Preakness Preview: A Look at the 8 Contenders

Saturday's racing action will be the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. This is the second leg of the Triple Crown of Racing.

Forecasts call for rain throughout the day, but not a very significant amount. Post-time temperatures will be in the mid-60s, which should provide great racing conditions.

The 1 3/16-mile race is scheduled for 6:50 PM EDT. Viewers can watch all of the preview races and coverage on NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Here is a preview of the eight horses that will take to the gates on Saturday, along with their post positions, trainer, jockey and breeding.

1. Mugatu - Blofeld x Union Way (Union Rags)

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Trained by Jeff Engler and jockeyed by Joe Bravo. Mugatu didn't get the chance to run at the Kentucky Derby, so he was rerouted to Baltimore to prepare for the Preakness. He has 12 starts, one win, one second, and three thirds.

The colt doesn't seem to do well on dirt, as he has never hit the board on his three dirt starts. His only win came on a synthetic surface and was just a mile and 70 yards.

In his last out he did receive his highest Beyer Speed Figures at 87 when he ran in the Blue Grass Stakes. Even at that best, Mugatu finished seven lengths behind the winner, Sierra Leone.

At 20-1 Mugatu will have to have the race of his career on Saturday to be in the hunt at the finish line.

2. Uncle Heavy - Social Inclusion x Expect Wonderful (Tiz Wonderful)

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Pulling off a victory at the Withers Stakes earned Uncle Heavy the right to run in the Preakness. The Pennsyvania-bred colt has three wins in five starts.

His last race was at the Wood Memorial where he finished fifth, 11 lengths back of the winner Resilience who finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby.

Uncle Heavy is trained by Robert Reid, jockeyed by Irad Ortiz Jr. and has a best Beyer Speed Figure of 84.

The 20-1 odds horse will have a hard time finding the winners circle at the Preakness if he stays true to his history.

3. Catching Freedom - Constitution x Catch My Drift (Pioneer of the Nile)

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Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Kentucky Derby, trainer Brad Cox had planned to skip the Preakness. The horse decided differently. Showing well in his galloping sessions at Churchill Downs last week and looking and feeling great physically, Catching Freedom is looking forward to another chance at the field.

Jockey Flavien Prat will be trying to guide the colt to the win. His record shows he is capable. With six starts, three wins, and one third and his last race being the Kentucky Derby, where he finished just 1 3/4 lengths behind, Catching Freedom is certainly a horse to watch and bet on.

His best Beyer Speed Figure, posted twice, is 97 at the 2024 Louisiana Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Catching Freedom is strong in the finish. He has shown the ability to come from behind.

Don't panic if he is your bet and runs toward the back of the pack for the first several lengths. The horse has the speed and the strength to make a comeback; the question will be whether he has enough to catch the favorites.

4. Muth - Good Magic x Hoppa (Uncle Mo)

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Muth was the favorite in the Preakness Stakes but will not be seen on Saturday. The Bob Baffert-trained horse spiked a fever and had to be scratched from the race. The devastating news was announced on Wednesday morning just 12 hours after the horse arrived at the track.

Baffert reported that the horse's fever was 103 degrees and they had no choice but to scratch him.

"We are sick about this. The horse had been doing really well," Baffert said. "But we have to do what's right by the horse."

This may open the gate for Mystik Dan to be the champion of the second leg of the Triple Crown.

5. Mystik Dan - Goldencents x Maam (Colonel John)

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Mystik Dan, the surprise winner of the Kentucky Derby is the favorite, but he will face new challenges.

Trainer Ken McPeek and Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will have to figure out how to get the colt back to his greatest level with just two weeks' rest, which has been a problem in the past.

In November, Mystik Dan broke his maiden at Churchill Downs by almost eight lengths but then just two weeks later he was beaten by eight lengths. At the time, McPeek said that he ran Mystik Dan back too quickly.

McPeek has experience in taking horses from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness. In the three times he has done so, his best finish was third with Creative Minister in 2022.

Mystik Dan's win at the Kentucky Derby was no fluke and the colt is certainly capable of winning on Saturday. His odds are at 5-2, so people believe in him. The question will be his position on the rail and if he has enough left in the tank at the end coming off a short rest.

6. Seize the Grey - Arrogate x Smart Shopping (Smart Strike)

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This is Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas' entry with Jaime Torres aboard. The colt's odds of 15-1 are a pretty good picture.

With nine starts, he has found three wins and three thirds. His best Beyer Speed Figure has been 88 at the 2024 Pat Day Mile.

On this long-shot favor is the fact that he is trained by a six-time Preakness Champion. He will need all the favor he can get come race day because his speed history just doesn't show that he will be strong enough to emerge at the top.

7. Just Steel - Justify x Irish Lights (Fastnet Rock)

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This is the second entry by trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who will be jockeyed by Joel Rosario. Just Steel has 12 starts, two wins, four seconds and one third. His best Beyer Speed Figure is 95 at the 2024 Arkansas Derby.

Based on his speed figure of 95, this is one of the fastest horses in the field, but he didn't show it at the Kentucky Derby. He came out of the gates and ran a fast early race, which may have been his downfall.

Just Steel needs to leave the gates at a steady and manageable pace in order to be in the hunt at the end. To that point, Lukas made a jockey change from the Derby to the Preakness, hoping for a more relaxed horse.

His 15-1 ods are probably reflective of his Derby finish, but we believe this might be a horse to take a chance on. It's hard to bet against the famed Lukas.

8. Tuscan Gold - Medaglia d'oro x Valadorna (Curlin)

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Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, the colt has three starts with one win and one third. His last race was at the Louisiana Derby, where he finished third by 1 3/4 lengths.

One of the fastest horses in the field with a Beyer Speed Figure of 95 earned at the Louisiana Derby.

The good about this horse is that he continues to improve at each race he enters. This will, of course, be the biggest race of Tuscan Gold's career.

He will let others battle it out in the early stages of the race and save himself for the finish. Brown will know how to manage the horse and has a lot of faith in his ability to win.

At 8-1 odds, it was good to hear the trainer say that his latest workout was "best work ever." Look for Tuscan Gold to be a strong contender on Saturday.

9. Imagination - Into Mischief x Magical Feeling (Empire Maker)

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Bob Baffert brings this horse to the gates with Frankie Dettori riding. In six starts, Imagination has two wins and four seconds.

His Beyer Speed Figure of 96, earned at the 2024 San Felipe Stakes, shows that he is fast. The odds makers seem to like him at 6-1. He will break and take a fast pace, maybe even be the leader.

He will be facing the toughest field of his career and will have to remain strong through the entire race. His history shows that he doesn't pull away from the pack, so he may get tricked into believing he is running well enough and get beat at the end.