It’s pretty crazy that we’re talking about the Preakness Stakes in October, but 2020 is a crazy year. Originally scheduled for May, the race will happen this Saturday. There will be no fans in the stands to watch the horses and jockeys duke it out on the dirt of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, but there is plenty of interest in this high-profile race. Who should you wager on? Check out our breakdown of two favorites, a sleeper, and a long shot below.
Indeed, according to the odds, Authentic, who’s trained by Bob Baffert, has the best chance to win the 2020 Preakness Stakes — and his track record can speak for itself as to why this three-year-old colt is favored over all candidates. For one, Authentic has already won a Triple Crown race this year, topping the Kentucky Derby earlier in September. Furthermore, in six career races to date, Authentic has not won once, and that was a runner-up finish at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby back in June. Before winning at Churchill Downs, Authentic paced all horses at the Haskell Stakes (Grade 1) at Monmouth Park.
Art Collector didn’t race at the Kentucky Derby, but Bruce Lunsford’s three-year-old colt will be among the most anticipated horses when the gates open at Pimlico Race Course this coming Saturday. See, Art Collector has won all of his last six races, dating back to last year. Art Collector would have also attracted plenty of attention at the Kentucky Derby, but a foot problem caused it to skip the Triple Crown event. According to Art Collector’s trainer, Tommy Drury, the colt is doing well and is where they want it to be at this point in their preparation for the Preakness Stakes. Art Collector has shown in seven of nine races with two wins at Graded Stakes events — the Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 2) and the Bourbon (Grade 3).
Honor AP participated at the Kentucky Derby and fell just short of a show, finishing fourth overall. It’s only the first time that Honor AP failed to finish inside the top three in a race. Prior to that, he went second at the Shared Belief Stakes. It’s not too long ago when the John A. Shirreffs-trained colt won the Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1) where he blossomed into a serious contender for Triple Crown races.
Storm The Court has not won in six races this year, but he’s looked brilliant in moments. Take for example when he finished runner up at the La Jolla Handicap (Grade 3) race last August and third at the Ohio Derby (Grade 3) back in June. Storm The Court is still trying to recover his form when he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade 1) in November 2019. Needless to say, that’s the performance many Storm The Court backers are hoping he could pull off at Pimlico Race Course this coming Saturday.
No Parole saw his value dip after finishing just ninth at the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (Grade 1) last August. That could mean his +3300 odds to win the Preakness Stakes might bring some value, considering that he has won five of seven career races. That includes his victory at the Woody Stephen (Grade 1) last June. No Parole is trained by Thomas A. Moss, whose horses have recorded 83 wins in 384 races this year.
After finishing just 15th at the 2020 Kentucky Derby, it’s easy to see why South Bend isn’t considered a horse to watch out for at the upcoming Triple Crown race down in Baltimore. South Bend has not won a race since topping the Street Sense last year, which means he’s gone 10 races in a row without topping anything. The closest he’s gotten to a victory over that 10-race stretch was when he finished second at Cutler Bay last March and also second at Ohio Derby (Grade 3) back in June.
