Get ready for the 2027 Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, happening Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico Race Course! Find out how you can get in on the action, with betting beginning Friday, May 16, and futures wagering the week before the Kentucky Derby!
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Key Betting Factors to Consider
Betting on the Preakness Stakes can be both exciting and profitable, but it requires careful consideration and analysis. There are several key factors to consider when placing bets on the Preakness Stakes.
- HORSE STATS & PAST PERFORMANCES: To increase your chances of winning, it’s critical to understand the horses. Assessing their strengths, weaknesses, recent performances, record, and factors such as age, weight, pedigree, and jockey is important.
- TRACK CONDITIONS: It's important to study the Preakness Stakes track at Pimlico Race Course, which is relatively short compared to other tracks. Familiarize yourself with the track's peculiarities and how they may affect horse performance. Weather is also crucial to consider, with wet or muddy conditions affecting horse performance and dry conditions favoring horses with speed.
- RACING ODDS: Another way to increase your chances of winning is by analyzing the odds and identifying undervalued or overvalued horses. Set a budget and stick to it when betting on the Preakness Stakes, as horse racing can be unpredictable.
Expert Picks & Predictions for the Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes features a competitive field of nine horses, with Journalism emerging as the early favorite at 8-5 on the morning line odds. Trained by Michael W. McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Journalism is expected to draw heavy betting interest after an impressive Kentucky Derby showing. Close behind is Sandman at 4-1, a well-bred colt trained by Mark E. Casse and guided by veteran jockey John R. Velazquez, both of whom are no strangers to Triple Crown competition. Clever Again, at 5-1, rounds out the top trio of betting favorites and brings strong pedigree and consistency to the Preakness Stakes odds conversation.
For bettors chasing value, several huge longshots could offer upside on Preakness Day. Pay Billy and Gosger sit at 20-1, while American Promise, trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lukas, is posted at 15-1 and could surprise with a well-timed trip. Goal Oriented (6-1) and Heart of Honor (12-1) fall into the mid-range but remain intriguing picks, especially with respected trainers like Bob Baffert and Jamie A. Osborne involved. With contenders spanning from frontrunners to underdogs, the 150th Preakness Stakes promises exciting action and wide-open betting odds for fans of horse racing’s second jewel in the Triple Crown.
Preakness Stakes Betting Trends & Historical Insights
When betting on the Preakness Stakes, it’s wise to consider recent trends that have influenced race outcomes—such as trainer and jockey connections, betting odds, and key prep races. Although the Preakness boasts over a century of history, the sport of horse racing has evolved significantly, making recent editions of the race far more relevant for analysis than those from generations past.
Betting Strategy: Preakness Stakes vs. the Kentucky Derby
The major difference between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness is the field size. Though both races are longer than the vast majority of American dirt races, meaning the Preakness is a serious test of stamina, the Kentucky Derby is a chaotic 20-horse race, whereas Preakness fields typically feature ten or fewer horses.
The smaller field size helps explain why forwardly-placed horses do so well in the Preakness. With fewer horses, there is less chance of multiple one-way speed horses causing a fiery pace duel, meaning the race is less likely to fall apart for a closer.
In addition to the race shape, the smaller field size should also affect your betting strategy in the Preakness Stakes. It’s just simple math. In a 20-horse Kentucky Derby, there are a lot more possible combinations for exactas, trifectas, and superfectas. More possible combinations mean generally higher payouts for those exotic wagers—of course, because there being that many horses makes them that much harder to hit. Exotic payoffs in the Preakness can be good, but are a lot more in line with normal races because the field size is more in line with normal races.
This means that, unlike in the Kentucky Derby, where it can be profitable to bet a bigger ticket because of the possible reward, it makes more sense to go narrower on your exotic wagers in the Preakness. Lean on a horse or two that you really like, and build a few other horses around them for deeper exotics. That way, you can be a lot more confident that your winning ticket will be a profitable one.