Preakness odds can oftentimes be influenced by the jockey. As you get involved in Preakness wagering how important is the jockey? How does the influence the Preakness odds? Let’s consider the factor in regards to Preakness odds.
Preakness odds show that all of the leading jockeys in terms of wins are retired. Eddie Arcaro was the leading jockey in Preakness odds as he had six wins. He was followed by Pat Day with five wins in Preakness wagering. Current jockeys that are likely to race in Preakness odds don’t have more than one win. The jockeys with one win are Robbie Albarado, Javier Castellano, Kent Desormeaux, Victor Espinoza, Mike Smith and Alex Solis. Other jockeys like Stewart Elliott, Jeremy Rose and Patrick Valenzuela also have one win but they are unlikely to have mounts in Preakness wagering.
The factor is definitely not as important a factor in Preakness wagering as it can be in the Derby. History has shown that any jockey can win in Preakness odds and since the race is not the Derby or the Belmont, the ride by the jockey is not as critical. That is not to say the ride is not important. A can still cost you money with a poor ride in Preakness odds but it is not as likely to happen as it might be in the Kentucky Derby.
One area that you may want to look at for the factor in Preakness odds is how the jockey is doing overall this year. It seems to be that a top jockey having a great year will be on a horse in Preakness odds that has a chance to win. A Hall of Fame jockey like Desormeaux who is having a great 2008 season has already earned the mount aboard Big Brown and could definitely be someone to watch in Preakness odds.
The factor is part of overall Preakness handicapping but it is not the most important one. The speed factor, the form of the horse and the trainer factor are all more important to consider than the when handicapping the Preakness.