The 2024 Preakness Stakes is this Saturday and will see Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan go for the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mystik Dan’s path to winning the Preakness opened up on Wednesday as early favorite Muth was ruled out due to a spiking fever. Trainer Bob Baffert said the horse’s temperature reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit and there was no other option but to remove him from the race.
“We are sick about this. The horse had been doing really well,” Baffert said via the Associated Press. “But we have to do what’s right by the horse.”
Muth had opened as the 8-5 favorite at the post-position draw on Monday for the 1 3/16 miles dirt track race. Mystik Dan, who won the Kentucky Derby by a photo finish, was second at 5-2.
2024 Preakness Stakes post positions and odds
1. Mugatu – 20-1
2. Uncle Heavy – 20-1
3. Catching Freedom – 6-1
4. Mystik Dan – 5/2
5. Seize the Grey – 15-1
6. Just Steel – 15-1
7. Tuscan Gold – 8-1
8. Imagination – 6-1
Post position success since 1909 (via Twin Spires)
1. 116 starts, 12 wins (Mugatu)
2. 116 starts, 12 wins (Uncle Heavy)
3. 116 starts, 12 wins (Catching Freedom)
4. 116 starts 14 wins (Mystik Dan)
5. 114 starts, 13 wins (Seize the Grey)
6. 113 starts, 17 wins (Just Steel)
7. 104 starts, 14 wins (Tuscan Gold)
8. 92 starts, 10 wins (Imagination)
Post positions 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 have won three times since 2000, while position 8 has won twice and positions 2 and 3 each have one victory.
Last year’s winner, National Treasure, had post position 1.
There was some question about whether Mystik Dan would compete in the Preakness following his win at Churchill Downs. Trainer Kenny McPeek was concerned about the short turnaround time between races, but after speaking with the horse’s owners the decision was made to enter him into the race.
A horse has not won the Triple Crown since Justify in 2018, the 13th in the sport’s history. Should Mystik Dan win the Preakness on Saturday, he will get three weeks off before attempting history at the Belmont Stakes, which will take place at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York due to reconstruction at Belmont Park, the traditional home for the race.
