The Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown which is considered one of the most difficult achievements in sports. The Triple Crown, of course, starts with the Kentucky Derby. And while there have only been a total of 11 winners of Triple Crown, and there's no winner since Affirmed in 1978, that doesn't mean the Derby winners haven't ran well at Preakness.
In fact, according to research from And Down The Stretch They Come:
Since 1986, nine Derby winners have won at Pimlico, six have finished 2nd, and three have finished 3rd, for an overall in-the-money success rate of 18-for-24 (75%).
Animal Kingdom currently sits with 2/1 odds for Saturday's 2011 Preakness. History say that you might want to put him in your exacta or trifecta if not as the outright winner.
Here's the full list of all Kentucky Derby winners since 1986 and how they finished at the Preakness.
ELKTON, MD - MAY 17: Hot walker Noe Lagunas holds Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness entrant Animal Kingdom at the Fair Hill Training Center on May 17, 2011 in Elkton, Maryland. Animal Kingdom is training for Saturday's 136th Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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 our 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.