The Preakness at Laurel Park has a little bit of everything but the Kentucky Derby winner

Except for going for the Triple Crown, the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes has a little bit of everything.

The Preakness features a that has never hosted the event, a field of some of the best 3-year-old colts in the country and a couple of chances to .

鈥淭his is a great race,鈥� Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Bill Knauf said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 14 horses: a great betting race. Incredibly hard handicapping race. And you don鈥檛 always have those.鈥�

After Cherie DeVaux decided not to enter two weeks after his in the Derby, there is 鈥� 鈥� no obvious horse to beat. Six horses

First and likely last Preakness at Laurel Park

The second leg of the Triple Crown moved for a one-time performance while Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore gets rebuilt from the ground up. The plan is for the Preakness to return to its traditional home next year, mid-construction, with the full Pimlico back in 2028.

Many of the top trainers have limited experience at Laurel, which will host the Preakness at the same 1 3/16-mile length.

鈥淚鈥檝e run horses there sparingly,鈥� said Chad Brown, who has Iron Honor. 鈥淭he change for this year isn鈥檛 going to stop me from going and kind of seeing what happens.鈥�

Tactically, the stretch run at Laurel is shorter than many tracks. The finish line comes 1,089 feet after the final turn, compared to 1,152 feet at Pimlico and 1,234 feet at Churchill Downs. It could be an edge for hometown horse Taj Mahal, who is unbeaten in all three of his races on the dirt course there.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to think it鈥檚 beneficial that he鈥檚 had a good two-turn run over it,鈥� trainer Brittany Russell said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 definitely in our favor.鈥�

Chances at history in the Preakness

to train a Kentucky Derby winner, following with Archangelo, to complete the Triple Crown sweep in the Preakness.

In the aftermath of following his debut race Friday, Russell is saddling Taj Mahal in the Preakness at her home track, where she started her business eight years ago and is stabled full time. Husband Sheldon is the jockey.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to keep it pretty simple,鈥� said Sheldon Russell, who’s set to take part in his fourth Preakness. 鈥淲e both do our homework. We watch replays together. It鈥檚 nice because I know him. That鈥檚 a huge advantage, I would say. I鈥檓 happy, and I鈥檓 happy it鈥檚 one of Brittany鈥檚 horses that we get to have a ride in the race with.鈥�

Ocelli is one of three Derby horses in the field, coming off finishing third as , and could accomplish something not done in more than a century: No horse has broken his maiden 鈥� picked up his first win 鈥� in the Preakness since 1888.

Looking to join 19th-century champions like Refund, Saunterer, Cloverbrook, Shirley and Culpepper, Ocelli is 0 for 7 but he did win a 2-furlong trial race in Aiken, South Carolina, that doesn’t count on his record.

鈥淎t an unrecognized racetrack and race meet, he is indeed a winner,鈥� trainer Whit Beckman said. 鈥淗e knows how to put his head across the line first.鈥�

How and what to watch in the Preakness

With a capacity of just 4,800 at Laurel Park, tickets are hard to come by this year. The Preakness is set to air on NBC and Peacock, with post time scheduled for 7:01 p.m. EDT.

Brown, who has won the Preakness twice, pointed out that the $2 million race, even without the Derby winner, carries great importance in the sport, for the rest of this year and beyond. While Golden Tempo has the spotlight now, the Preakness could bring a rival to challenge him.

鈥淢aybe there鈥檚 another star that鈥檚 going to emerge from this race and perhaps we鈥檒l be looking back at the Preakness in a few months saying, 鈥榃ow, this was the start of this particular horse鈥檚 campaign that ended up being one of the top horses,鈥欌€� Brown said. 鈥淛ust not sure that鈥檚 not clear yet until we run the race.鈥�

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AP horse racing:

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