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The Preakness Stakes will race today

Baltimore’s Pimlico track will host the 145th running of Preakness Stakes today. Eleven 3-year-old thoroughbreds have entered, including three entries for trainer Steve Asmussen and two for Bob Baffert. In prior years, the Preakness would be the second leg of the Triple Crown and held on the third Saturday in May.

This year it is last, and the delay has helped reduce the typical maximum 14-horse field. Since Authentic defeated Tiz The Law in the Kentucky Derby last month, there will not be a Triple Crown winner this year. Max Player, who finished third in the Belmont and fifth in the Derby, is the only horse that will compete in all three races.

Tiz The Law is bypassing the Preakness in favor of resting up for the Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November. Authentic was still gaining experience when the Belmont was contested in early June, and only has six races under his girth going into the Preakness.

A quick review of all 11 horses that will race today:

Excession, a 30-1 shot, exits Post No. 1. He has only won once in nine starts, and has not run since finishing a strong second in March. His speed figures have progressively increased, but had bone chips removed from his knee after his last race. It will be interesting to see whether he continues to improve after such a long layoff. Look for Excession to be closing late. He certainly had the pedigree to get the distance. He is one of the Asmussen entries.

Mr. Big News drew Post No. 2 and finished third in the Kentucky Derby after racing far off the early pace. He has won twice in his eight career starts, and his morning line odds are 12-1. His European breeding screams distance and turf, but he obviously can run on America’s traditional dirt surface. The 1 3/16 mile Preakness is actually 1/16 of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby’s classic 1 1/4 mile distance, which does not help him.

Art Collector, who missed the Derby with a minor foot issue, will likely be the second betting choice, and is currently listed at 5-2. He has won his last four races, including the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9. He exists Post No. 3. With his tractable style of running, Art Collector is the most likely to challenge favored Authentic when these magnificent creatures thunder down the Pimlico home stretch.

Swiss Skydiver is the only filly in the Preakness, opting to run in this race instead of the Black Eyed Susan. She has won four of her last six races and finished second in the other two. One of those seconds was to Art Collector in the Grade 2 Bluegrass Stakes back in July. She will try to become the sixth filly to win the Preakness, with the most recent being the great Rachel Alexandra in 2009. She is 6-1, and is a legitimate threat from gate No. 4. Swiss Skydiver is a big red chestnut, and will undoubtedly be prominent early, as she typically is forwardly placed.

Thousand Words, who was a late Derby scratch after rearing up in the saddling paddock, is also listed at 6-1 on the morning line. He is a need-to-lead or pace-pressing type of horse, and that style may cost both he and Authentic, another need-to-lead type, the victory. Both of these horses are trained by Bob Baffert, who will be seeking a record eighth Preakness win. Thousand Words has four wins in seven starts, and certainly adds quality to this race.

Jesus’ Team, at 30-1 odds, exits Post No. 6. With only two wins, three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes in 10 starts, Jesus’ Team appears to be more of a disciple than the leading man. However, his top speed figure matches up well with this quality field. Jesus’ Team will likely be racing in mid back early on. He finished third on Sept. 5 in the G2 Jim Dandy at the prestigious Saratoga track in upstate New York.

Ny Traffic has the exact same record as Jesus’ Team, but has done so against much tougher competition. His best race may have been when he just got nosed out by Authentic in the G1 Haskell in July. Exiting Post No. 7, he may possibly challenge for the early lead. That style cost him when fading to eighth in the Derby. He finished second in his three races prior to the Derby, all in Graded Stakes competition. He is 15-1, and is talented enough to finish in the top four if his jockey decides to sit off the early speed. His gray coat makes him easy to pick out.

Max Player is also listed at 15-1 odds, and will be wearing No. 8. He will likely trail early in the race and will hope for a speed dual and pace meltdown by the early leaders. He has finished in the top three in five of his six career starts, with his fifth-place finish in the Derby the only time he has finished off the board. He was third in the Belmont and seems to be more of a grinder than a horse with quick acceleration. His connections have switched to a more aggressive jockey for this race, so he may be closer to the pace than he has been in the past.

Favored Authentic, at 9-5 odds, has won five of his six races, including his last two in Grade 1 races. He will likely be part of the early pace, and has the talent to lead from gate to wire if allowed to go unchallenged early. The Derby winner has benefited from the delay in this year’s races, allowing him to mature in the intervening months. He has already accumulated over $2.8 million in earnings and will be looking to get the lion’s share of the $1 million total Preakness purse. Although possibly challenged for the early lead, Authentic has such a high cruising speed it may not matter. He also drew a favorable No. 9 post, which will allows his jockey to see what the horses to his inside try to do early on.

Pneumatic has 20-1 odds and exits Post No. 10. He has three wins and a third-place finish in only five career starts and was won the ungraded Pegasus Stakes in mid-August. Look for Pneumatic to run in the middle of the pack early on. He is the one of the three horses trained by Steve Asmussen, with the other two being Max Player and Excession. His best speed figure of 113 matches Authentic’s top number and his stalking style gives him a good shot to finish in the money.

Liveyourbeastlife has drawn the outside Post No. 11. If you are wondering why all those words in his name run together, the Thoroughbred Jockey Club restricts names to a maximum of 18 spaces, including spaces between words. He is also a come-from-behind type and only has two wins in eight career starts. Liveyourbeastlife was finished second in the G2 Jim Dandy on Sept. 5.

NBC will televise both the Preakness — scheduled to go postward at 5:36 p.m. — and the Black Eyed Susan, which begins at 4:30 p.m.

And down the stretch they come!

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