Now that the dust has settled down after a thrilling race at the Kentucky Derby 2024, the horse racing world has other things to look forward to. And fans won’t have to search far and wide, with the prestigious Preakness Stakes arriving in Maryland this Saturday. With some of the horses that ran at the Kentucky Derby returning to action after two weeks, the Pimlico Race Course will still be a very different affair.

Mystik Dan, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, is set to start the race from post 5. On the other hand, the iconic horse trainer Bob Baffert will also be looking to compensate for his absence at Churchill Downs with his ninth win at the Preakness Stakes (Muth will be racing from post 4). And yet, despite such a staked line-up, one underdog is making connoisseurs get their hopes high.

A recent post by BloodHorse on X (formerly called Twitter) has come forward with some startling revelations. The post, captioned “Preakness draw is complete“, shows some bewildering details that horse racing fans might not have taken into account previously. It shows that the Pennsylvania-bred Uncle Heavy boasts eyebrow-raising 20-1 odds. While fans might be left scratching their heads about such a strange thing, the fact that Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the colt might make things easier to comprehend.

While Ortiz’s Kentucky Derby didn’t end well (riding on Domestic Product, the duo finished 13th), he did win the coveted St Matthews Stakes only days prior to that. And now, with another chance to redeem himself, it waits to be seen if Uncle Heavy and Irad can pull off a spectacle at the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans. But it won’t be an easy task.

A stellar show awaits at the Preakness Stakes

The contenders to win the Preakness Stakes are aplenty. Mystik Dan will be looking to bag the middle jewel with a bid to win the Triple Crown this year while Catching Freedom and Just Steel will also be taking to the racecourse after their failed shot at winning the Run For The Roses a couple of weeks ago. On the other hand, Baffert will have a dual chance at winning the weekend’s race with both Muth and Imagination geared up for the Preakness Stakes. Furthermore, Mystik Dan will be returning with his Kentucky Derby-winning rider, Brian Hernandez Jr. And yet, with the final breezes turned in, it looks like Uncle Heavy has more than a fighting chance.

“He just worked great“, said Uncle Heavy’s trainer, Butch Reid, after the horse clocked the third-fastest breeze among the 34 submissions at Parx Racing. Now, as new challenges beckon the world’s top horse racing figures, it waits to be seen if the confidence shown by experts and fans in Uncle Heavy’s dreams of winning the upcoming race is given the treatment it deserves.