Preakness 2024: What to know, including post time, odds, weather and more
The eyes of the horse racing world and beyond will converge on the 149th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for the second jewel of the Triple Crown series.
For the second straight year, the race will have a Triple Crown contender. Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby in a thrilling photo finish, but he’s not the early favorite in a compelling field of nine contenders. That distinction goes to Bob Baffert-trained Muth, who did not run in the Derby because Baffert remains suspended from Churchill Downs.
As always, there will be plenty to watch for on and off the track. Here’s what you need to know:
What is the Preakness Stakes?
The Preakness Stakes first ran in 1873. It’s run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. It’s the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, which runs three weeks after the Preakness. The 149th edition of the Preakness, which covers 1 3/16 miles on the dirt track and is run by 3-year-old colts, geldings and fillies, is set for Saturday evening.
How to watch
TV coverage is 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on CNBC and streaming service Peacock and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on NBC (channels 11 and 4 locally). Post time is listed as approximately 6:50 p.m. Gates open at Pimlico at 9 a.m. There will be 14 races. First post is at 10:30 a.m. The Preakness Stakes is the 13th race of the day.
The draw and odds
Post 1: Mugatu (20-to-1 morning-line odds)
Mugatu, fifth in the talent-packed Blue Grass Stakes, is a 20-1 choice and will start from the inside No. 1 post.
Post 2: Uncle Heavy (20-1)
Uncle Heavy, a three-time winner before he finished fifth in the April 6 Wood Memorial, is a 20-1 choice in the morning line..
Post 3: Catching Freedom (6-1)
Catching Freedom was expected to skip the Preakness after his late charge left him short of the three horses bunched at the front of the Derby, but his robust training prompted trainer Brad Cox to change his mind. Catching Freedom, the field’s top closer who won the March 23 Louisiana Derby, will have 2021 Preakness winner Flavien Prat aboard.
Post 4: Muth (8-5)
Trainer Bob Baffert picked up his record eighth Preakness win last year when his fresh contender, National Treasure, knocked off Derby champion Mage. He’ll try to repeat that formula with Muth, who beat Mystik Dan in the March 30 Arkansas Derby and will be running on five weeks’ more rest.
Post 5: Mystik Dan (5-2)
Mystik Dan is the first Derby winner to run in the Preakness and not be the morning-line favorite since I’ll Have Another (who won the race) in 2012. He’s looking to become the first horse since Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018 to win both the Derby and Preakness.
Post 6: Seize the Grey (15-1)
Six-time Preakness-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas has high hopes for Seize the Grey, who is coming off a 1 1/4-length win in the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard.
Post 7: Just Steel (15-1)
Lukas believes the Preakness will set up better than the Derby for Just Steel, who finished 17th in the first leg of the Triple Crown. “You’ve got to be careful not to penalize a horse for one race like that,” he said.
Post 8: Tuscan Gold (8-1)
Trainer Chad Brown is shooting for his third Preakness victory with Tuscan Gold, who is coming off a third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby. Both of Brown’s Preakness wins have come with horses that did not run in the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Post 9: Imagination (6-1)
Baffert’s second entry, Imagination, is no slouch either, coming off a second-place finish in the April 6 Santa Anita Derby. “I think he’s improving whereas Muth just needs to stay where he’s at,” Baffert said.
What is Preakness LIVE?
Baltimore will be lovin’ on Jack Harlow when the six-time Grammy-nominated rap artist headlines Preakness LIVE.
During the daylong entertainment and music festival, once known as the InfieldFest but now branded as Preakness LIVE, a lineup of electronic dance, rap and DJ performers, including Gryffin, Channel Tres, Frank Walker and Chantel Jeffries, will take the stage starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Harlow, whose hit song “Lovin On Me” spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year, will perform after the day’s races conclude.
This year, general admission tickets for Preakness LIVE start at $69. In 2023, ticket prices started at $59.
What is the Black-Eyed Susan race?
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes race is hosted annually at Pimlico on Friday, the day before Preakness. The race dates to 1919 and was given graded stakes status in 1973. Last year, Taxed surged past a field packed with more accomplished fillies to win the 99th running of the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
How’s the weather looking for the Preakness?
Saturday’s forecast is mostly cloudy with a high near 69 degrees and a 60% chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service. Precipitation is expected mainly after 2 p.m., with a low around 57 degrees Saturday night.
Recent Preakness winners
2023: National Treasure
2022: Early Voting
2021: Rombauer
2020: Swiss Skydiver
2019: War of Will
2018: Justify
2017: Cloud Computing
2016: Exaggerator
2015: American Pharoah
2014: California Chrome
2013: Oxbow
2012: I’ll Have Another
2011: Shackleford
2010: Lookin At Lucky
2009: Rachel Alexandra
2008: Big Brown
2007: Curlin
2006: Bernardini
2005: Afleet Alex
2004: Smarty Jones
2003: Funny Cide
2002: War Emblem
2001: Point Given
2000: Red Bullet