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As the second jewel in American Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, the Preakness is traditionally the next step for horses that competed in the first jewel, the Kentucky Derby, chief among them the Derby winner.

Most Preakness contenders are therefore veterans of the Derby trail, familiar to fans following the preps leading up to the "Run for the Roses," such as the Florida Derby, Louisiana Derby, Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass, and Arkansas Derby. If these three-year-olds scored enough points in these races to make the Derby field, they nearly always take up their spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs.

On rare occasions, however, an eligible horse might skip the Derby and point for the Preakness. This decision is usually taken when connections (owners and trainers) believe that their runner is too immature and inexperienced for the hurly-burly of a 20-horse brawl in the Derby. The Preakness at Pimlico is limited to a maximum of 14 starters, making it a more approachable task for horses that are still learning the game.

Such a newcomer to Triple Crown racing is called a "new shooter," meaning that the horse didn't run in the Derby.

But the vast majority of new shooters in the Preakness are those who didn't qualify for the Derby, typically because they didn't develop soon enough to tackle the major points races. These improving types have risen through the ranks in other stakes. Laurel's Federico Tesio has historically identified the leading local hope, while the Illinois Derby and Churchill's Derby Trial (held just a week before the Derby) have recently become stepping stones to the Preakness.