Preakness Stakes 2023: Odds, free PPs, preview, analysis, more

The Kentucky Derby winner faces six new faces Saturday in pursuit of the 2023 Triple Crown’s middle jewel.

Mage is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 1, $1.65 million Preakness Stakes. Post time from Pimlico is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. EDT, with NBC broadcasting from Baltimore.

Seven 3-year-olds were entered to face Derby hero Mage, whose 17 rivals from May 6 at Churchill Downs all passed on the Preakness. The number of new shooters fell to six Friday morning when Lexington Stakes (G3) winner First Mission was scratched.

Saturday’s Preakness field will be the smallest since 1986, when Snow Chief beat Derby winner Ferdinand by four lengths.

Mage seizes the spotlight in Baltimore off a 15-1 Kentucky Derby upset in only his fourth career start. The Good Magic colt rallied from 16th two weeks ago under jockey Javier Castellano, beating Two Phil’s by a length.

Castellano has won the Preakness twice before, aboard Bernardini in 2006 and Cloud Computing in 2017. Trainer Gustavo Delgado and owners OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing and CMNWLTH all seek their first scores in the second leg of the American Classics.

National Treasure (4-1) hit the board twice in Grade 1 races as a juvenile in 2022. He is back with seven-time Preakness-winning trainer Bob Baffert after a fourth-place finish April 8 in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) when running for Tim Yakteen’s barn.

Blazing Sevens (6-1) aims to follow the path of Chad Brown-trained runners Cloud Computing and Early Voting (2022), who both won the Preakness after skipping the Kentucky Derby. The 2022 Champagne Stakes (G1) victor was third April 8 at Keeneland in Blue Grass Stakes (G1).

Red Route One (10-1) made his last four starts at Oaklawn, where he earned a Preakness berth April 22 by winning the Bath House Row Stakes. Trainer Steve Asmussen won this race in 2007 with Curlin and two years later thanks to filly Rachel Alexandra.

Perform (15-1) aims to deliver Shug McGaughey a breakthrough Preakness score, which would give the trainer wins in all three Triple Crown races. He needed six starts to break his maiden, then took the Federico Tesio Stakes on April 15 at Laurel Park.

Here is a look at the field for the 2023 Preakness Stakes (trainers and jockeys in parentheses) with morning-line odds. leading up to post time.

1. National Treasure (Bob Baffert, John Velazquez), 4-1

2. Chase the Chaos (Ed Moger Jr., Sheldon Russell), 50-1

3. Mage (Gustavo Delgado, Javier Castellano), 8-5

4. Coffeewithchris (John Salzman Jr., Jaime Rodriguez), 20-1

5. Red Route One (Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario), 10-1

6. Perform (Shug McGaughey, Feargal Lynch), 15-1

7. Blazing Sevens (Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr.), 6-1

8. First Mission, SCR

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Preakness links

Reinier Macatangay says that National Treasure is the key on top in a trifecta wheel, while Mage, Red Route One and Perform make the final cut for underneath spots.

With the seven-horse field, Ed DeRosa writes that National Treasure is the most likely value.

In his answers for reporters Friday, Bob Baffert left the Medina Spirit controversy far away in his rear-view mirror. The theme of the day was the return of the prodigal trainer who could set a record Saturday with an eighth Preakness victory.

Red Route One follows the roadmap for Winchell Thoroughbreds’ rise to the top echelon of racing by both breeding and buying outstanding horses. Now the ownership team is hoping the chestnut colt can show the path to the family’s first victory in the Triple Crown series.

Perform will represent trainer Shug McGaughey’s fourth Preakness starter, with Easy Goer providing his best finish when he dueled rival Sunday Silence the length of the Pimlico stretch before missing by an agonizing nose. Easy Goer, of course, avenged that defeat with a resounding triumph in the Belmont.

Preakness favorite Mage is among six of J. Keeler Johnson’s watch list horses in action this weekend in Baltimore and beyond.

This week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod, assistant trainer and co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr. discusses Kentucky Derby winner Mage’s bid to stay alive with his Triple Crown campaign. Coffeewithchris’s owner and trainer John Salzman Jr. discusses his horse as well.

Ron Flatter examines the discussions surrounding the 2023 Preakness, including a smaller field that lacks nearly all the Kentucky Derby runners, and finds historical parallels.

J.J. Delgado rode in more than 6,000 races as a jockey in the U.S. and never won a graded stakes during a career that spanned 1996 to 2014. But no one has spent as much time on Kentucky Derby winner Mage’s back than Delgado, the colt’s exercise rider.

HorseCenter hosts Matt Shifman and Brian Zipse make Preakness Stakes picks.

Preakness undercard

Here is a look at the stakes races on Saturday’s Pimlico card leading up to the Preakness. All post times are EDT.

12:16 p.m. – $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles, FanDuel TV

Arabian Lion (2-5) drops to non-graded flight in search of a first stakes victory for trainer Bob Baffert. Jockey John Velazquez will ride the Justify colt, who was runner-up to scratched Preakness entrant First Mission on April 15 at Keeneland in the Lexington Stakes (G3). Brad Cox trains Tapit’s Conquest (4-1), whose Kentucky Derby qualifying hopes ended March 25 at Fair Grounds with a seventh-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (G2). Denington (5-1) finished 10th in the Louisiana Derby and then was the fourth-place runner in the Lexington for trainer Kenny McPeek.

1:29 p.m. – $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes (G3), 3-year-olds, six furlongs, CNBC

Havnameltdown (8-5) has won three graded stakes for Baffert, including the San Vicente Stakes (G2) in January at Santa Anita. Under jockey Luis Saez, the Uncaptured colt makes his first start since running second Feb. 25 on the Saudi Cup (G1) undercard in the Saudi Derby (G3). Jorge Delgado trains Super Chow (3-1), winner of Gulfstream Park’s Hutcheson Stakes on March 18. Ryvit (7-2) enters on a three-race winning streak for trainer Steve Asmussen, capped by a Bachelor Stakes score April 29 at Oaklawn.

2:08 p.m. – $100,000 Gallorette Stakes (G3), 3-and-up fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles (turf), CNBC

Whitebeam (3-1) made her U.S. bow April 16 at Aqueduct for trainer Chad Brown, running second in the Plenty of Grace Stakes. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on the Caravaggio filly. Graham Motion trains Kentucky Downs stakes winner Vergara (7-2), who returns from a layoff dating to a second-place finish Oct. 15 at Aqueduct in the Sands Point Stakes (G2). Eminent Victor (4-1), the second of Brown’s two entries, was third in the Sands Point, then sixth Nov. 13 at Aqueduct in the Winter Memories Stakes.

2:49 p.m. – $200,000 Dinner Party Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, 1 1/8 miles (turf), CNBCAtone (9-5) won Gulfstream’s Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) in January for trainer Mike Maker, then was ninth March 25 at Fair Grounds in the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes Presented by Horse Racing Nation (G2). Jockey Tyler Gaffalione gets the call on the 6-year-old Into Mischief gelding. Todd Pletcher trains Emmanuel (7-2), a Grade 2 winner who adds a furlong of distance after running seventh April 14 at Keeneland in the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (G1). Hurricane Dream (7-2) rebounded from a 10th-place finish in the Pegasus Turf to win a Keeneland allowance race April 7 for Motion.

3:31 p.m. – $100,000 Skipat Stakes, 3-and-up fillies and mares, six furlongs, CNBC

Beguine (3-1) makes her first start since a runner-up finish Dec. 10 at Aqueduct in the Garland of Roses Stakes. Kentucky Deby winning-jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Edward Allard team up with the 4-year-old Gun Runner filly. Greg Compton trains I’m the Boss of Me (4-1), winner of an Oaklawn allowance race at this six-furlong distance April 21. Gunning (6-1) also last raced at Oaklawn, where she was second April 29 in the Dig A Diamond Stakes for McPeek.

4:12 p.m. – $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes, 3-and-up, five furlongs (turf), NBC

Artemus Citylimits (5-2), who has won allowance races at Belmont, Churchill Downs and Saratoga, aims for a first stakes score after running 11th on April 8 at Keeneland in the Shakertown Stakes (G2). Ortiz will be up on the 6-year-old Temple City gelding for Maker. Aqueduct and Monmouth Park stakes victor Nothing Better (3-1) won an Aqueduct allowance race April 13 for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. Smokin’ Jay (6-1), runner-up in this race one year ago, was seventh against allowance foes April 22 for trainer Kelsey Danner.

4:53 p.m. – $100,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3), 3-and-up, six furlongs, NBC

Nakatomi (5-2), a Keeneland stakes winner, looks for his graded breakthrough off a fourth-place finish April 8 back at Keeneland in the Commonwealth Stakes (G3). Gaffalione will climb aboard the 4-year-old Firing Line gelding trained by Wesley Ward. Dan Blacker trains Straight No Chaser, who (3-1) bested allowance company April 1 at Oaklawn. Grade 3 victor Wondrwherecraigis (4-1) also enters off an allowance win, his coming April 13 at Laurel Park for trainer Brittany Russell.

5:51 p.m. – $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes, 3-year-olds, one mile (turf), NBC

Nagirroc (8-5), winner of last October’s Futurity Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, was runner-up April 7 at Keeneland in the Transylvania Stakes (G3). Motion has tabbed jockey Flavien Prat to ride the Lea colt. Ward trains Funtastic Again (3-1), a Turfway Park stakes victor who switches to turf after a third-place run there March 25 in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). The Cox-trained Wonderful Justice (5-1) settled for ninth in the Transylvania.