Nyquist Draws Post Position No. 3

Doug O'Neill couldn't have done any better if he had picked Nyquist's post position himself.

After Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner, landed the No. 3 post for the Preakness in a blind draw Wednesday, O'Neill looked like a man with a winning lottery ticket.

"The 3 is exactly what I wanted," O'Neill said. "We're very optimistic that we're going to break good and get into position."

Unbeaten in eight races, Nyquist was made the overwhelming 3-5 favorite among 11 horses in Saturday's race.

His selection as the best horse in the field was justified, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will saddle new shooter Collected.

"I'd probably be surprised if he didn't win," Baffert said about Nyquist. "He's going to be tough to beat."

Secretariat started from the 3-hole to win the 1973 Preakness, but since Prairie Bayou won in 1993, California Chrome in 2014 is the only horse to win from the third post.

Starting from the 13th post position in the Derby, Nyquist won the 20-horse race by 1¼ lengths over Exaggerator. Nyquist can expect far less traffic against a smaller field at the Preakness, which covers 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico Race Course.

"He's a very mature horse that has speed away from the gate," O'Neill said. "And he doesn't like to lose."

O'Neill enters the Preakness seeking to keep alive his hopes of winning the Triple Crown. A year ago, American Pharoah became the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Exaggerator has the best odds behind Nyquist, at 3-1. Trained by Keith Desormeaux, he drew the fifth post position.