Preakness Stakes Betting Preview and Trends

Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming looks to add the second leg of the Triple Crown to his list of victories this weekend when he races in the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

Always Dreaming is obviously the favorite in the 10-horse field, and has been listed at -125 on the latest Preakness Stakes odds at the Bovada Sportsbook. He is one of five horses in the Preakness field that also ran in the Derby. Always Dreaming will be trainer Todd Pletcher’s latest chance to snag a Preakness win after coming up short eight times.

Along with Always Dreaming the other horses in the field that also ran in the Derby include Classic Empire, Gunnevera, Lookin at Lee and Hence.

Classic Empire is getting the best odds after Always Dreaming, at +300. He was expected to challenge for the lead at the Derby but instead ended up finishing a disappointing fourth.

Lookin at Lee is listed at +1000 at the Bovada Sportsbook after finishing second in the Derby. His trainer Steve Asmussen has trained two previous Preakness winners, Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009.

The other two horses from the Derby, Gunnevera and Hence, both look like longshots to get to the winner's circle at Pimlico. Gunnevera is a +1600 underdog after finishing seventh in the Derby, while Hence, also trained by Asmussen, is a +2000 longshot after finishing well back in 11th at Churchill Downs.

In the long history of the Triple Crown 35 horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. The last was American Pharoah, who won the Preakness in 2015 on the way to becoming the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown.

Looking at the post positions, Always Dreaming appears to have a favorable draw in the No. 4 position. In Preakness Stakes history 13 horses have won out of the No. 4 slot, which is tied for second most ever. The last winner to come out of the No. 4 slot was Curlin in 2007.

The No. 6 post has delivered the most Preakness wins with 16, and this year that post is going to Gunnevera. The No. 7 post, which has also seen 13 winners, has gone to +3300 underdog Term of Art, while the No. 5 post, where last year’s Preakness winner Exaggerator started, belongs to Classic Empire.