BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 21: The field heads into the first turn during the 141st Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 21, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
While the Kentucky Derby officially kicks off Triple Crown season, the Preakness is the first race where fans begin to see if a horse has a chance at winning the elusive Triple Crown. The race takes place on Saturday, May 20 and has a post time of 7:45 p.m. Eastern on NBC.
This year does not have the heavy favorites we have seen in years past but Always Dreaming might have something to say about that. Always Dreaming moved up the odds in the Kentucky Derby to become a late favorite and pulled away from the field to win the race just like he did in the Florida Derby. Exaggerator won the 2016 Preakness spoiling Nyquist’s bid to win the Triple Crown before it really got going.
Classic Empire entered the Kentucky Derby as the morning line favorite. However, as the week moved on, Always Dreaming and Irish War Cry surpassed him in the odds.
The Preakness is the second race of the Triple Crown while the Belmont concludes the three-race series on Saturday, June 10. Last year’s Preakness purse was $1.5 million and this year’s is expected to be similar with the winner earning $800,000.
The next two weeks will begin the discussion on whether Always Dreaming has what it takes to chase the Triple Crown. The size of his victories in both the Florida and Kentucky Derbies show he just might.