morning line and is currently at odds of 20-1 at Bovada.
Post time for the Preakness is 6:18 ET and will be televised live on NBC. Check out Odds Shark for the latest betting odds and props for the Preakness Stakes.
Post positions and betting odds for the 140th running of the Preakness Stakes
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L Odds | Bovada Odds |
| 1 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | 4-5 | 10-13 |
| 2 | Dortmund | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 3 | Mr. Z | Corey Nakatani | D. Wayne Lukas | 20-1 | 25-1 |
| 4 | Danzig Moon | Julien Leparoux | Mark Casse | 15-1 | 14-1 |
| 5 | Tale of Verve | Joel Rosario | Dallas Stewart | 30-1 | 50-1 |
| 6 | Bodhisattva | Trevor McCarthy | Jose Corrales | 20-1 | 50-1 |
| 7 | Divining Rod | Javier Castellano | Arnaud Delacour | 12-1 | 20-1 |
| 8 | Firing Line | Gary Stevens | Simon Callaghan | 4-1 | 17-4 |
Michael Dempsey’s Preakness Day Report $20.00
Michael’s Report includes his selections, analysis, fair odds line, and wagering recommendations for the entire Preakness Day card from historic Pimlico. Michael is a Maryland bred and raced horses in at Pimlico and knows the circuit from the backstretch to the finish line.
The second jewel of the Triple Crown will be run on Saturday May 16 at Pimlico. The big day of racing has seven supporting stakes including the $300,000 Dixie Stakes, $150,000 Gallorette Handicap and the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap. Report will be available on Friday afternoon.
