With Muth out of the lineup things just got a bit easier for Mystik Dan, but the odds are likely to tighten among the second and third choices.
One of the new contenders to watch for is fellow Bob Baffert trainee Imagination. He'll break from the ninth post and is coming off a close second-place finish at the Santa Anita Derby.
European jockey Frankie Dettori has never won an American Triple Crown race but believes he has a good chance aboard Imagination on Saturday.
"The horse has been good to me," Dettori said, per Bob Ehalt of BloodHorse. "We won the San Felipe and were second in the Santa Anita Derby. He's a solid horse who has never been out of the top two (in six career starts)."
Imagination has been remarkably consistent as a three-year-old and has the speed to battle it out with Mystik Dan if the race plays out to his favor. He'll need to grab the pace early and hope that it's slow enough on a potentially sloppy track that he can make the final push to win.
The other name to watch out for is Catching Freedom. The Brad H. Cox horse ran a solid fourth at the Kentucky Derby, just off of the top three in the photo finish. It's becoming increasingly rare for those who finished out of the money in the Derby to make the turnaround for the Preakness.
The fact that Cox is entering Catching Freedom is a good indicator he believes in his chances.
Those chances got even better with Muth out of the lineup. The shorter Preakness doesn't typically favor closers, but jockey Flavien Prat has another race aboard the colt under his belt and he could take advantage if there's an early battle for the pace involving Mystik Dan or Imagination.
If you're looking for a longshot with a real shot at pulling off the upset then Just Steel is worth a look. The son of Justify finished over Mystik Dan in the Arkansas Derby and a speed figure of 100 on his resume.
He was on the early pace at the Kentucky Derby and the distance proved to be too much. A different trip and a more conservative early approach could give him a chance to shock the field down the stretch.
Ultimately, things are breaking well for Mystik Dan to contend for the second jewel and head to the Belmont with a shot at making history. There's other talent in the field, but with Muth gone, there's no one that should be outright favored over the Derby champion.
