Preview and Prediction

Sovereignty's absence from the Preakness will likely be one of the major storylines on race day. This is both because the Triple Crown is off the board and because of ongoing conversations about the timing of the three big races.

Mott is not the first trainer to pull a contending horse from the Preakness in order to allow for better recovery and preparation. With just two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness, and three weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont, the timeline is not ideal for the horses involved.

According to former jockey and NBC analyst Jerry Bailey, it's probably time to consider reshuffling the schedule.

"It's probably time to stretch it out," Bailey said, per Childs Walker of The Baltimore Banner . "...I think tradition has been blown out of the water over the last five years for various reasons, and you don’t get the best 3-year-olds in each race now."

This doesn't mean that Saturday's race won't be exciting. With Sovereignty out, Journalism becomes the clear favorite. The Kentucky Derby runner-up is an incredibly fast horse (max speed rating of 110) who should have no trouble making a late push if jockey Umberto Rispoli avoids getting pinned inside early.

Sandman and American Promise also competed in the Derby, though neither finished in the money.

River Thames, trained by Todd A. Pletcher, is a newcomer to watch. With two first-place finishes in four starts and a max speed rating of 103, River Thames can make things very interesting on Saturday.

No post position has produced more Preakness winners than No. 6, which has yielded 17, most recently Rombauer in 2021.

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