A Closer Look at 2023 Preakness Stakes Field With NBC’s Britney Eurton

Racing
Britney Eurton Blazing Sevens Rodeo Creek Racing Champagne Stakes Preakness Pimlico
Britney Eurton interviews the owners of Preakness contender Blazing Sevens after his win in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in October 2022 at Aqueduct. (Eclipse Sportswire)

NBC will provide extensive coverage of the 148th Preakness Stakes on Saturday from Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner Mage will attempt to take the next step toward becoming the 14th Triple Crown winner in racing history.

weekend TV schedule

Thursday, May 18: 3-7 p.m. on FS2; post time varies on FanDuel TV

Friday, May 19:
1-8:30 p.m. on FS2; 8:30-11:30 p.m. on FS1; post time varies on FanDuel TV

Saturday, May 20:
12:30-6:30 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. on FS2; 1-4:30 p.m. on CNBC; 4:30-7:30 p.m. on NBC; post time varies on FanDuel TV

Sunday, May 21:
12:30-4:50 p.m. on FS2; post time varies on FanDuel TV

Coverage runs from 1-4:30 p.m. ET on CNBC before shifting to NBC from 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET.  The entire Preakness Day broadcast will also be available for streaming on Peacock and accessible on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Peacock will also livestream the 98th George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and other Pimlico races Friday, May 19, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. The Preakness is run at 1 3/16 miles and carries a purse of $1.65 million.

Highly-respected analyst Britney Eurton, who grew up in racing as the daughter of West Coast-based trainer Peter Eurton, will serve as an expert commentator.

Eurton examined the prospects of a number of the race’s top contenders as part of a wide-ranging question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing.

PEDULLA: Does it hurt Mage’s chances that he drew post three?

EURTON: I don’t think so. With only eight horses in the field, they have a long run into that first turn and he’s the type of horse that is going to be coming from off of it anyway. I think he’ll be a little more tactical than he was in the Kentucky Derby, of course, but I don’t see post position three being any kind of issue for him. He’s been in behind horses before.

Mage Kentucky Derby Preakness Pimlico Javier Castellano Triple Crown
Mage winning Kentucky Derby (Eclipse Sportswire)

PEDULLA: Mage has a history of slow starts. Could that hurt his cause in the Preakness?

EURTON: I thought it was going to affect him in the Kentucky Derby with 18 horses in the field. It was my biggest concern about Mage and why I didn’t pick him in that race. I was on hand for the Florida Derby. I saw exactly what he did. He broke last. It was a troubled trip. Man, did he run a bang-up race. Obviously, Forte ran a bang-up race that day, too [to win by one length]. But I thought, ‘There is no way he can get away with this in the Kentucky Derby.’ I also thought lightly-raced horse. He’s going to lose his mind in front of all of these people, which he did. And he still won. I’m eating my words now because this horse is just a supreme talent.

PEDULLA: With Commonwealth having a 25% stake in Mage, is this a boon to the microshare movement?

EURTON: I think it’s great for those who follow the sport or want to get involved in the sport and don’t know how. We saw it earlier with MyRacehorse and Authentic [the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner] and now we’re seeing it with Commonwealth. I have heard so many stories come out of the Kentucky Derby of people who spent $50 to buy a part of Mage and they had one of the most memorable experiences of their entire life. If it’s a way of growing the sport, I am all for it.

PEDULLA: Do you see microshares as a key way to delivering younger fans?

EURTON: Yes, I do, because it’s more affordable. If younger fans don’t have the means to get involved in horse racing, this is their opportunity to do so by feeling they have a stake in a horse at a smaller expense.

PEDULLA: Mage is the only horse to go on to the Preakness from the Kentucky Derby. Is there anything to be read into that?

EURTON: Where we’re at now in horse racing, more spacing is what trainers want. So, if you take away anything from what most trainers have said coming out of the Kentucky Derby, a lot of the runners ran a hard race. They didn’t want to run their horses back in two weeks. There is a lot of discussion about the spacing of the Triple Crown, but we did see it is possible with Justify in 2018. We might very well see it is possible with Mage.

PEDULLA: Can the undefeated filly Faiza, who is running in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday at Pimlico, be a threat to the boys down the road?

EURTON: I’m not convinced of that yet. I think her most recent race was easily her best race and she’s the type of horse that, in my mind, is getting better with each and every start. We’ll see how she fares against runners outside of her state and then she’ll need to continue to progress. I don’t think of Bob [Baffert] as one who often races his females against the boys. So, she would have to be something quite special.

PEDULLA: How impressive was First Mission in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (NOTE: First Mission was scratched from the Preakness May 19.)?

EURTON: I am on the fence about First Mission. What I didn’t like was his late lead change. That, for me, was a bit of an issue for First Mission going a mile and a sixteenth at Keeneland. I was not sold by his Lexington Stakes, but he is fast enough to compete and he could get the jump on the other runners.

PEDULLA: Can Baffert win a record eighth Preakness with National Treasure?

EURTON: They didn’t seem too pleased with the inside post position [rail], so their hand is forced. Blinkers go on, drew the rail, we know what is going to happen there. That horse is going to get to the lead for John Velazquez. I need to see more from National Treasure, but he could be coming into his best form.

PEDULLA: Trainer Chad Brown has skipped the Derby three times now to target the Preakness. The first two times produced wins with Cloud Computing (2017) and last year with Early Voting. Now, he’s trying it with Blazing Sevens. Is this a tactic we will see more of?

Perform Federico Tesio Stakes Preakness 2023 Triple Crown Shug McGaughey
Federico Tesio Stakes winner Perform (Eclipse Sportswire)

EURTON: I don’t see why not. It’s worked for Chad, right? The Preakness is an incredibly prestigious and lucrative race. I would not be surprised if that is an angle that trainers start to take, especially if you have connections that have been to the Derby before. If you haven’t been to the Derby, it’s really hard to say, ‘We’re going to skip it.’

PEDULLA: How about a live longshot?

EURTON: Perform is interesting to me because the connections saw fit to spend $150,000 to supplement this horse. His numbers are not fast enough yet. But if you notice what he’s done in his seven-race career, he’s getting progressively better each and every race. And perhaps the lightbulb went on two starts ago because he has back-to-back victories, won the local prep for the Preakness, and the connections are bullish enough to spend $150,000.

PEDULLA: How about your top three?

EURTON: This is going to be so chalky of me, but I just don’t see it going another way. Let’s go Mage, National Treasure, and Perform.  

newsletter sign-up

Stay up-to-date with the best from America's Best Racing!

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram TikTok YouTube
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram TikTok YouTube