Journalism is nearly the odds-on favorite to win the Preakness. Post time is set for 7:01 p.m. EDT

BALTIMORE (AP) - Journalism is nearly the odds-on favorite to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

The Kentucky Derby runner-up was bet down to 6-5 just over an hour before the 150th running of the middle leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. Post time is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. EDT at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Journalism opened as the 8-5 morning line favorite in a field of nine that does not include Derby winner Sovereignty, whose owners and trainer Bill Mott decided to skip the Preakness given the two-week turnaround and aim for the Belmont Stakes.

Bob Baffert is going for a record-extending 18th victory in a Triple Crown race with Goal Oriented. Fellow Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas can tie Baffert's mark of eight Preakness wins if American Promise finishes first, after being 16th out of 19 in the Derby.

This is set to be the last Preakness at the old Pimlico before it's torn down and rebuilt. The Preakness is scheduled to be held at nearby Laurel Park, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., next year before a planned return to the new Pimlico in 2027.