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Mage is chasing the second leg of the Triple Crown this weekend in Baltimore
Mage, the surprise winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby, will look to secure the second leg of the Triple Crown this weekend as the horse racing world descends upon Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for the Preakness.
Here is everything you need to know to follow the action this week, culminating in the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes.
The Field
It was confirmed late last week that Mage, the surprise winner of the 149th Kentucky Derby, will be in the field for the Preakness. Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo announced that the winner of the Kentucky Derby would be at Pimlico, citing a fantastic week of training. “He’s had a magnificent week of training,” said Restrepo. “[Trainer] Gustavo Delgado [Jr.] was just really pleased and over the moon of how he’s come back. He’s shown all the positive signs. So, it’s on to Baltimore and crab cakes, here we come.”
Crab cakes and horse racing, that’s what Maryland does.
Javier Castellano, who rode Mage to his first Derby victory in 16 attempts, will again ride with Mage.
While Mage is the favorite, currently listed at 8-5, that could change given some of the other horses in the field. First Mission is currently listed at 5-2, and is coming off a win at the Lexington Stakes in mid-April. The Brad Cox-trained First Mission did not run in the Kentucky Derby, and is coming off over a month of rest since Lexington. Note: Word broke on Friday morning that First Mission was scratched due to a left hind issue.
Then there is Blazing Sevens, listed at 6-1. Blazing Sevens had enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby, but trainer Chad Brown opted to keep the horse out of the Derby, and run Blazing Sevens at the Preakness after some rest.
Brown used the same approach with Cloud Computing in 2017 and Early Voting a season ago, both of whom won the Preakness.
Confidence Game, who finished tenth in the Kentucky Derby, pulled out of the Preakness field due to a shoulder injury. Disarm, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby, pulled out of the Preakness field on Monday. That leaves Mage as the only Kentucky Derby participant in the field, making it the first time in 75 years that a sole Derby participant was in the Preakness field.
The last time it happened? Back in 1948 when Citation followed up a win at the Kentucky Derby with a victory at the Preakness. Citation went on to claim the Triple Crown with a win at the Belmont Stakes.
Can Mage follow suit?
How to Watch
Here are the major details.
When: Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland
TV Network: NBC/CNBC
Streaming: Peacock
NBC Sports will have coverage of the 148th Preakness Stakes throughout the day on Saturday, May 20. Coverage will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET on CNBC and run on that network until 4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage will then shift to NBC at 4:30 p.m. ET, and is expected to run until 7:30 p.m. ET.
Post time for the Preakness is set for 6:50 p.m. ET.
Fans can also stream all of the coverage through Peacock.
Those who are interested can also stream the 98th Black-Eyed Susan on Friday, May 19, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Odds
Here are the current post positions following Monday’s draw, along with the odds, which will change throughout the week.
