Among the challenges of the Triple Crown are the changing dynamics of each race. The tracks are all different, as are the distances, and so, too, the composition of the fields.

BALTIMORE – He was a champion at 2, remained unbeaten through the Kentucky Derby, beating a field many thought was substandard, and his Triple Crown bid came soon after a lengthy Triple Crown drought ended, which might have initially kept him from being fully appreciated.

That was the story arc in 1977 for Seattle Slew, and there are many parallels that can be drawn to Nyquist, who will try to keep his perfect record and his Triple Crown hopes alive when he starts as the heavy favorite Saturday in the 141st Preakness Stakes here at Pimlico.

First, a brief retirement ceremony for the term “new shooters,” Preakness starters that didn’t race in the Kentucky Derby. “New shooters” has been around decades. It had a good run. Everyone is sick of it. “Horse that didn’t run in the Derby” takes a little longer to type and say, but let’s go with it.

You might call Keith Desormeaux persistent. He’d probably prefer that you call him a man of faith and conviction.

Exaggerator, trained by Desormeaux, has lost all four times he has run against Nyquist, most recently May 7 in the Kentucky Derby – and yet Desormeaux is highly optimistic that Exaggerator will emerge on top when the 141st Preakness is run Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

DRF sales editor Joe Nevills analyzes the Preakness Stakes field, in post position order, in the form of Haiku, a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Cherry Wine
Loves to split traffic
Could carve out a decent check
If he gets room late

Uncle Lino
Took the SoCal prep
First time he held position
In a two-turn race

Nyquist
The Derby winner
Haven’t seen quit in him yet
The same trip wins here

There are several key differences between the fields for the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and the Preakness on Saturday. Are they enough to change the outcome?

There was very little early speed in the Derby field, and there’s a lot in the Preakness. Eight of the 11 Preakness entrants are new shooters who did not run for the roses. Finally, the National Weather Service is predicting an inch of rain Saturday afternoon in Baltimore, making it likely that the Pimlico track will be sloppy as opposed to the fast track at Churchill.

Not every Kentucky Derby winner is capable of handling the two-week turnaround to the Preakness, but NYQUIST gives the impression that he will. He has trained with his usual gusto while at Pimlico for much of the past two weeks, acclimating to the racetrack and the surroundings.

He has yet to find a track over which he could not win. Unbeaten in eight starts, he has won at five different racetracks and in three different states.

Considering that every Preakness dating to 1985 (at least), save three (Red Bullet in 2000, Bernardini in 2006, and Rachel Alexandra in 2009), has been won by a horse exiting the Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May would seem to be a proper place to go looking for the winner of the second leg of the 2016 Triple Crown.  

There are few to choose from, with only three Derby runners electing to wheel back two weeks later in the Preakness.

There is one good reason to bet against NYQUIST – price. The odds are likely to be low for the undefeated Kentucky Derby winner. And yet the Preakness also is likely to produce the same result for Nyquist as his eight previous starts – victory.

NYQUIST made a total believer out of me with his performance in the Kentucky Derby. He was on top of a fast pace that saw the seven other horses involved early tire and wind up either soundly beaten, distant finishers, or eased. But Nyquist not only survived the Derby’s demanding early pace, he thrived, scoring decisively.