Preakness Field Beginning to Take Form

With Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Nyquist scheduled to arrive at Pimlico Race Course May 9 between 4-5 p.m. ET, a field of challengers is already taking form for the May 21 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Expected to challenge, according to the Maryland Jockey Club, is Derby runner-up Exaggerator and ninth-place finisher Lani; Laoban and Cherry Wine, entered in the Derby but unable to draw into the race; and a handful of new shooters.

The fresh faces include Collected, a multiple graded stakes winner trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert; Awesome Speed, whose victory in the April 9 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park earned him an automatic entry to the Preakness; impressive recent Keeneland allowance winner Stradivari; and California Chrome Stakes winner Uncle Lino.

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Other horses under consideration for the Preakness include Gun Runner and Suddenbreakingnews, third and fifth, respectively, in the Derby; Sharp Azteca, winner of Saturday's Pat Day Mile (gr. III) on the Derby undercard; Adventist, most recently third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I); and Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (gr. I) third-place finisher Fellowship, who ran fourth in the Pat Day.

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"We're very excited that the Derby winner and a couple others from the race are coming to the Preakness," said Georgeanne Hale, racing secretary for the MJC. "It looks like we're going to have good field sizes and great weather. All 15 stakes Preakness weekend look to be coming together and right now it looks like two fantastic days of racing."