When the Preakness Stakes post positions were announced on Wednesday, an interesting subplot emerged. In fact, the storyline may be the focus of the Preakness Stakes and involves four of the biggest favorites in the field. Animal Kingdom, Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man and Dance City will all break from the post in gates right next to each other as the four were aligned in consecutive stalls.
The aforementioned horses just so happen to be the biggest contenders in the race and hold the best through fourth-best odds to win the Preakness Stakes, according to the morning line set on Wednesday. Animal Kingdom is the overwhelming favorite at 2-1, followed by Dialed In at 9-2, Mucho Macho Man at 6-1 and Dance City at 12-1. Dance City did not run in the Kentucky Derby, but the other three are all familiar with each other.
Dance City is on the inside of the group in the No. 8 post position, with Animal Kingdom on the outside in No. 11. In between the two, Dialed In will start in the No. 10 gate and Mucho Macho Man will occupy the No. 9 spot. How they break from the gate and whether they end up in a four-way duel is something to keep an eye on in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. You couldn't script it much better than this and the competition the post positions create is intriguing, though likely doesn't mean a ton in the scheme of it all.
The full starting order for the Preakness Stakes can be found here.
Stay with our Preakness Stakes 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.