Authentic comes into Saturday's Preakness Stakes _ the final leg of this unorthodox Triple Crown _ fresh off a decisive Kentucky Derby victory and with no challenge from his top rival in that race.
Belmont Stakes winner and beaten Derby favorite Tiz the Law is looking forward to the Breeders' Cup Classic next month, but the Bob Baffert-trained Authentic will still have plenty of competition Saturday.
Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector, the possible second choice in the Derby until he was sidelined with a minor injury the week of the race, is back and ready to go. Star filly Swiss Skydiver, the Kentucky Oaks runner-up, will also be among the top challengers. Thousand Words, who flipped in the Derby paddock and had to be scratched, was uninjured in that incident and returns to give Baffert another shot at a Preakness win.
Longer shots like Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News, Pneumatic and Max Player _ the only horse who will run in all three Triple Crown races this year _ are also intriguing picks for Saturday.
The Herald-Leader asked nearly 20 horse racing aficionados from around the country for their Preakness predictions, and _ surprise, surprise _ most aren't siding with the Derby winner.
Here's what the experts had to say.
