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Triple Crown 2018: 5 reasons you should watch the Preakness

By Zoe West

Spectators line the fence to watch the 7th race, the James W. Murphy Stakes, prior to the running of the 136th running of the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, May 21, 2011. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun/MCT via Getty Images)
Spectators line the fence to watch the 7th race, the James W. Murphy Stakes, prior to the running of the 136th running of the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, May 21, 2011. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun/MCT via Getty Images) /
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2. Upset potential

Justify may be the favorite for the Preakness. He almost certainly will be following his win in the Derby. But if the favorite always won, there would be absolutely no interest in horse racing, or reason to watch. Some of the greatest races involve another horse, either a complete long shot or just one who was overlooked, posing a surprising challenge to the favorite. And sometimes the favorite gets blown out.

So much of the Kentucky Derby is about the experience, the race almost comes in second. That is not so much the case for the Preakness. It is still one of the biggest days in racing, but the race itself lacks the almost legendary status, and certainly the name recognition, of the Derby.

Anyways, because of the slight drop in prestige, the Preakness field is pretty much always quite a bit smaller. This also plays to the strengths of different horses. One of the reasons that Justify (and every other horse) won the Derby was their response to the atmosphere and pressure of the day at Churchill Downs. Some horses can be adversely effected by that amount of pressure, but bounce back for an upset win in the Preakness.

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