Preakness Stakes betting anticipation continues to grow for the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series as gamblers will bet Preakness Stakes odds on May 15th.
The dynamics of the Preakness Stakes have changed in recent years as this race has evolved into something of a “vulture” situation in which well rested horses that were held out of the Kentucky Derby will end up running against the Derby winner that is coming off two short weeks of rest after running in that longer distance of a race.
Preakness Stakes betting will feature the Kentucky Derby winning horse going up against some of the top horses in the word on the Preakness Stakes odds board. Last year provided a classic example of how the race now works. Mine That Bird was coming off a shocking win at the Kentucky Derby at 50-1 and went on to the Preakness Stakes as a new found favorite and, of course, the chance to win the Triple Crown and be the first horse to do so since 1978. As Mine That Bird prepared for the Preakness Stakes, one of the greatest fillies of all time was entered for the race to challenge him.
Rachel Alexandra, who was held out of the Kentucky Derby, immediately became a sensation with gamblers and the media and soon became the favorite in Preakness betting. More importantly, she did not have to go through the considerable stress of running at Churchill Downs against the most elite horses in the world at a mile and a quarter distance. The Preakness is a shorter race at one and three sixteenth miles and Rachel Alexandra ‘s fresher legs were the distance as she was able to hold off a late charge from Mine That Bird to win the Preakness and become the fifth filly of all time to do so and the first since 1924 when Nellie Morse did it.
The Preakness will be run for the 135th time this year and will attract the second largest attendance number in horse racing for the entire season except for the Kentucky Derby itself. That makes for exciting Preakness Stakes odds
The Preakness offers a huge payout from a $1 million purse that many horse racing owners cannot resist. Some horses are deliberately kept out the Kentucky Derby with that in mind as their owners believe they will have a better shot for a big payout at the Preakness.