After an exciting Kentucky Derby (G1) May 6 at Churchill Downs, the focus of the horse racing world shifts to the $1.65 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 20 at venerable Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Mage , the upset Kentucky Derby winner, headlines a field of eight 3-year-olds for the 1 3/16-mile second leg of U.S. racing's Triple Crown. Thirteen horses have swept the prestigious series that culminates with the Belmont Stakes (G1) in another three weeks, including two this century in American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). Six more Thoroughbreds backed up a Derby win with a Preakness victory this century only to either fall short in the Belmont or miss the race: War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), Smarty Jones (2004), Big Brown (2008), I'll Have Another (2012), and California Chrome (2014).
Ehalt: Kentucky Derby Winner Mage Draws Post 3 for Preakness Stakes
The Preakness will be televised live on NBC, with coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Earlier races from Pimlico on May 20 will be shown on CNBC starting at 1 p.m. The broadcast will also be available for streaming on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. Post time is set for 7:01 p.m. ET.
Let's meet the Preakness Stakes field:
1. National Treasure (4-1 morning-line odds)
Jockey: John Velazquez
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan
Career record: 5 starts 1 win, 1 second, 2 thirds
Career earnings: $345,000
Earnings per start: $69,000
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 101
Pedigree: Quality Road -Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: National Treasure is a wild-card contender in the Preakness as he returns to his original trainer, Bob Baffert, after several weeks spent under Tim Yakteen's supervision. He was one of Baffert's top juveniles last fall in California, winning his debut and then running second in the American Pharaoh Stakes (G1) and third behind Forte and stablemate Cave Rock when sent to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). The Quality Road colt made his 3-year-old debut in the Jan. 8 Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park but finished a disappointing third behind stablemates Reincarnate and Newgate . He was transferred to Yakteen along with several other of Baffert's horses in order to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. In his only start for Yakteen, National Treasure encountered traffic trouble and could only muster fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 8, finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind winner Practical Move. Baffert said National Treasure will add blinkers for the Preakness in order to improve his focus, and something is definitely needed to jump-start this talented runner, who has given a decent effort in each of his races since his debut but hasn't found the necessary will to win during the stretch drive. Look for John Velazquez to be aggressive with National Treasure early in the race after departing from the rail post and position him among the top two or three horses through the backstretch run. His prior form and speed figures along with his pedigree make him a threat to hit the board in the Preakness, with an outside chance to win for Baffert. If the latter occurs, it will move Baffert into the sole position as the all-time winningest trainer in the Preakness.
Preakness history: Baffert is tied with Robert Wyndham Walden with seven Preakness winners: Silver Charm (1997); Real Quiet (1998); Point Given (2001); War Emblem (2002); Lookin At Lucky (2010); American Pharoah (2015); and Justify (2018). Co-owners Starlight Racing (Jack and Laurie Wolf) and Madaket Stables (Sol Kumin) also co-owned Justify, and Kumin also co-owned 2016 winner Exaggerator. Another of National Treasure's co-owners, Stonestreet Stables, co-owned Preakness winners Curlin (2007) and Rachel Alexandra (2009). Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has finished second three times in this race.
2. Chase the Chaos (50-1)
Jockey: Sheldon Russell
Trainer: Ed Moger Jr.
Owners: Adam Ference and Bill Dory
Career record: 8 starts 3 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third
Career earnings: $123,950
Earnings per start: $15,494
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98
Pedigree: Astern-Live the Moment, by Uncle Mo
Color: Bay
Running style: Closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Northern California-based gelding earned an automatic bid in the 2023 Preakness when he won the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 11 at Golden Gate Fields. He rallied from off the pace to win the 1 1/8-mile race going away on Golden Gate's synthetic Tapeta Footings surface and earned a career-best 98 Equibase Speed Figure, which followed a similarly impressive score on the Golden Gate main track in an allowance race on Dec. 30. However, since his El Camino Real win Chase the Chaos has been soundly defeated in two consecutive stakes appearances: seventh by 16 3/4 lengths in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) on dirt at Santa Anita and then a no-show eighth by 6 1/4 lengths as the 2-1 favorite in the April 29 California Cup Derby back on Tapeta at Golden Gate. Truth be told, even if he came into the Preakness off of an El Camino Real-type effort, Chase the Chaos would be a longshot, and at his current form level it's hard to see him making much of an impression in the race.
Preakness history: This is the first Preakness appearance for Chase the Chaos' owners and trainer. Ed Moger has enjoyed recent success as the trainer of grade 1-winning millionaire Stilleto Boy. This will be Maryland-based Sheldon Russell's third mount in the Preakness.
Ehalt: The Puma System has Mage Fit for Triple Crown Bid
3. Mage (8-5)
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Owners: OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and CMNWLTH
Career record: 4 starts 2 wins, 1 second, 0 thirds
Career earnings: $2,107,200
Earnings per start: $526,800
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 104
Pedigree: Good Magic -Puca, by Big Brown
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Stalker/closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Mage earned a place in history with his impressive win in the Kentucky Derby, and gave horse racing a much-needed feel-good story to boot. He'll now take his large ownership group, South Florida-based trainer Gustavo Delgado, and Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano to Pimlico on a quest to become the 14th Triple Crown winner—and if he continues on the current trajectory he's got an excellent chance to secure the Preakness and head to Belmont Park.
Mage's only two losses have come in graded stakes won by champion and Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite Forte, who had to scratch from the Derby due to an injury that will keep him from running in the Preakness as well. No other Derby participants will wheel back on two weeks' rest, and the group of new shooters largely lacks pizzazz.
The main cause for concern with Mage is that the pace scenario for Preakness 148 projects to be modest and should favor his main threat, First Mission. That advantage could be even greater if Mage gets off to a slow start as he has shown a tendency to do. Look for Castellano to position his mount closer to the early lead if possible, perhaps racing third or fourth on the backstretch, and keep within range of First Mission at all costs. Mage won his career debut—a seven-furlong race at Gulfstream Park in January—on the front end and may need to summon that early speed again in the Preakness.
Preakness history: Castellano earned his first Kentucky Derby win in his 16th appearance two weeks ago, but he's enjoyed more success in the Preakness, winning in 2006 aboard Bernardini and in 2017 on Cloud Computing.
4. Coffeewithchris (20-1)
Jockey: Jaime Rodriguez
Trainer: John Salzman Jr.
Owners: John Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos, and Anthony Geruso
Career record: 12 starts 3 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds
Career earnings: $225,600
Earnings per start: $18,800
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94
Pedigree: Ride On Curlin-Andiemac, by Outflanker
Color: Dark bay or brown
Running style: Press the pace
Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Maryland-bred son of 2014 Preakness runner-up Ride On Curlin will be the locals' favorite on May 20, as he's made all but one of his 12 starts in the Old Line State. He enters off of a fifth-place finish in the Federico Tesio Stakes April 15 at Laurel Park, where he dueled for the early lead, remained in contention until the homestretch, then tired late. He was the 3-1 second choice in the nine-horse Tesio field, while winner and Preakness foe Perform was a 10-1 longshot. Overall, Coffeewithchris has compiled a solid record competing on the Maryland circuit; he's won two stakes races (one last year, one this spring) and, in his start prior to the Tesio, finished second to Kentucky-based Hayes Strike in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms Stakes at Laurel. The gelding is making a big leap in class in the Preakness but should be a pace factor at the very least.
Preakness history: This is the first Preakness appearance for all of Coffeewithchris' connections.
5. Red Route One (10-1)
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Career record: 9 starts 2 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third
Career earnings: $631,575
Earnings per start: $70,175
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 102
Pedigree: Gun Runner -Red House, by Tapit
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Highly regarded since his juvenile season, Red Route One finally broke through with his first stakes win in his seventh consecutive attempt on April 23. He edged Tapit Shoes by a head in the 1 1/8-mile Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park. In that race, the Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred rebounded from a flat sixth-place effort in the Arkansas Derby (G1) and showed his customary late-running ability by unleashing a sustained stretch drive under Joel Rosario and reaching the finish line just in time to win.
Prior to the Arkansas Derby, he rallied for second in two Derby preps at Oaklawn, the Southwest Stakes (G3) and the Rebel Stakes (G2). Red Route One fits in with this Preakness field in terms of talent and especially in his ability to handle 1 3/16 miles. On the other hand, his one-dimensional, deep-closing style makes him dependent on solid early fractions, and he might not get those May 20. Red Route One is a good horse to use as a trifecta and/or superfecta filler at what should be double-digit odds, but he'd need a pace meltdown to reach the Preakness winner's circle.
Preakness history: Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen's two Preakness wins came with horses that join him in that esteemed locale: Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Asmussen also finished second in the Preakness the past two years with Midnight Bourbon (2021) and Epicenter (2022), both owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds. Joel Rosario rode Epicenter last year and finished runner-up three other times in the Preakness.
6. Perform (15-1)
Jockey: Feargal Lynch
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Owners: Woodford Racing, Lanes End Farm, Phipps Stable, Ken Langone, and Edward Hudson Jr.
Career record: 7 starts 2 wins, 1 second, 1 third
Career earnings: $130,956
Earnings per start: $18,708
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98
Pedigree: Good Magic-Jane Says, by Tale of Ekati
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Perform will be supplemented to the Preakness by his owners for $150,000 after scoring a game head win in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio Stakes April 15 at Laurel Park. The Good Magic colt entered that race off of a breakthrough, 2 3/4-length win in a mile-and-40-yard maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs in March, which came after five successive losses to begin his career, all around one turn. He boosted his Equibase Speed Figure 11 points in the Tampa race when traveling two turns and then elevated it by another nine points to a career-best 98 in the Tesio. Perform has the aura of a 3-year-old who is finally achieving his potential and as such is an intriguing longshot contender in the Preakness for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. He comes from a family that possesses class and stamina, as his second dam (maternal granddam) is a sibling to four-time champion Beholder, leading sire Into Mischief , and grade 1 winner, millionaire, and good young sire Mendelssohn .
Preakness history: McGaughey will be making his third appearance in this race; he finished second in 1989 with Ogden Phipps' Easy Goer during that Hall of Famer's classic rivalry with Sunday Silence.
7. Blazing Sevens (6-1)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Trainer: Chad Brown
Owner: Rodeo Creek Racing
Career record: 6 starts 2 wins, 0 seconds, 2 thirds
Career earnings: $565,250
Earnings per start: $94,208
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98
Pedigree: Good Magic-Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward
Color: Dark bay or brown
Running style: Closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Although he's winless since last fall, Blazing Sevens profiles as a worthy horse to use in exacta and trifecta bets in Preakness 148, as he's kept very good company since debuting last summer at Saratoga. He showed encouraging improvement in his second 3-year-old start April 8, when he stayed on in the stretch to finish third in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. The Chad Brown trainee was no match for Tapit Trice and runner-up Verifying , who separated from the field and dueled to the finish, but he managed to hold off Sun Thunder for the show spot. In the Blue Grass, Blazing Sevens boosted his Equibase Speed Figure to 94 from a 65 earned when he finished eighth, defeated by 26 lengths, in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) back in March. He'll need to add about 10 more points to that figure in order to knock off the likes of Mage and First Mission and secure his first win going two turns. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Blazing Sevens for the first time in the Blue Grass, and the reigning Eclipse Award winner keeps the mount in the Preakness.
Preakness history: Ortiz finished second in the 2021 Preakness on Midnight Bourbon. Chad Brown will be seeking his second consecutive Preakness victory after winning with Early Voting last year. He also won the 2017 running with Cloud Computing. Like Blazing Sevens, neither Cloud Computing nor Early Voting competed in the Kentucky Derby before starting in the Preakness.
8. First Mission (5-2)
Jockey: Luis Saez
Trainer: Brad Cox
Owner: Godolphin
Career record: 3 starts 2 wins, 1 second, 0 thirds
Career earnings: $276,500
Earnings per start: $92,167
Top Equibase Speed Figure: 103
Pedigree: Street Sense -Lude, by Medaglia d'Oro
Color: Dark bay or brown
Running style: Press the pace/stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Mage won the Kentucky Derby off of only three career starts and none at age 2. He'll face a talented colt with the same profile. His main Preakness challenger, First Mission, comes in off of a half-length win in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington Stakes (G3) April 15 at Keeneland. First Mission earned 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby with that victory over runner-up Arabian Lion and third-place Disarm, but the tally wasn't enough to secure a Derby spot as the colt had made his two prior starts in maiden races at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. He finished second to fellow Brad Cox trainee Bishops Bay in the first of those back in February and then romped by 6 3/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles in the second March 18 (Bishops Bay just finished a close second in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park last weekend). Overall, First Mission checks a lot of the boxes you'd like to see in a Preakness contender, save experience ... but as Mage just proved, that attribute is not as important as it used to be. He has been training well for Cox since the Lexington and has a forwardly placed running style that should benefit him in the Preakness. It would not be surprising to see Luis Saez be aggressive with First Mission and put him on the early lead, and if he can get that advantage from his outside draw and set modest fractions, this son of 2007 Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Street Sense will be a threat to lead from start to finish.
Preakness history: Saez finished second in a fog-shrouded 2018 Preakness aboard Bravazo , and Cox finished third and fourth in his first Preakness appearance in 2019. Godolphin's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum won the 2006 Preakness with eventual champion Bernardini under his Darley Stable banner.
