The second leg of the Triple Crown, the 2011 Preakness Stakes, gets underway on Saturday, May 21 at Pimlico Racetrack. Animal Kingdom will attempt to follow-up on his Kentucky Derby win and take the second jewel of the Triple Crown, but a loaded field of Derby carryovers and new guns await him at Pimlico. The odds are in Animal Kingdom's favor this time around, and with the post positions set, we now know what he's up against.
Like the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness drew post positions on Wednesday to set the field in stone. The field is much smaller than the Derby -- 14 horses instead of 20 -- but the post positions are still a vital part of the race and can have an impact on race day.
Animal Kingdom will come out of the No. 11 gate, near the outside of the 14-horse field. Mucho Man Man, a serious contender to knock-off Animal Kingdom, will start in gate No. 9, two spots inside of Animal Kingdom. Shackleford, who set the pace at the Kentucky Derby before being caught down the stretch, will start in the No. 5 gate, close to the middle of the field.
The favorites are all bunched together, with Mucho Man Man on the inside in the No. 9 gate, Dialed In set to start in the No. 10 gate and Animal Kingdom on the outside of the two at No. 11. The dynamic should be interesting to watch as the three jockey for position and take part in the race within the race.
Here are the post positions for the 2011 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
No. 1 Astrology
No. 2 Norman Asborjson
No. 3 King Congie
No. 4 Flashpoint
No. 5 Shackleford
No. 6 Sway Away
No. 7 Midnight Interlude
No. 8 Dance City
No. 9 Mucho Macho Man
No. 10 Dialed In
No. 11 Animal Kingdom
No. 12 Isn't He Perfect
No. 13 Concealed Identity
No. 14 Mr. Commons
Post time for the Preakness Stakes is 3:05 p.m. PDT on Saturday, May 21. The morning line odds, set by the track oddsmaker, are expected shortly and Animal Kingdom is expected to be a heavy favorite. More on the race, including odds, previews and news updates, can be found here.
Stay with this StoryStream for more on the race as it becomes available. For all your horse racing needs, head over to And Down The Stretch They Come. Check out SB Nation's 2011 Preakness Stakes StoryStream for updates throughout the week.