There will be a number of stakes races for Preakness betting weekend. The highlight of the Pimlico racing season is Preakness odds for the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 15th but there are a number of other exciting stakes races on Friday and Saturday.
Preakness betting for many people begins on Friday since there are some great races on that day including the Black-Eyed Susan. You can also play a special Daily Double with that race and tie it into Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.
The money races at Pimlico start on Friday with race #8. That will be the Jim McKay Turf Sprint for a $70,000 purse. The Very One Stakes is the 0th race, also for $70,000. The Black-Eyed Susan is the 10th race on the card for a purse of $175,000. Race #11 on Friday is the Hilltop Stakes for $70,000. The Miss Preakness Stakes is race #12 for $70,000 while the Skipat Stakes is the last race on Friday for $70,000.
Saturday is a big day for Preakness betting. The stakes races start with race 8 which is the Maryland Sprint Handicap at 6 furlongs for $100,000. It is followed by the Dixie Stakes on the turf for a purse of $200,000. The Preakness Stakes is the 10th race on the card. It is a mile and three-sixteenths for a purse of $1 million dollars and it is the race that will get the most attention in Preakness odds. It is followed by the Gallorette Handicap for $100,000. The William Donald Schaefer Stakes is race #12 for $100,000. The thirteenth race is the Chick Lang Stakes for $100,000. The James W. Murphy Stakes is next for 70,000. The last race on Saturday is the Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap. It is not a stakes race and has a purse of $25,000.
Many of the stakes races for the Pimlico card are on Friday and Saturday so those are the key days to make wagers. Pimlico is putting a lot into the two days as fourteen of the added-money races, including all 10 of the graded stakes are schedule for Preakness week. “Springtime in Maryland is always an exciting time,” said Lou Raffetto, Maryland Jockey Club President and Chief Operating Officer. “We believe that it will be even more appealing this year as a result of the nature of the program and increases in the stakes.”