It is time to bet the second jewel of the Triple Crown: the 2021 Preakness Stakes! The Preakness is one of the most important horse races of the year, and it is coming up on Saturday, May 15, 2021. The race covers a distance of 1 3/16 miles and offers a purse of $1 million.
Ten horses have entered for their chance at a place in horse racing history and the iconic blanket of Black-Eyed Susans.
Preakness Morning Line Odds
The 2021 Preakness field, with Preakness trainers and jockeys as well as official morning lines, is as follows:
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Ram - D. Wayne Lukas/Ricardo Santana, Jr. (30-1)
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Keepmeinmind - Robertino Diodoro/David Cohen (15-1)
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Medina Spirit - Bob Baffert/John Velazquez (9-5)
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Crowded Trade - Chad Brown/Javier Castellano (10-1)
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Midnight Bourbon - Steve Asmussen/Irad Ortiz, Jr. (5-1)
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Rombauer - Michael McCarthy/Flavien Prat (12-1)
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France Go De Ina - Hideyuki Mori/Joel Rosario (20-1)
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Unbridled Honor - Todd Pletcher/Luis Saez (15-1)
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Risk Taking - Chad Brown/Jose Ortiz (15-1)
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Concert Tour - Bob Baffert/Mike Smith (5-2)
Preakness Stakes Online Betting
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Preakness Handicapping
Assuming he passes his pre-race drug test, Medina Spirit is the likely favorite in the Preakness. Bob Baffert’s Kentucky Derby winners usually run very well in the Preakness; Baffert has never run worse than second in the Preakness with a Derby winner. Medina Spirit has a frontrunning style that plays very well at Pimlico, and the guts to rebuff a challenge.
Concert Tour also represents the Bob Baffert barn, and he will be a short price. However, he comes out of a relatively weak Arkansas Derby, in which he went off the heavy favorite and finished only third. He should be part of the pace, and the outside gate may give him a clean trip, but as the likely second favorite, he will be an underlay in all betting pools.
Midnight Bourbon finished only sixth in the Derby, but it was a solid effort. He is usually a speed horse, but a poor beginning had him far off the pace early. Even so, he rallied well to finish sixth. A better start in Baltimore should get Midnight Bourbon close to the pace, and his trainer Steve Asmussen typically does better in the Preakness than the Derby.
Crowded Trade is the value play in the 2021 Preakness Stakes. He finished in the money in a pair of New York preps. Though he is stepping up in class, he is lightly enough raced to improve and he fits the same profile as trainer Chad Brown’s Preakness winner in 2017, Cloud Computing. Look for him to take the necessary step forward.
In addition to these more logical horses, trifecta and superfecta players have a couple of good longshots to consider in the Preakness.
Rombauer finished only third in the Blue Grass behind Essential Quality, but he showed a new dimension that day. A deeper closer in California, he showed at Keeneland that he could run a good race from closer to the pace. That ability should play well over the Pimlico course. Furthermore, his trainer Michael McCarthy has an excellent record with shippers.
Unbridled Honor rallied for a good second in the Lexington Stakes. With several speed horses in the Preakness, he should get an honest pace to run after again. Though deeper closers like him do not often win the Preakness, he is improving and he has a good shot to round out trifectas or superfectas at a long price.
Preakness Jockeys
For the second year in a row, jockey John Velazquez will ride the favorite in the Preakness. However, Velazquez has yet to win a Preakness. He ran a good second with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic last year, but he could not hold off Swiss Skydiver at the wire.
Jockey Javier Castellano has won the Preakness twice. He won in 2017 with Cloud Computing, who is trained by Chad Brown. Brown and Castellano reunite with Crowded Trade this year.
Mike Smith has also won a pair of Preakness. He and Bob Baffert united with Justify to win the 2018 edition of the race. Smith rides another Baffert trainee, Concert Tour, this year. Smith also won the Preakness all the way back in 1993 with Prairie Bayou.
Preakness Current Odds
As horses continue to train toward the race, odds on the Preakness are subject to change all the way until the gates open on Saturday, May 15. However, it is a good idea to keep watching the Preakness Stakes odds at the top sportsbooks throughout the week. That way, you can be sure to lock in the best odds on your Preakness horse!
| Horse |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medina Spirit | +185 | TBA | +180 |
| Concert Tour | +200 | TBA | +250 |
| Midnight Bourbon | +500 | TBA | +500 |
| Crowded Trade | +800 | TBA | +1000 |
| Risk Taking | +1200 | TBA | +1500 |
| Rombauer | +1200 | TBA | +1200 |
Free Preakness Picks
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$5 win-place-show: Crowded Trade
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$1 exacta box: Medina Spirit, Crowded Trade, Midnight Bourbon
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$1 Trifecta box: Medina Spirit, Crowded Trade, Midnight Bourbon, Rombauer
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20 Cent Superfecta box: Medina Spirit, Crowded Trade, Midnight Bourbon, Rombauer, Unbridled Honor
