Preakness betting tells us that the second jewel of the Triple Crown is a shorter race than the Kentucky Derby and much shorter than the Belmont Stakes.Preakness Stakes betting is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland over a track that is narrower than many tracks which can mean that handling the turns is very important. Post positions can also be a factor in Preakness.
Preakness post positions don’t get as much attention as those in the Kentucky Derby but they can be important. Horses that are on the inside don’t have nearly the disadvantage as they do in the Derby. Outside pots positions are also not as much of a problem in Preakness . Pimlico is usually thought of as a speed track which should mean that the inside posts would be successful in Preakness Stakes betting. In the last 14 years that has not been the case in Preakness . The first three post positions have not had a winner in Preakness since Tabasco Cat won in 1994. Going back over the last 10 years in Preakness Stakes betting most of the winners have come from the outside posts. 60% of the Preakness betting winners have come from post #8 or farther out.
Post positions have some history in Preakness but really the only thing that they tell us is that the inside posts have not done very well in recent history. That does not mean they can’t win, it just means they have had a bad run of success in Preakness recently. The Preakness doesn’t have the large field that the Derby does, so traffic is not as much of a problem and post positions are not as critical.
As you look at Preakness Stakes and begin your handicapping, don’t forget about the post positions. They are not as critical as they were in the Kentucky Derby but they still hold some relevance, especially if the horse you like in Preakness betting is stuck on the inside. If that is the case you may want to downgrade or discard that horse altogether based on recent Preakness history.