STRENGTHS: While he spent most of his career racing on turf and synthetic, and failed to earn enough points to make the Kentucky Derby field, he did earn the top figure of his career on dirt in last month’s Grade 1 Blue Grass. His lone victory to date came on a different surface, but he did manage to overcome a slow pace en route to winning that race. He also teamed up with Joe Bravo in that maiden win, and Bravo will be aboard once again Saturday. There is otherwise very little to hold onto here.

WEAKNESSES: While the 87 Beyer he earned in the Grade 1 Blue Grass is a career best, he had a very good closer’s trip that day with a clean run into a fast pace, and he was still a non-factor at odds of 181-1. He also was let go at big prices in his two other stakes attempts and didn’t exactly outrun his odds either time. He is still eligible for his two-lifetime condition, has failed to hit the board in any of his three dirt starts to date, and is not nearly fast enough to be considered anything other than an outsider in this field.

BETTING VALUE: After 12 starts, he lacks the credentials to suggest that he can be even remotely competitive with horses like this. They still have to run the race, but he should be the longest shot on the board at post time.

SIRE: Blofeld was a multiple graded stakes winner as a juvenile and went on to add the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap as an older horse routing. He has developed into a top-10 sire in Mary- land, with six stakes winners to his credit – many around one turn. Blofeld is by Quality Road, sire of two-turn horses like Kentucky Oaks winner and champion Abel Tasman and National Treasure, last year’s Preakness winner. His other standouts include multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light, the young sire of champion Fierce- ness.

DAM: Union Way has produced three winners from as many starters – all by Blofeld. Mugatu, whose lone win came at just more than a mile on synthetic, is preceded by Gamestonks, who won at up to 1 1/16 miles, and Raise the Praise, who didn’t win beyond five furlongs. There isn’t a Grade 1 winner in the family until under Mugatu’s fifth dam, where top-level turf winners Nijinsky’s Secret and Vergennes appear in the pedigree.

OUTLOOK: Blofeld is a rising young sire in a competitive region, and this is a solid, serviceable racehorse’s pedigree. However, Mugatu is taking a massive step up in class, and even getting a plac- ing would be a major accomplishment for this page.

STRENGTHS: He was a game winner in the Withers two back, which also resulted in the best Beyer of his career. He was no threat in the Wood last time out, but that was his first start off a short layoff, and he has license to improve off that running line, espe- cially given the decent works since that effort. He has a strong late kick and should get at least some help up front, as there is some speed in this Preakness field.

WEAKNESSES: The 84 Beyer he posted in the Withers two back was easily his best figure to date, but it’s not close to what the top contenders are posting. He figures to be well back in the opening stages and will need to work out a traffic-free trip. He was no threat at any point in the Wood despite a favorable race flow, as stalkers/ closers dominated and he could not muster a rally. He’s had only five starts, including one maiden race and a pair of statebred stakes at Parx Racing; this is easily the best field he’s seen. That makes it tough to ask him to run the best race of his life, which is what he’d need to do to win this, and perhaps even to threaten for the exotics.

BETTING VALUE: He and Mugatu figure to be the two longest prices in the race, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to value, as his chances of winning this seem to be longer than his 20-1 morn- ing-line odds. It’s always tempting to reach for a price to juice up the trifecta in the Triple Crown races, but he’s hard to use in any slots in the exotics.

SIRE: Social Inclusion, by classic sire Pioneerof the Nile, was third behind California Chrome in the 2014 Preakness. He has been a solid regional sire, but many of his top runners have excelled around one turn, including stakes winners Flor de Sombra and Gordian Knot.

DAM: Expect Wonderful scored her only win in a maiden-claim- ing race going 5 1/2 furlongs. She is the dam of two winners from as many starters, with Uncle Heavy joined by Roan Burgundy, who won at up to 1 1/16 miles. Uncle Heavy is the only stakes winner under his first three dams.

OUTLOOK: Uncle Heavy’s immediate family is light on stakes class and is slanted toward shorter distances. He will have to over- come all of that going two turns against top-class competition.

STRENGTHS: Endured an unlucky trip in his second career start following an impressive debut victory and has improved in each subsequent appearance. He packs a strong closing kick in his races, and while he did rally from last to take the Grade 2 Louisi- ana Derby in his final Kentucky Derby prep, he is not just a deep closer. His trip in the Kentucky Derby was a good one overall, and he did his best with it to finish a gaining fourth while pairing up the 97 Beyer he earned in the Louisiana Derby, figures that make him competitive in this Preakness field. He is, once again, likely to have ground to make up on his main rivals in the stretch, but he has no distance issues to contend with, and he is the strongest finisher in the field.

WEAKNESSES: While he was well clear of 16 other horses when fourth in the Derby, he also worked out one of the better overall trips in that race and was still no match for the three horses that finished in front of him. While he doesn’t have to be last early, a slow pace still plays more to the advantage of his main rivals, who are all more tactical early. He has always been given at least 35 days between starts since beginning his career in October, so wheeling back two weeks after the most demanding race of his life is some- thing new for him.

BETTING VALUE: The two Bob Baffert-trained runners in the field add a level of difficulty to his task, but the fact that he has already defeated the Kentucky Derby winner (he did so convinc- ingly in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn in January) suggests that his morning-line price of 6-1 is more than fair.

SIRE: Florida Derby and Donn Handicap winner Constitition, by fellow classic sire Tapit, is best known as the sire of four-time Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, who won the pandemic-adjusted 2020 Belmont Stakes at nine furlongs, but then won the Travers Stakes and was second in the Kentucky Derby, both at 10 furlongs. Consti- tution’s ability to produce stamina also is evidenced in Chile, where he is a successful shuttle sire. His top runners there include Horse of the Year Breakpoint, a Group 1 winner at up to 12 furlongs before coming to the United States to win the Grade 2 San Juan Capistrano at 1 3/4 miles; and champion Niquense, also a winner at 12 furlongs.

DAM: Catch My Drift, also by a classic sire, won the Summer Colony Stakes at Saratoga and was third in the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont, both at nine furlongs. She is the dam of three winners from as many starters, with Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom joined by Bishops Bay, a Grade 3 runner-up in both the Ohio Derby and Peter Pan last year; and Strava, who was third in the Ellis Park Derby.

OUTLOOK: For middle to route two-turn distances, it’s nigh impossible to poke holes in Catching Freedom’s pedigree.

STRENGTHS: Muth’s attributes include Grade 1 class, speed, pace, and consistency. Barred from the Kentucky Derby, Muth enters the Preakness fresh following a six-week break after a perfect-trip victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in which he earned a solid 98 Beyer Speed Figure. He finished more than six lengths clear of next-out Derby winner Mystik Dan, who admit- tedly had a bad trip. Muth’s three Grade 1 routes produced two wins and a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He finished first or second in all six starts. A division leader since last summer, Muth’s pressing style allows him to create his own trip. On fundamental handicapping – speed, pace, class, and condition – Muth checks every box. His trainer, Bob Baffert, is 8 for 23 in spring editions of the Preakness, including last year’s winner National Treasure, who, like Muth, did not run in the Derby.

WEAKNESSES: In his career-best victory last out in the Arkansas Derby, Muth benefited from three key factors – perfect trip pressing the pace in the clear, a complete misfire by favorite Timberlake, and a bad trip by Mystik Dan. It’s not a weakness, merely acknowledgment that Muth caught every break. While Arkansas Derby third-place finisher Mystik Dan won the Derby next out, the runner-up, Just Steel, who had a pressing trip simi- lar to Muth, finished 17th. Muth’s rider, Juan Hernandez, has never ridden at Pimlico. Again, it’s not a weakness. It is merely recogni- tion the jockey riding the favorite is not familiar with the racetrack.

BETTING VALUE: Muth is the most probable winner of the Preakness, but he is not invincible. Fair value in the win pool would be 8-5. Anything lower represents an underlay.

SIRE: Good Magic, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and divisional Eclipse Award champion, won the 2018 Blue Grass to make himself one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby. After finishing a strong second to Triple Crown winner Justify, he added another Grade 1 to his résumé in that summer’s Haskell. Good Magic, by two-time Horse of the Year and prominent stamina source Curlin, is the sire of 17 stakes winners to date from his first three crops, led by 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. He also is the sire of Blazing Sevens, a close second in last year’s Preakness.

DAM: Muth is the first foal out of Hoppa, who got her only win at six furlongs; second dam Handoverthecat also scored her only wins at six furlongs. Muth is the only stakes winner under his first two dams. Under the third dam, prominent runners begin to appear, including Grade/Group 1 winners Hit the Road and War Commandt. Hoppa’s sire, Uncle Mo, is the newly minted broodmare sire of Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna.

OUTLOOK: On paper, Muth’s female family suggests speed, and you have to go well back to find serious class. But the colt is a multi- ple Grade 1 winner around two turns, which may indicate just how powerful Good Magic, and the Curlin line, can be as a source of stamina.

STRENGTHS: The Kentucky Derby winner posted a 100 Beyer in that exhilarating score, the second time he’s posted a triple- digit figure in his career. None of his rivals in the Preakness has cracked that barrier, with the highest figure amongst the others the 98 Beyer that Muth put up in the Arkansas Derby. This colt has the ability to stay close if need be, but he clearly has a good clos- ing kick. That versatility should enable him to work out a favorable trip, regardless of how the race flow develops.

WEAKNESSES: He was a bit lucky to win the Kentucky Derby, saving all the ground thanks to a tremendous ride from jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., and he was all-out to hold on after slipping through on the rail. The 100 Beyer he posted in that race is obvi- ously appealing, but the fact is he regressed the only other time he posted a triple-digit figure, three back, when he was a remote third behind two of Saturday’s rivals, Muth and Just Steel.

BETTING VALUE: He’s the second choice on the morning line at 5-2, and in order to get value in this race horsesplayers will need to try to beat either this one or Muth, the 8-5 favorite. It seems more likely this colt will regress off that last line than move forward, and while he’d hardly be a surprise, it may be worthwhile trying to beat him at about 5-2 or so, as he doesn’t figure to get as fortuitous a trip as he did in Louisville.

SIRE: Newly minted classic sire Goldencents is continuing to extend the accomplishments for the line of his sire, five-time reign- ing leading stallion Into Mischief, a classic sire in his own right. Goldencents won the Santa Anita Derby. He later cut back to shorter distances, and twice won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. A prominent young sire, many of his offspring have excelled at middle two-turn distances, including Louisiana Derby winner By My Standards; millionaire multiple graded stakes winner Mr. Money; and turf Grade 1 winner Going to Vegas.

DAM: This is the first runner out of the winning mare Ma’am, who got all her victories at a mile or longer, on both dirt and turf. She is a half-sister to Revamp, a highweight older horse in Greece who won at up to 1 5/16 miles. This is the family of Grade 1-winning juveniles Laragh and Siphonic. Graded stakes winner No More Time comes from this extended family.

OUTLOOK: With Into Mischief siring multiple top-level horses at the classic distance, and several of his sons siring Grade/Group 1 winners around two turns, the entire line must be considered a threat in major events. That was borne out when Mystik Dan stamped Goldencents as a classic sire in the Kentucky Derby. If the colt can handle the two-week turnaround that trainer Kenny McPeek has discussed at length, he can surely handle the slightly shorter distance of the Preakness.

STRENGTHS: Talent. The day after he won a February allow- ance over a deep field his Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, pegged him as a candidate for the Preakness – a race Lukas has won six times. Seize the Grey has proven to be a versatile horse in a variety of ways. He’s a winner at one and two turns – in races that have come over different tracks. He’s also won from both on and off the pace, on fast and wet surfaces, and under different riders. Along the way, he’s kept some good company. Seize the Grey won his maiden at Saratoga over Dornoch, who would go on to capture both the Remsen and Fountain of Youth. And last fall, Seize the Grey was a close fourth to West Saratoga in the Iroquois.

WEAKNESSES: The Beyer Speed Figures he has put up to date are lacking compared to the top choices in the Preakness. He earned an 88 last time out winning the Pat Day Mile, which lags behind the last-race numbers of 100 from Mystik Dan and 98 from Muth. He’s also seeking to win beyond 1 1/16 miles for the first time, but does get pedigree support for added ground.

BETTING VALUE: He could be 10-1 or higher despite the fact that he’s coming off a Grade 2 win in the Pay Day Mile. He was prominent in the one-turn race and could get an ideal tracking trip off Muth and Imagination, perhaps entering the stretch in position to spring the upset or fill out the exotics.

SIRE: This is the last of three crops by champion Arrogate, who made his legend by ripping through Grade 1 triumphs at route distances in the Travers Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup, and Dubai World Cup. He has passed on the stamina of the Unbridled line to his offspring, with his standouts including Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath in his first crop and Belmont and Travers stakes winner and champion Arcangelo in his second crop.

DAM: Smart Shopping, stakes-placed at about a mile, is the dam of two winners from as many starters, with Seize the Grey joined by Shoppingforpharoah, who is stakes-placed at a mile on turf. Smart Shopping is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning juvenile Power Broker, and this is the family of Grade 1 Personal Ensign winner Miss Shop. Broodmare sire Smart Strike was represented by two Preakness winners.

OUTLOOK: Stamina on both sides of this page is one of the best assets for Seize the Grey, coming off a Grade 2 win at a mile.

STRENGTHS: The race he ran in the Arkansas Derby two starts ago would put him right in the thick of things in the Preakness. He finished second to Muth – the morning-line favorite Saturday – and in front of Mystik Dan, who returned in his next start to win the Kentucky Derby. The Arkansas Derby was one of four Grade 1 appearances to date by Just Steel, who is appealing as a runner battle-tested at the top level of the game. He also has speed, and from his somewhat outside post might settle into a nice stalking position off Muth, Imagination, and Seize the Grey. Just Steel’s trainer, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, is a six-time winner of the Preakness. Jockey Joel Rosario, who is set to enter the Hall of Fame, reunites with Just Steel on Saturday, and he’s been aboard for both of his wins – a maiden score at Saratoga and the Ed Brown at Churchill.

WEAKNESSES: Just Steel finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby last out and ended up well behind the two other runners from the classic who return in the Preakness – Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom, who was fourth. Just Steel has yet to win around two turns and has yet to win a graded stakes. He’s also yet to win a race this season, although he’s run second in a series of stakes at 3.

BETTING VALUE: Excellent. He’s one who could go off at 12-1 or higher and he’s been known to rebound from a double-digit defeat with a top performance. He did so in the Arkansas Derby, with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

SIRE: Justify, winner of the 2018 Triple Crown, has had a stellar start to his stud career, with 28 stakes winners worldwide from his first two crops, through May 7. Those include Eclipse Award cham- pion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I, who was second in the Kentucky Oaks; European champions City of Troy and Opera Singer; and Australian champion Learning to Fly. Justify has inherited the versatility of his own sire, multiple Grade 1 winner Scat Daddy. That late stallion not only sired a Grade 1 winner at 1 1/2 miles on dirt in Justify, he sired the likes of crack turf sprinter Lady Aure- lia, a European champion. Justify’s Grade 1 winners last year included everything from a dirt sprinter in Arabian Lion to a turf router in Aspen Grove.

DAM: Irish Lights, who won the Australian 1000 Guineas, is the dam of five winners from as many starters. Those include Omei Sword, a Group 2 winner in Australia at up to six furlongs; and Lipizzaner, a stakes winner in England at up to six furlongs. This is the extended family of champion Timber Country, winner of the 1995 Preakness Stakes after finishing third in the Kentucky Derby, and 1996 Derby third-place finisher Prince of Thieves.

OUTLOOK: Although Justify was a route runner who has sired some of the same, there are many other speed influences in the first generations of Just Steel’s family.

STRENGTHS: He scored a convincing maiden win in his two-turn debut at the end of January, then improved right away finishing third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby over the Preak- ness distance. He earned a solid 95 Beyer for that Louisiana Derby effort while making just the third start of his career. He was the morning-line favorite for last weekend’s Peter Pan in New York but was scratched and re-routed here by trainer Chad Brown, who has won the Preakness twice before, both times with horses that had only three prior starts after skipping the Kentucky Derby – nota- bly both of those prior Preakness winners, Cloud Computing and Early Voting, improved to Beyers of 100-plus winning this race, after having identical Beyer tops of 96 on the way in.

WEAKNESSES: Despite the talent that he has shown to this point, he is still giving away a lot in terms of experience with only three starts, and nothing more than a maiden win to his credit. While he earned a competitive figure in his Louisiana Derby third, he had a very good trip in that race and was in position when things were still wide open in midstretch, and he simply could not finish with Catching Freedom. He also seemed to struggle a bit late in that race, which was contested over the Preakness distance.

BETTING VALUE: While he appears to have talent for top connections, he is not going to get lost in this field of nine and is likely to be even lower than his Louisiana Derby odds at post time, despite having to improve to contend with the favorites in this race. There are things to like with Tuscan Gold but would require more than 10-1 before getting interested.

SIRE: Like many horses from the Sadler’s Wells-El Prado line, Medaglia d’Oro ran his best at a route of ground and improved with age. He scored Grade 1 wins in the 2002 Travers Stakes and 2003 Whitney Handicap. He has been a versatile and successful sire throughout his career. Although he has sired multiple Grade 1-winning sprinters – including Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Bar of Gold – his accomplishments have tended toward two turns, on both dirt and turf. His best-known runner in North America is Rachel Alexandra, who doubled in the Kentucky Oaks and Preakness in her 2009 Horse of the Year campaign.

DAM: Tuscan Gold is one of two winners from as many starters out of Valadorna, a daughter of classic sire Curlin. Valadorna was Grade 1-placed as a juvenile, but improved with age, winning the Grade 3 Doubledogdare. She also was graded stakes-placed on turf. The mare is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning juvenile Complexity, also a Grade 2 winner at a mile as an older horse.

OUTLOOK: While there’s variety on both sides of the pedigree, overall, the combination of these two parents suggests that Tuscan Gold will be at his best going two turns on dirt. Judging by the development of both Medaglia d’Oro and Valadorna, it also stands to reason that this colt could continue developing into his 3-year- old season and beyond.

STRENGTHS: From the same barn as 8-5 morning-line favor ite Muth, he’s “the other” Baffert, and seasoned horseplayers are aware of how deadly this angle can be. This colt does have strong merits of his own. He has proven speed in a race lacking a clear-cu pace scenario, as Muth is the other main speed and the stablemates are very unlikely to hook up in the early stages. His connections are a clear edge, as Bob Baffert has won this race eight times, a record, and this colt comes into this race sporting some smar works since a game try in the Santa Anita Derby. He’s never been worse than second in any of his six starts to date, and while he has proven speed, he also can rate and make one run if need be.

WEAKNESSES: Could not put away Stronghold in the lane in the Santa Anita Derby despite every chance to win that race, and he regressed a bit in terms of Beyers. He was game in the San Felipe score, but that was against only three rivals. While he’s never been out of the exacta in six career starts, he has not faced fields close to the quality of this group.

BETTING VALUE: He’s listed at 6-1 on the morning line and that’s an enticing price for a horse from this barn who also could be the controlling speed. He’s certainly worth using in all slots if he’s at or near that price at post time.

SIRE: Five-time reigning leading sire Into Mischief is the sire of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner and close Preakness runner-up Authentic, who went on to take the Breeders’ Cup Classic and be Horse of the Year. Into Mischief was credited with another Derby winner as Mandaloun was promoted to the 2021 win after cross ing the line second. However, Into Mischief had been knocking a the door in the classics prior to that. Audible won the 2018 Florida Derby before finishing third to champions Justify and Good Magic in the Kentucky Derby. The following year, Owendale was third in the Preakness. Into Mischief is the sire of other two-turn standouts like Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous and Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River.

DAM: Multiple stakes winner Magical Feeling only won at up to seven furlongs, with her biggest win coming in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap. However, she has produced stamina as a brood mare. Her six winners from seven starters include four stakes winners, among those Imagination. The colt’s full sister Occul won the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last year and was third in the Grade 1 Cotillion, Grade 1 Acorn, and Grade 2 Mother Goose. Exult ing, a winner at up to 1 1/8 miles, scored his richest stakes win in the Oaklawn Mile. Magical also is a stakes winner beyond a mile Magical Feeling’s other two winners both did so beyond a mile including Times Square at 1 1/4 miles.

OUTLOOK: This is one of the most potent and classy pedigrees in this field, the type made to conquer big events.