Heading into the 2016 Preakness, you know about Nyquist, the unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner who is trying to become the second Triple Crown winner in as many years (and only the second since 1978). But who are the horses expected to challenge odds-on favorite Nyquist and deny history? With the exit of Gun Runner earlier in the week, Exaggerator, second in the Kentucky Derby, is the horse who will give Nyquist a big test in the Preakness.
Just two horses will return from the Kentucky Derby after several expected will not run. Exaggerator, 3-1 in the Preakness, will be one of two horses back from the Run for the Roses two Saturdays ago, with a slew of new shooters ready to spoil horse racing history. Japanese horse Lani, 30-1, is the other back from the Kentucky Derby. Only four of the 11 horses have odds of 10-to-1 or lower on the morning line.
MORE: Preakness winners | Preakness records | Best finishes in Preakness history
Doug O'Neill, who will saddle Nyquist, wasn't all that concerned with post position. He could be pushed early by the speedy Uncle Lino to his left, but Nyquist navigated the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field with relative ease before a big push from Exaggerator down the stretch. The Derby runner-up is the second betting choice in the 2016 Preakness.
Here are the other horses expected to challenge Nyquist in the Preakness.
Nyquist
Trainer: Doug O'Neill
Jockey: Mario Gutierrez
Record: 8-8-0-0
Post position: 3
Odds: 3-5
Breakdown: The unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner is the odds-on favorite in the Preakness, but is still plus-money to win the Triple Crown. Nyquist is a proven winner with victories in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall, Florida Derby this spring and Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. He's posted two of the six fastest Beyer Speed Figures of 3-year-old horses this year.
Doug O'Neill and Mario Gutierrez saddled I'll Have Another to Derby and Preakness wins in 2012 before he withdrew from the Belmont because of injury just days before. Those were their first two wins in Triple Crown races.
Exaggerator
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Record: 9-4-2-1
Post position: 5
Odds: 5-2
Breakdown: Had Exaggerator not got trapped along the rail, resulting in a bad trip, in the Kentucky Derby, he likely would have best Nyquist down the stretch. He lost by just over a length and was closing hard.
Exaggerator and Nyquist are developing quite the rivalry. The Derby was the fourth time Exaggerator had finished behind Nyquist in a race. Exaggerator was fifth in a maiden race at Santa Anita last year, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and second in the Grade II San Vicente Stakes in February.
The most impressive race Exaggerator has run, outside of the Kentucky Derby, was a nearly seven-length victory over a wet track in the Santa Anita Derby in April. He has the fastest and fifth-fastest Beyer figures of any 3-year-old this year.
Stradivari
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Record: 3-2-0-0
Post position: 11
Odds: 8-1
Breakdown: Stradivari is an x-factor in the Preakness. It will be his first stakes race, and he's only run three times in his career. His last two, a pair of wins, came by a combined 25 lengths.
Stradivari raced twice as a 2-year-old last fall, then had a fourth-month layoff before winning an allowance race at Keeneland on April 17. The step up in quality could hurt him, but Stradivari can't be discounted in the Preakness. He posted a 100 Beyer (top 10 for 3-year-olds this year) in that 1-1/8 mile race at Keeneland last month.
Cherry Wine
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: Robby Albarado
Record: 8-2-1-2
Post position: 1
Odds: 23-1
Breakdown: An alternate for the Kentucky Derby, Cherry Wine ran in two stakes races this spring, finishing fourth in the Rebel Stakes and third in the Blue Grass Stakes. It took him five races to break his maiden last year.
Collected
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Record: 6-4-1-0
Post position: 7
Odds: 16-1
Breakdown: Collected has won three of his last four races, included two Grade III stakes wins. Trainer Bob Baffert has won six Preakness Stakes in his career, one shy of the all-time record. He won it with American Pharoah last year.
Uncle Lino
Trainer: Gary Sherlock
Jockey: Fernando Perez
Record: 7-2-2-2
Post position: 2
Odds: 35-1
Breakdown: Uncle Lino is a half-brother of Nyquist through sire Uncle Mo. He won the California Chrome Stakes at the end of April his first win in four races since breaking his maiden. He did finish third to Exaggerator and Mor Spirit in the Santa Anita Derby three weeks prior to that.
Fellowship
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Jose Lezcano
Record: 12-2-3-3
Post position: 10
Odds: 50-1
Breakdown: Finished third in three consecutive stakes races, including the Florida Derby behind Nyquist and Majesto. Ran fourth in the Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day.
Lani
Trainer: Mikio Matsunaga
Jockey: Yutaka Take
Record: 7-3-1-0
Post position: 6
Odds: 30-1
Breakdown: Japanese horse who is a bit of a wild card. Finished ninth in the Kentucky Derby, his first race on American soil, after winning the Grade II UAE Derby in March. Opposing trainers were nervous of having to line up next to him at the Derby.
Laoban
Trainer: Eric Guillot
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Record: 5-0-2-1
Post position: 8
Odds: 80-1
Breakdown: Laoban has held leads in his last two stakes races, but faded to finish fourth in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes in April. He's also a half-brother of Nyquist.
Awesome Speed
Trainer: Alan Goldberg
Jockey: Jevian Toledo
Record: 6-4-0-0
Post position: 4
Odds: 45-1
Breakdown: Has won four of his last five races, but finished 13 lengths behind Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Mohaymen in the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes. Awesome Speed won the Federico Tesio Stakes after the winner was disqualified, earning him a spot in the Preakness.
Abiding Star
Trainer: Ned Allard
Jockey: J.D. Acosta
Record: 11-5-1-1
Post position: 9
Odds: 40-1
Breakdown: Has won all four of his races this year, though none in Graded stakes events. Has not run a race over 1 1/16 miles, and he's run just two of that distance.