Preakness Stakes betting takes place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, May 15th. It is the second leg of the Triple Crown and just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. Preakness Stakes odds usually favor the Derby winner but that horse does not always win the race.
Preakness Stakes betting a year ago did not favor the Derby winner. Mine That Bird won the Derby in a big upset and he was not favored in the Preakness. Rachel Alexandra was entered in the Preakness and the filly was able to hold off Mine That Bird for the win. The Derby winner has won about half the time in recent Preakness Stakes action. That number is even higher than normal as going back in history the Derby winner has not won the Preakness half the time. The horse is favored more than half the time though.
When you consider Preakness Stakes betting there are some things to remember. The speed factor is big in this race so you normally want a horse that has the ability to get the lead or stalk the lead. Speed usually holds well at Pimlico and since it is a shorter race, you want a horse that has tactical speed. There simply is not as much time to make up ground in the Preakness with the shorter distance. Get the speed ratings in the Daily Racing Form and look at them as you consider Preakness Stakes odds. The top speed horse doesn’t always win the Preakness but he is normally a huge factor.
Another thing to note is that the Preakness field is smaller than the Derby field. There are normally between eight and ten horses although in recent years the fields have been a little bit larger. They are still smaller than the 20 horses you had in the Kentucky Derby. This means that the payoffs and the prices in the Preakness are going to be lower than they were in the Derby. You don’t need to go looking to hit a huge score with a trifecta or superfecta because the payoffs are simply not going to be as big. You don’t need to lay out as many tickets in the Preakness when you are wagering and you can keep things simple and box a few horses together. It is actually easier to handicap the Preakness with fewer horses in the race.