Preakness Stakes 2018: Full field with post positions and jockey list

The post draw for the 2018 Preakness Stakes took place on Wednesday night, and gave us the first look at the final field. It was not quite what was expected.

Directly after the Kentucky Derby multiple trainers and owners announced their plans to skip the Preakness. However the field for the second race of the Triple Crown is always smaller than the Derby, so that was not surprising. Also, because of the qualification requirements several horses who do not run in the Derby are generally present for the Preakness. Even before the first race, the connections of Quip, one horse who did actually qualify for the Derby, had announced their intentions to skip it and instead head for the Preakness.

Still, it was pretty surprising when the final list of entries for the Preakness only had eight horses on it. There are cases when the intimidation factor for the favorite in the race can discourage other horses for entering: Why pay the entry fees when you’re just competing for second anyways? But that generally happens in races with a lower national profile. Coming in second in the Preakness is still a big accomplishment.

Also, no disrespect meant, but Justify hasn’t necessarily done enough to install that kind of fear in opponents. Yes, the horse is undefeated, and he won (arguably) the biggest race in the country. But he’s still only been raced 4 times. A four-race winning streak is not that uncommon, and in recent years, including the Derby in one isn’t either.

Because the field is so much smaller, post position is generally not thought as critical in the Preakness. But depending on the horses preferred style of running it can still have some effect.

This is the final field, as determined by the draw on Wednesday:

Post – HORSE – Jockey – (Morning line odds)

1 – QUIP – Florent Geroux – (12-1)

2 – LONE SAILOR – Irad Ortiz Jr – (15-1)

3 – SPORTING CHANCE – Luis Contreras – (30-1)

4 – DIAMOND KING – Javier Castellano – (30-1)

5 – GOOD MAGIC – Jose Ortiz – (3-1)

6 – TENFOLD – Victor Espinoza – (20-1)

7 – JUSTIFY – Mike Smith – (1-2)

8 – BRAVAZO – Luis Saez – (20-1)

The most intriguing challenger to Justify may be Quip. Quip actually qualified for the Kentucky Derby, but his people decided to skip it. That in and of itself is unusual in modern-day racing. But it indicates that they strongly believe something about the Preakness bodes well for him. He has won three of five career starts, and finished second in one of the others.

Next: Why you should watch the Preakness

Of the horses that raced in the Derby, the obvious challenger is Good Magic. Magic finished just 2.5 lengths behind Justify in that race, by far the closest on this board. He couldn’t get by, but with the quick turnaround, shorter distance, and Justify’s possibly less-than-100-percent health he could have a chance.

The other Derby horses to give the Preakness a go are Bravazo (6th) and Lone Sailor (8th).

For more from the Triple Crown, with the Preakness Stakes up next, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our horse racing hub for all the latest news and results.