Bodog Beat

An exercise rider walks Preakness entrant Big Drama on the track at Pimlico Race Course. (AP images)

The condition of the dirt surface at Pimlico racetrack will surely be a factor for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

Track conditions will depend on the weather, and Friday’s forecast is a 40% chance of rain, with a high temperature of 76 degrees. Saturday calls for a 40% chance of rain with scattered thundershowers, with the temperature expected to be somewhere in the low 80’s.

If the track is wet it could be a bit laboring, but a little bit of moisture could make it ideal for Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. He skipped over a wet track at Churchill Downs to beat a similar field. A dry track would better benefit Rachel Alexander, who will likely be coming off the pace in the mid-stages of the race. Dry conditions will also be more advantageous to Pioneerof the Nile; he’s run most of his races so far on synthetic surfaces.

Get all your 2009 Preakness odds in the Bodog Racebook before the race tomorrow.