2023 Preakness Stakes Contenders and Odds Announced
The 2023 Preakness Stakes is coming up at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 20. The race will go off at 7:01 p.m. Eastern, the 13th of 14 races on a star-studded card. The final field was drawn on Monday evening, so now you have the information you need to finish your serious handicapping.
The Preakness Stakes drew a final field of eight horses. Kentucky Derby winner Mage has been named the 8-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness. He is the only horse coming into the second jewel of the Triple Crown out of the Run for the Roses.
Everyone else in the field is coming in fresher, including 5-2 morning line second choice First Mission, who most recently won the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland. Others expected to take a lot of betting action at Pimlico include Bob Baffert trainee National Treasure, who ran third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year, and Chad Brown charge Blazing Sevens, who hails from the same barn as last year’s winner Early Voting.
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Preakness Stakes Field and Odds
This is the field for the 2023 Preakness Stakes. The field is listed in post-position order, along with trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. With only eight entrants, there is no also-eligible list like there was in the Kentucky Derby. Assuming they are still hale and healthy through Saturday, they can all potentially become a Preakness winner in Baltimore.
Supplemental Entrants in the Preakness
The purse of the Preakness Stakes will be $1.65 million instead of the original $1.5 million. The extra purse money comes thanks to Perform. Perform earned a bid to the Preakness after winning the Federico Tesio at Laurel, one of three races that offer its winners a guaranteed spot in the Preakness. However, a horse still has to be Triple Crown-nominated to take advantage of that bid. Perform was not previously nominated, so his connections had to pay a steep supplemental fee.
It is worth considering Perform seriously for several reasons. Not only are his connections putting their money where their mouth is by paying so much to get him into the race, but they are familiar with big races. Trainer Shug McGaughey and owners like Phipps Stable and Lane’s End have had many good horses before. This is not a case of owners who have never had a big horse, or who likely never will again. If Shug McGaughey sees fit to put a horse in an ambitious spot, that horse is often live.
Furthermore, supplemental entries have had good results in the Preakness. Last year Creative Minister was supplemented for $150,000 after winning an allowance on Kentucky Derby day; he finished third to Early Voting. Rachel Alexandra, Master Derby, Hill Prince, and Citation were all supplemental entrants who won the Preakness.
Preakness Stakes Post Positions
With a field of only eight horses, post position is not quite as important as it was in the Kentucky Derby, though it still may play a role. An outside post in a field of this size can be useful for getting a clean trip, and a 7 or 8 post does not offer the same risk of ground loss as it does if a horse draws post 19 or 20 in the Kentucky Derby.
Even with that, there are a few horses who may either benefit from their post draws or find them to be a detriment, and knowing that is one piece of successfully handicapping the Preakness.
Good Post Draw
First Mission (5-2 ML) drew the outside in an eight-horse field. The field is not so large that the outermost post raises ground loss concerns. And, given his running style, the eight-hole is perfect for him. He has gotten both of his wins with outside stalking trips, and he shapes to be able to get another one in the Preakness. Coffeewithchris likely goes from the four gate, and National Treasure may send from the fence. First Mission can track outside that pair of speed horses and get first run.
Mixed-Bag Post Draw
National Treasure (4-1 ML) drew the rail. Though the fence is not as disastrous in an eight-horse Preakness as it would be in a 20-horse Kentucky Derby, there are good and bad points about drawing it.
On the positive side, National Treasure will be able to save a lot of ground. Also, early returns on the Pimlico meet suggest that rail posts are doing well, meaning National Treasure may be getting a good part of the track.
On the negative side, he is drawn inside some other speed. With National Treasure strapping on blinkers for the first time since his two-year-old year, it would be no surprise if he shows more gas early. However, Coffeewithchris to his outside may force his hand. It would be a surprise to see Coffeewithchris involved at the end, but that foe has real sprint speed, and may cause National Treasure to be used a little too much early in order to find that desired forward position.
Challenging Post Draw
At the post draw, Gustavo Delgado, Jr. stated that he wanted an outside post for Mage (8-5 ML). Instead, Mage drew post 3, toward the inside. This will mean that Mage has to break between horses. There is room for him, once again, to have a suboptimal start. However, as long as he does get out of the gate without too much trouble, Mage should be able to get a good spot. He is a versatile type: he showed tactical speed in earlier races, but is also an extremely potent closer. So, post doesn’t matter too much with him after the start.
