What will the 2025 Preakness Stakes look like? See the full field with odds.
Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy and to be ridden by Umberto Rispoli, has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite for the 150th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Preakness Stakes, which will take place Saturday night at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
The post position draw for the Preakness took place Monday night.
Journalism is part of a nine-horse field that will contest this year’s edition of the Preakness Stakes, which goes 1 3/16 miles on Pimlico’s main track.
There is no potential for a Triple Crown in horse racing this year. Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty is not running in the Preakness. His trainer, Bill Mott, is instead pointing Sovereignty toward the Belmont Stakes — the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown — which will be contested June 7 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
The decision for Sovereignty to skip the Preakness has sparked fresh debate about the scheduling of horse racing’s three Triple Crown events.
Three horses from the 2025 Kentucky Derby — American Promise, Journalism and Sandman — are set to run things back in this year’s Preakness on just two weeks of rest. Six horses will be making their Triple Crown debuts in Saturday’s Preakness. Those runners are Clever Again, Goal Oriented, Gosger, Heart of Honor (GB), Pay Billy and River Thames.
After this year’s race, Pimlico is set to be rebuilt. This means that, for at least 2026, the Preakness is expected to be run at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, which is located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Here’s a full look at the 2025 Preakness Stakes field. Post time is 7:01 p.m. EDT.
2025 Preakness Stakes post position draw
The following nine horses were assigned a starting gate for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes during the post position draw on Monday night.
Horses are listed with their morning line odds, trainers, jockeys and owners, in that order.
▪ 1: Goal Oriented, (6-1), Bob Baffert, Flavien Prat, SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.
▪ 2: Journalism, (8-5), Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5, Robert V. LaPenta, Mrs. John Magnier-Lessee, Derrick Smith-Lessee and Michael B. Tabor-Lessee.
Journalism finished second in the Kentucky Derby.
▪ 3: American Promise, (15-1), D. Wayne Lukas, Nik Juarez, BC Stables.
American Promise finished in 16th in the Kentucky Derby.
▪ 4: Heart of Honor (GB), (12-1), Jamie Osborne, Saffie Osborne, Jim And Claire Limited.
▪ 5: Pay Billy, (20-1), Michael Gorham, Raul Mena, RKTN Racing.
▪ 6: River Thames, (9-2), Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., WinStar Farm, CHC, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable.
▪ 7: Sandman, (4-1), Mark Casse, John Velazquez, D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables.
Sandman finished in seventh in the Kentucky Derby.
▪ 8: Clever Again, (5-1), Steve Asmussen, Jose Ortiz, Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John (Susan) Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith.
▪ 9: Gosger, (20-1), Brendan Walsh, Luis Saez, Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables.
What is the Preakness Stakes history for trainers, jockeys in 2025 race?
Five of the trainers set to saddle horses in this year’s Preakness Stakes have won the event before.
Casse (Sandman) won in 2019 with War of Will. McCarthy (Journalism) won the 2021 race with Rombauer.
Asmussen (Clever Again) is a two-time winner of the Triple Crown’s second leg. Asmussen trained Preakness Stakes winners Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
Lukas (American Promise) is an 89-year-old training legend who has seven Preakness Stakes victories on his ledger. The most recent of these came last year, when Lukas’ Seize the Grey won the 2024 race. This made Lukas, then 88, the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race. He owns 15 Triple Crown race wins. This year, Lukas is competing in his 33rd Preakness Stakes.
Baffert (Goal Oriented) is an eight-time Preakness winner. That’s the most of any trainer in history. Baffert’s last victory in the race came in 2023 with National Treasure. Seven of Baffert’s eight winners in the Preakness Stakes previously ran in the Kentucky Derby, with National Treasure being the lone exception.
Baffert was expected to run Rodriguez in this year’s Preakness Stakes, but a lingering foot injury kept Rodriguez out for the race, just as it did for the Kentucky Derby.
In a distinguished training career that includes two Kentucky Derby wins and four Belmont Stakes victories, Pletcher (River Thames) is yet to saddle a winner in the Preakness. Each of Gorham (Pay Billy), Osborne (Heart of Honor) and Walsh (Gosger) are also going for their first win in the Preakness.
When it comes to the jockeys set to compete in this year’s Preakness Stakes, several have experience winning the event.
This includes Prat and Jose Ortiz, who have each won the Preakness within the last four years. Prat was aboard Rombauer in 2021 and Ortiz rode Early Voting to victory in 2022.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 7:24 PM.
