The $1 million Cotillion Stakes September 24 at Parx features a true clash of the titans as the six-horse field is headlined by the undefeated, five-time grade 1 winner Songbird who figures to face the most stern challenge of her career. 
In a completely wide open renewal of the Presque Isle Mile September 18 at Presque Isle Downs, 13 runners including the also-eligible will contest the eight furlong trip over synthetic footing. 
Champion Songbird is set to make her much-anticipated return to the races in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Grade 2 event will be run at a mile and a sixteenth and has attracted a field of seven. 
With the prestigious Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap included as part of the Belmont Stakes undercard June 11 at Belmont Park, there are plenty of appealing reasons for bettors to tune in early. 
Entries will be drawn on Wednesday for the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes (G1), but the field of probable contenders has begun to take shape. The Belmont Stakes (G1) will be contested at a mile and a half and will offer a purse of $1.5 million on Saturday, June 11. 
The all-but-unbeaten filly Catch A Glimpse will take on six male rivals Saturday in the $500,000 Penn Mile, a race that features a tough and evenly matched field. 
The 141st Preakness certainly has the look of an event where the top two betting choices and finishers in the Kentucky Derby - Nyquist and Exaggerator - might have to fall down to finish worse than third. 
The weekend forecast is calling for the possibility of heavy rain for Saturday, setting the stage for a track that could be muddy to sloppy. That raises the question of how track conditions could come into play in the Preakness. 
While all the horses in the Kentucky Derby field are the same age, there is a difference when it comes to how much experience they have on the track and winning races.