The Preakness is a brutal sleeper in the three-race Triple Crown, a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Derby, but, two short weeks after the longest race three-year-olds have run in their lives, its timing pushes young athletes’ endurance to the limit. That’s a very good reason why some trainers prefer to skip the Derby and aim their chargers specifically at Pimlico, as seven of the eight trainers have done in the 2023 Preakness.

Derby winner Mage is the only exception, and at 8-5 in the Pimlico morning line, he is this year’s youngster to beat. He is this year’s only Triple Crown player. His question is the eternal one for horses in that class: Will he be beaten by his rather brilliant Derby two weeks ago or can he? This is the stark, business end of the truth that every Triple Crown contender is always, also, racing against himself.

Post positions can still matter in the Preakness, but they matter much less than in the Derby. Notably in this run, with the Derby in 2023, trainer Bob Baffert’s two-year ban at Churchill has been served and he’s back in a big way at Pimlico and in the mix with third favorite National Treasure, at 4-1. We’ll bring in our trusty Kentucky horseman Bluegrass Wise Man™ to help us figure out what Mage is up against in these seven new 3-year-olds below, but first, the post positions are drawn and the morning line is set at Pimlico :

(Postal position, horse, coach, morning line)

1. National Treasure, Bob Baffert, 4-1

2. Chase the Chaos, Ed Moger Jr., 50-1

3. Mage, Gustavo Delgado, 8-5

4. Coffeewithchris, John Salzman Jr., 20-1

5. Red Route One, Steve Asmussen, 10-1

6. Execution, Shug McGaughey, 15-1

7. Blazing Sevens, Chad Brown, 6-1

8. First Mission, Brad Cox, 5-2

(Source: Pimlico, 15/05/2023)

Post positions can still matter in the Preakness, but they matter much less than in the Derby. Notably in this run, with the Derby in 2023, trainer Bob Baffert’s two-year ban at Churchill has been served and he’s back in a big way at Pimlico and in the mix with third favorite National Treasure, at 4-1.