Preakness odds almost always have the Kentucky Derby winner as the favorite as the horse tries to stay alive for the Triple Crown. Let’s take a look at Preakness Stakes betting. Preakness Stakes betting shows that the race is run at 1 3/16 miles which is just slightly shorter than the Kentucky Derby. It usually has between 8 and 12 horses in the field, far smaller than the full field of 20 in the Kentucky Derby. Unlike the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes betting is a favorite’s race. Preakness odds will have the favorite in the 2-1 range and throughout history the favorite in Preakness Stakes betting has done pretty well. With the smaller field the favorite in Preakness Stakes betting should always get a serious look from you in your handicapping.
Handicapping Preakness odds is a bit different than the Kentucky Derby but you can keep things simple. You want to look for a horse in Preakness betting that has won Grade 1 races in the past. Usually that will include the Kentucky Derby winner, but not always. Sometimes the Derby winner will come in as a horse that upset the field like Giacomo in 2005 and not be a horse you want in Preakness Stakes betting. You will also find in Preakness odds some horses that didn’t run in the Derby but are now in the Preakness. You normally don’t want to bet these horses because they rarely win in Preakness Stakes betting.
With Preakness betting you usually want a horse that shows some speed because closers don’t have as much ground for a big kick as they do in the Kentucky Derby or the Belmont. Rarely does a horse come from way back and win in Preakness betting. Betting the Preakness is not that much different than betting a normal horse race. You want a horse with class, experience, form and one that has the speed and pace to win the Preakness .