The post positions were issued for the 2011 Preakness Stakes on Wednesday afternoon and Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was slotted into the 11th slot. Now that the post positions have been released, new odds are also issued to reflect how the draw affects the favorites and underdogs. Although Animal Kingdom did not get the optimal draw, his spot did not remove him as the favorite. He currently sits at 2-1. Here is a rundown of the entire 14-horse field based on their current post position:
No. 1 Astrology - 15-1
No. 2 Norman Asborjson - 30-1
No. 3 King Congie - 20-1
No. 4 Flashpoint - 20-1
No. 5 Shackleford - 12-1
No. 6 Sway Away - 15-1
No. 7 Midnight Interlude - 15-1
No. 8 Dance City - 12-1
No. 9 Mucho Macho Man - 6-1
No. 10 Dialed In - 9-2
No. 11 Animal Kingdom - 2-1
No. 12 Isn't He Perfect - 30-1
No. 13 Concealed Identity - 30-1
No. 14 Mr. Commons - 20-1
Those odds are based on Maryland oddsmaker Frank Carulli's assessment of the field. That link includes some commentary on the various horses, and based on what they have to say, an interesting underdog might be 20-1 Flashpoint. It would certainly be fitting for another 20-1 underdog to pull off the upset following Animal Kingdom's own upset at Churchill Downs. Given Animal Kingdom's upset victory, it will be interesting to see whether or not he's suddenly a little too over-valued at 2-1.
The 2011 Preakness Stakes gets underway on May 21 at Pimlico racetrack. Stay with our 2011 Preakness Stakes StoryStream for odds, contender profiles, post positions and more. To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby and Preakness fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.