Preakness Stakes 2011 Horses: Animal Kingdom Remains Favorite To Win Second Leg Of Triple Crown

Less than 24 hours before the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes, Animal Kingdom remains the strong favorite. The Kentucky Derby winner, which sported 2-1 odds to lead Friday's morning line, has most recently been picked by nola.com to emerge the winner in Saturday's race.

Though talk of a Triple Crown is admittedly premature, we may as well set the table: if Animal Kingdom can live up to its short odds and take the Preakness, the Belmont is all that separates the three-year-old from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in over 30 years. Affirmed most recently won in 1978; in total, 11 horses have accomplished the feat.

The 2011 Preakness Stakes gets underway on May 21 at Pimlico racetrack. Stay with our 2011 Preakness Stakes StoryStream for odds, contender profiles, post positions and more. To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby and Preakness fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.