BALTIMORE (AP) – A steady rain soaked Pimlico Race Course on Saturday morning, and the forecast for the rest of the way was anything but sunny on Preakness Day.
The National Weather Service predicted a 100 percent of rain throughout the day, along with wind at gusts of up to 20 mph.
That would mean a very soggy Preakness for Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and the other 10 horses at the 6:45 p.m. ET start.
A torrential downpour at post time last year didn’t ruin American Pharoah’s run to the Triple Crown. Nyquist trainer Doug O’Neill seemed unfazed by the possibility of saddling up his horse in the rain, with the forecast including a 70 percent chance of showers at 6 p.m.
“With a horse like Nyquist, I’m not overly concerned about the weather,” O’Neill said Friday. “As far as rain or shine, we’re not going to change anything shoeing-wise He’s going to wear the same shoes he’s got on. We’d just love to have a beautiful day.”