The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes is here, and it's got everything you could want: history, high stakes, and a field of nine wildly different horses all chasing one of the sport’s most valuable trophies — the Woodlawn Vase. This year’s race might not feature the Kentucky Derby winner, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in drama. In fact, the decision to rest Sovereignty and skip this leg has cracked the door wide open for someone else to grab the spotlight.

Instead of a potential Triple Crown storyline, we’ve got a race that feels more like a chaotic free-for-all — in a good way. You've got hard-knocking veterans who just came out of the Derby, exciting new shooters making their Triple Crown debut, and trainers with more Preakness experience than most barns combined.

Three of the horses — Journalism, American Promise, and Sandman — are coming off runs in the Derby and looking for redemption. The other six are newcomers to the Triple Crown stage, but that doesn't mean they're inexperienced or outmatched. Horses like Goal Oriented, who's never lost but has never faced top-tier company, and River Thames, who skipped the Derby despite earning enough points, make this one of the most interesting lineups in years.

Goal Oriented

Bob Baffert’s Mystery Rocket

If you were looking for the biggest question mark with the highest ceiling in this race, it might just be Goal Oriented. The colt’s only raced twice — both in April — and yet he comes into the Preakness undefeated, untapped, and surrounded by the kind of buzz that usually follows horses with a lot more on their resume. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for with raw talent and arguably the most important stamp of approval in modern racing: he’s trained by Bob Baffert.

Let’s be real, Baffert at the Preakness is practically a cheat code. The guy’s won this thing eight times already, and he’s back chasing number nine with a horse that's as inexperienced as they come.

Goal Oriented doesn’t care about your resume expectations though — he just runs. In his debut, a 6-furlong maiden on April 6, he ran away with it in the slop like he’d done it a hundred times. He came right back the same day on the Derby undercard, and again, he just wired the field like it was no big deal.

The other key here? He’s probably going straight to the front again. Goal Oriented has been on the lead at every call in both of his starts, and there just isn’t a ton of early pace in this Preakness field. If he breaks well and finds the rail, he could find himself alone and comfortable up front.

And with Flavien Prat back in the irons — a guy who’s already won the Preakness once before — you can bet they’re going to try to get out in front of this one.

Journalism

The California Kid With a Chip on His Shoulder

Had the weather cooperated on Derby Day, Journalism might be the one we're talking about as the horse going for a Triple Crown. That sloppy Churchill Downs track just didn’t suit him — his jockey Umberto Rispoli was pretty blunt afterward, saying the colt hated every splash.

Still, even with the slop and the traffic, Journalism dug in and finished a very game second. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t show up in the win column but sticks with you if you’ve followed his rise.

Before Louisville, this horse had been cruising through California with a four-race win streak. That run included the Santa Anita Derby, the San Felipe, and the Los Alamitos Futurity — real graded-stakes stuff, and he looked sharp in all of them. But more than the wins, it’s how he ran that stood out.

He’s got a grinder’s mentality. He doesn’t need to lead early, but he always seems to be in the mix when it matters. That kind of versatility goes a long way in a race like the Preakness, where the pace can get unpredictable.

Trainer Michael McCarthy knows how to get one ready for this kind of spot. He won the Preakness in 2021 with Rombauer, who, like Journalism, wasn’t the Derby winner but showed up big in Baltimore.

McCarthy’s approach with Journalism has that same quiet confidence. He hasn’t overworked him since the Derby and said he’s treating this like the second leg of a long fight. There’s even a hint that if Journalism runs big again here, we could see him take another crack at Sovereignty in the Belmont.

American Promise

Lukas vs. Father Time, Part 49

At 89 years old, D. Wayne Lukas still works the backside like he’s 45. American Promise, his latest charge, is proof of that. A son of Triple Crown winner Justify, this colt comes in with one of the most intriguing pedigrees in the field, even if the Derby didn’t go his way.

And to be honest, that Derby run was a mess. Nik Juarez, who’ll be back aboard for the Preakness, said the colt got pushed around right out of the gate. He never got into rhythm and never had a chance to show what he can really do.

Lukas didn’t sugarcoat it either — he knows that kind of trip isn’t good enough, and he knows American Promise needs to take a big step forward to hang with the best here.

So sure, the Derby finish wasn’t pretty. But don’t be surprised if Lukas, with all that wisdom and all those war stories, pulls another one out of his back pocket. Because every once in a while, the old-school guy with the weathered hat and the fire still burning brings a horse back to life on one of racing’s biggest stages.

Heart of Honor

Dubai Detour, Baltimore Debut

Few horses in this year's Preakness field have taken a more unusual path to Baltimore than Heart of Honor. Bred in the U.K. and campaigned overseas, he’s made his name under the lights in Dubai, where he's been quietly building a resume on synthetic and dirt surfaces. His most recent start was a runner-up finish in the UAE Derby, a race that usually sends at least one serious player stateside for the Triple Crown trail.

Trainer Jamie Osborne is bringing Heart of Honor across the globe for a reason — he believes the colt’s grinding, relentless style suits American dirt racing more than it ever did the synthetic or turf tracks in Dubai or the U.K. He’s not flashy, but he’s tough, and that kind of horse can hang around and pick up the pieces if things get a little wild up front.

The big question? Whether that Dubai turn of foot translates on Pimlico’s tighter dirt track. Overseas racing often favors stamina and sustained momentum, while American dirt demands quicker acceleration around turns.

Pay Billy

The Local Hero With Maryland Swagger

If there’s one horse in this race that’s going to have the locals behind him in full voice, it’s Pay Billy. This colt is the classic underdog story — picked up for just $60,000 and now standing in the same starting gate as million-dollar bluebloods with household-name connections.

But don’t let that price tag fool you — Pay Billy has absolutely earned his shot at the big time.He punched his ticket to the Preakness the hard way — by winning the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park, the local prep that gives out an automatic berth to the Preakness. That win was his fourth in five starts at Laurel, where he’s practically a hometown hero.

Trainer Michael Gorham, who’s been in the game since 1985 and has more than 1,400 wins under his belt, is sending out his very first Preakness runner here. And the pride is real. Gorham has seen a lot of horses over the years, but you can tell this one means a little more. It’s the biggest moment of his career, and he’s doing it with a horse that reflects his own grind-it-out path in the sport.

Now, sure, the speed figures don’t scream “superstar.” On paper, he might not stack up with the flashy stakes winners from California or the million-dollar babies from Churchill. But Pay Billy doesn’t care about the paper. He’s been showing up, getting better, and finding the winner’s circle. That type of confidence — especially at this level — can go a long, long way.

River Thames

Pletcher’s Pattern Breaker?

Todd Pletcher is a Hall of Famer with a resume that stretches for miles — but the Preakness is the one jewel that’s always slipped through his fingers. He’s saddled 10 horses in this race and come up short every time, which feels almost bizarre given how often he’s found success in every other major event on the calendar. Now, he’s back with River Thames, a colt that might just be the one to finally break the streak.

River Thames has the profile of a horse that fits this race to a tee. He’s got graded-stakes experience, including a third-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes and a razor-thin loss to Derby champ Sovereignty in the Fountain of Youth. That run, where he was only a neck behind Sovereignty, suddenly looks a whole lot more impressive now that the Derby winner is being pointed to the Belmont.

The decision to skip the Kentucky Derby raised a few eyebrows, especially since the colt had enough points to qualify. But Pletcher and his owners believed the Derby would be too much, too soon, and instead opted to give him a breather and gear up for the Preakness.

That seven-week layoff could turn out to be a game-changer. He’s coming in fresh, fit, and with a chip on his shoulder, which is exactly what you want at this stage of the game.

Sandman

Metallica Meets Mile‑and‑Three‑Sixteenths

You can’t miss Sandman. He’s a big, eye-catching gray with black blinkers and the unmistakable vibe of a horse that’s just waiting for everything to go wrong early so he can come storming late. That’s his game. He’s not going to break out of the gate and go with the leaders — he’s going to sit back, let the chaos unfold, and then try to mow them all down in the stretch.

And to be fair, his trip in the Kentucky Derby was about as chaotic as it gets. He got shuffled back, took some bumping, and was forced to go nine-wide around the far turn. That’s not even an exaggeration — it looked like he was trying to pass cars in the emergency lane during rush hour. Despite all that, he still ran on well and managed to finish seventh, which tells you a lot about his ability to keep grinding.

If you want a better look at what Sandman can do when things go his way, pull up the Arkansas Derby replay. He came flying home with a final quarter in 24 seconds flat — about as fast as you’ll see in a race of that caliber — and made up ground like he was launched out of a cannon. That kind of closing kick is hard to come by, and it’s even harder to defend against if you're a front-runner trying to hang on.

Trainer Mark Casse knows what he’s doing here. He won the Preakness back in 2019 with War of Will and doesn’t bring a horse unless he thinks they belong. Casse has said Sandman came out of the Derby in good shape and has trained well since, so the quick turnaround isn't much of a concern.

If the pace up front gets hot — maybe Goal Oriented and Pay Billy get hooked in a duel early — Sandman is the one horse in this field that can turn that scenario into a win. He’s the freight train in the back that you won’t see coming until it’s too late.

Clever Again

Lightly Raced, Heavily Interesting

With only three career starts, Clever Again is one of the more fascinating unknowns in this year’s field. He’s like a blank canvas — everyone sees something different in him, depending on which side of his short resume they focus on. Some folks are hung up on the fact that he’s light on experience. Others can’t stop talking about how dominant he looked winning back-to-back races at Oaklawn Park.

Steve Asmussen, the winningest trainer in North American history, clearly leans toward the latter. He’s been around too long to get overly excited — but when Asmussen talks about a horse’s potential, it usually means something. He’s looking to get back to the Preakness winner’s circle for the first time since Rachel Alexandra’s unforgettable run in 2009, and he’s hoping this lightly raced son of American Pharoah can take him there.

Clever Again broke his maiden in February and then came right back in March to dominate the Hot Springs Stakes — leading every step of the way and pulling away late with ease. That's the kind of raw ability you can't teach.

And keep in mind, this isn’t some bargain bin longshot. He was a $500,000 yearling purchase with a big pedigree and big expectations. He’s bred to run long, and even though he hasn’t gone this far yet, there’s every indication that he’ll handle the added distance just fine.

Gosger

Blue‑Collar Colt With Sneaky Punch

Named for late owner Harvey Clarke’s love of underdog stories, Gosger brings a blue-collar charm to this year’s Preakness. He’s not flashy, he’s not the buzz horse, and he’s only made three career starts — but he’s got that gritty, no-nonsense vibe you can’t help but root for. His win in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland wasn’t some jaw-dropping runaway, but it was hard-earned and a reminder that this colt knows how to compete.

Trainer Brendan Walsh made the call to skip the Derby, even though Gosger was moving in the right direction. That’s not an easy decision when the Derby’s allure is staring you in the face. But Walsh believed the colt would benefit more from a little patience and an extra month to grow. So they circled the Preakness and gave him time.

Luis Saez, one of the most aggressive and reliable riders in the game, will take the reins again. He’s a perfect fit for a horse like this — a guy who knows when to push, when to wait, and when to tip out if the inside isn’t opening up. Gosger isn’t the type to grab the lead early and try to wire the field. He’s more of a stalker, cruising comfortably just behind the pace and waiting for his moment.

He’s also a bit of a sentimental pick. Harvey Clarke, who bred and owned 2012 Preakness winner I’ll Have Another, had a soft spot for tough, overlooked runners who just kept showing up. Gosger fits that mold to a tee.

So no, he won’t be the headliner. But if a couple of the favorites don’t bring their A-game, Gosger has the look of a horse who can pick up the pieces late and crash the party.

Nine Horses, Nine Stories, One Shot

Triple Crown seasons can sometimes lose steam when the Derby winner skips the Preakness, but that’s not what’s happening here. Instead, it’s opened the door for nine hungry contenders — each with a story that fans can get behind.

Every single horse in this field has a reason to be here, and more importantly, a reason to believe they can win. There’s no “just happy to be here” energy. Racing, at its best, is about the build-up and the payoff. It’s about the backstories, the what-ifs, and the unexpected names that rise to the occasion when everyone’s watching.