CNN
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The big news ahead of this weekend’s Preakness Stakes is that there will be no Triple Crown winner this year.
That’s because Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will not line up for the second leg of the three races that make up the prestigious Triple Crown of US horse racing.
The three-year-old thoroughbred finished ahead of 18 other horses on a muddy track at Churchill Downs Racetrack on May 3 but will not be looking to repeat the feat at the Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.
Instead, Sovereignty will be rested, so the horse can be better prepared for the Belmont Stakes later this month.
It means there is now an open field of nine horses all hoping to win the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
How to watch
The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday, with the big race set to start at 6:50 p.m. ET.
Those without a ticket will be able to watch live on NBC Sports and Peacock.
The race will once again be held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Horses to keep an eye on
Many of the favorites of this year’s Kentucky Derby are once again in the running on Saturday and won’t have to contest with Sovereignty this time around.
Therefore, Journalism – trained by Michael McCarthy – is likely to start the race with the shortest odds.
The horse went into the Derby off the back of three consecutive wins and was just edged out by Sovereignty during a sprint finish in Kentucky.
Despite finishing second, Journalism ran a big race and will likely be the one to beat on Saturday.
Even legendary trainer Bob Baffert agrees.
“He should be the favorite,” said Baffert, who has won the Preakness a record eight times, per the Associated Press.
“Watching him run and chasing him, he ran a great Derby … usually, a horse with a good Derby form will run well in the Preakness.”
Baffert, who returned to the Derby for the first time since 2021 following his ban, has his own runner in the Preakness and will hope Goal Oriented can win him an unprecedented ninth title.
Another notable mention ahead of Saturday is Sandman, a horse that finished seventh in the Derby. The three-year-old’s name is a nod to Metallica’s 1991 hit “Enter Sandman” and the group publicly supported the horse ahead of the Derby.
Sandman will likely start the Preakness as second favorite behind Journalism, and shareholder Griffin Johnson is expecting the horse to improve on its Derby showing.
“With the talent that he has, he had the potential to run a little bit better,” he said, per AP. “The mud wasn’t great, and we just are going to do our best coming up.”
This is the fifth time in the last seven years that the Derby winner hasn’t bid to win the Triple Crown, per AP. The last horse to complete the achievement was Justify in 2018.
Full odds for horses
Below are the official betting odds for this year’s Preakness Stakes.
Goal Oriented (6-1)
Journalism (8-5)
American Promise (15-1)
Heart of Honor (12-1)
Pay Billy (20-1)
River Thames (9-2)
Sandman (4-1)
Clever Again (5-1)
Gosger (20-1)