Baffert: The last man standing at Preakness

BALTIMORE — In a field without the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby, the odds that Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert wouldn’t have the favorite in the Preakness are, well, Improbable.

Baffert will seek a record-setting eighth Preakness victory Saturday with 5-2 morning line favorite Improbable, who will start from the No. 4 post in a field of 13 horses.

War of Will, the second choice at 4-1, received the No. 1 post in Wednesday’s draw.

For the first time since 1951, the Preakness will not include the four horses that crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby. Improbable finished fifth and was moved up to fourth following the disqualification of Maximum Security for interference.

It was the only time in six career races that Improbable failed to finish first or second. On Saturday, coowner Elliott Walden hopes his horse gets back on track after watching another of his horses, Justify, roll to a Triple Crown win in 2018.

“I feel like we’re favored by default this year,” Walden conceded. “But this horse has a good resume. He ran very well in the Derby without hitting the board.”

After being bunched tightly in the 19-horse Kentucky Derby, Improbable can expect a much smoother ride within a small field.

“Happy with the 4 post. Post positions here are a little bit anti-climactic,” Walden said. “There’s not a lot whole lot to it. We just hope he gets away clean and he’s able to get in a nice rhythm. “

Baffert did not attend the draw, but he will no doubt be in the center of things Saturday. Baffert and R.W. Walden, who saddled seven winners in the late 1800s, are currently tied atop the Preakness leaderboard.

War of Will, meanwhile, is stuck on the rail with the No. 1 post — the same place he started from in the Kentucky Derby, when he finished eighth and was moved up to seventh.