2018 Preakness Stakes Betting Cheat Sheet

Are you just checking into horse racing betting insights about the Preakness Stakes? We have a basic overview here containing all of the information you need to know to start the wagering process. The Preakness Stakes is the second of the three horse races that make up the Triple Crown, and Justify, who won the Kentucky Derby, looks to take the second step toward that prize, against a field at Pimlico Race Course that is half the size of the competition at Churchill Downs. Good Magic, the runner-up from Churchill Downs, and Quip, the winner of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (who did not race at Churchill Downs) look to be among the top competition. You can catch the prerace coverage for the Preakness Stakes starting at 2:30pm Eastern time on Saturday, on NBC Sports, and then switch to the main NBC channel at 5:00pm for coverage the rest of the way, including the big race.

2018 Preakness Stakes Betting Cheat Sheet

Odds by Horse and Post Position 

1          Quip                                                    12/1 2          Lone Sailor                                        15/1 3          Sporting Chance                               30/1 4          Diamond King                                   30/1 5          Good Magic                                       3/1 6          Tenfold                                               20/1 7          Justify                                                1/2 8          Bravazo                                              20/1 The owners of Quip decided to hold him out of the Kentucky Derby so that he would have fresh legs at Pimlico and have a better chance to challenge Justify. In addition to his win at Tampa Bay, he also came in second at the Arkansas Derby, behind Magnum Moon. He typically likes to set the pace or stay right on the back of the leader, so his interaction with Justify, who likes to set the pace himself. With that inside position, Quip will have the chance to get to the rail first, which could make things interesting down the stretch on this short track. Lone Sailor has a reputation for getting off to slow starts. At Churchill Downs, he came in eighth and was not close to contending. He does have solid closing speed, but his start in the Kentucky Derby left him so far out of contention that closing just wasn’t possible. If he can find himself in the middle of the pack at the midpoint of the race, he could push his way onto the board. If it rains at Pimlico ahead of the race, that could benefit him, as his only win, at Saratoga in 2017, came on a muddy track, and he didn’t have much trouble with the wet Churchill Downs track. We’ve talked about Sporting Chance in some other articles about the Preakness. He is a temperamental horse who has terrific speed when he feels like using it. He ran at the Pat Day Mile Stakes on the undercard at Churchill Downs, and he had to check at the ⅝ pole, needing a wide course through the stretch, leaving him in fourth. He won two of three juvenile races, but he has not elevated his performance as a three-year-old. Good Magic likes to push the pace, and if his jockey can keep him near Justify and Quip in the early going, he has a chance to finish. The course is 1/16 of a mile shorter than Churchill Downs, so Good Magic will need to get out to a quick start to stay with the leaders. If Justify’s hoof injury slows him, Good Magic is one of the two likeliest horses to replace him in the winner’s circle. Bravazo got bumped in the early moments of the Kentucky Derby, but roared back to catch the horses just behind Good Magic and Justify at the top of the home stretch before his gas started to run out. The field at Pimlico is smaller, so he should have more room to operate and get up to the front early on. The question is whether he can keep that pace with the leaders the whole way. And of course, there’s Justify, the favorite. He hasn’t lost as a three-year-old, and the ease with which he held off Good Magic at Churchill Downs is why he’s the favorite.