For the first time since 1969, a running of the Preakness Stakes has just one Kentucky Derby contender in the field — and it happens to be the winner, Mage.
This Saturday, Mage and jockey Javier Castellano will take to the Pimlico main track seeking to become the first horse in five years to sweep the Derby and Preakness Stakes, setting themselves up for a potential Triple Crown sweep.
On paper, it’s Mage’s race to lose. The Preakness field drawn on Monday came up remarkably soft, with no other Derby contenders entered and only one other graded stakes winner challenging Mage: Lexington Stakes champion First Mission.
But then on Friday morning, First Mission was scratched out of the Preakness due to a hind leg injury — leaving Mage with just one real threat in the race: National Treasure, the fourth-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby, trained by Bob Baffert — who makes his return to the Triple Crown series after a two-year suspension following the positive drug test and disqualification of 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.
The 148th Preakness Stakes
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, May 20
Distance: 1 3/16 Miles
Post time: 7:01 p.m. (Coverage on NBC beginning at 4:30)
Analysis
It was hard to see a fast pace develop in the Kentucky Derby, and yet on May 6, it did. The blistering opening fractions set by Cyclone Mischief, Derma Sotogake and Reincarnate created the perfect environment for a closer like Mage to surge to victory.
Yet it’s even harder to imagine a torrid pace at the start of the Preakness on a Pimlico track that has historically played deeper and slower than Churchill Downs. There’s also little front-running speed in this field. National Treasure is a shoe-in to go to the lead, barring a disastrous beginning out of the gate. The only other horse who may engage him is Coffeewithchris.
Where does leave Mage? Castellano will probably place him much closer to the pace this time. In the Derby, he was fourth from…
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