1. #5 Mystk Dan — If it’s possible for the Kentucky Derby winner to fly under the radar, this guy is. Sure, he had a perfect trip in Louisville, but don’t sleep on what a good race he ran; he was the only runner close to the pace to finish in the top five. For good measure, he owns a win in the slop when he romped in the Southwest.
2. #9 Imagination – Bob Baffert has eight prior Preakness wins, most of any trainer, and seeks number nine with a runner with plentiful early zip and a bit of a case of seconditis (four times in six starts). Look for him on the lead early.
3. #3 Catching Freedom – Ran a big one to be fourth in the Kentucky Derby when rallying into fourth with a very good trip similar to that of Mystik Dan, albeit from farther back. He defeated Mystik Dan in the Smarty Jones, won the Louisiana Derby, and rates a big shot here.
4. #8 Tuscan Gold – The wise-guy horse is trained by Chad Brown, whose two prior Preakness wins both came with horses that had made just three prior starts — same as Tuscan Gold. Plenty of talent if he’s ready to take the next step.
5. #7 Just Steel – This speedster was part of the early Derby pace, pressing the pace before fading badly to 17th.
6. #2 Uncle Heavy – The Pennsylvania-bred is trained by University of Maryland grad Butch Reid, so there’s plenty of local angles for this guy, who rallied late to win the Withers. Draw a line through his troubled Wood Memorial trip and you have a runner who should be running at the end but still likely needs to improve.

To see a horse-by-horse analysis and in-depth look at the Preakness Stakes field, please click here.

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