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Favorites, Dark Horses and Smart Picks for the 2018 Preakness Stakes

Favorites, Dark Horses and Smart Picks for the 2018 Preakness Stakes

Written by on May 16, 2018

Horse Racing News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag
Pimlico Race Course welcomes the horse racing world for another edition of the Preakness Stakes this Saturday night. Justify emerges as the top sports betting favorite after he rolled to an easy win at the Kentucky Derby, and he has an excellent chance of taking the second race in the Triple Crown series and moving toward becoming the first Triple Crown winner since American Pharaoh did it in 2015. The Preakness field is smaller than what we saw at the Kentucky Derby — and contender Bolt d’Oro’s trainer raised some eyebrows when he said that the horse would race in the Met Mile instead of heading to Pimlico. Take a look at updated Preakness Stakes moneylines on the race as well as our perspective on some of the horses going into the post position draw.

Favorites, Dark Horses and Smart Picks for the 2018 Preakness Stakes

Updated Contender Moneylines

  • Justify                                                -200
  • Good Magic                                       +450
  • Diamond King                                   +1600
  • My Boy Jack                                      +1600
  • Hofburg                                              +1800
  • Runaway Ghost                                +1800
  • Telekinesis                                        +2000
  • Bravazo                                              +2500
  • Quip                                                    +2500
  • Sporting Chance                               +3300
  • Noble Indy                                         +6600

Favorites

Justify jumped out to a big lead despite the sloppy track at Churchill Downs and held that lead all the way to the end, despite a late push from Good Magic, who would end up finishing second. Justify came in as the top favorite and showed that he deserved that designation. His rider, Mike Smith, got him right to the rail, and he took a lead that he would not relinquish. He was the sixth consecutive favorite to end up in the winner’s circle. However, going to Pimlico and winning the Preakness Stakes is not a given. American Pharaoh (who has the same trainer as Justify in Bob Baffert) won the last Triple Crown in 2015 — and he was also the last horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. It is worth pointing out, though, that all of the horses that Baffert has trained and that have won the Kentucky Derby have gone on to win at Pimlico. This includes American Pharaoh but also Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem. The fact that Justify kept a gap of 2 ½ lengths over Good Magic, even after the runner-up made a spirited charge, showed that Justify could be head and shoulders above the rest of the competition going into Saturday. Good Magic won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 2018 Blue Grass Stakes in addition to finishing as the runner-up at Churchill Downs. However, it looked like he put out maximum effort down the stretch against Justify and could not get close. Given that Justify came out of the Kentucky Derby with a slight crack in one hoof, that injury could give Good Magic an opening — but those sorts of cracks are not that uncommon and don’t always slow down the opposition.

Smart Picks

Quip did not run at Churchill Downs, but he did finish as the runner-up in the Arkansas Derby, as Magnum Moon pressed late to get the win. Quip has had some time to rest and recover after Arkansas, and those legs should have plenty of energy going into Pimlico. With a favorable post position, Quip could definitely crack the top three and could even push Justify to the end. Bravazo entered Churchill Downs with 65/1 odds but surprised with a sixth-place finish, closing well in a race where the front of the pack did not really sag, and Bravazo had to take a wide arc in the deep stretch to push close. If Bravazo makes another late push, he could end up with even better results.

Dark Horses

Tenfold has only raced three times in his career, winning twice. He lost in his most recent race, when he took on graded stakes competition at the Arkansas Derby. He pushed the front runners hard before fading to fifth place. If he can remain close to the front, he could push late at the end — but can he contend with such scant race experience? Sporting Chance is another horse who missed the main event at Churchill Downs, but he did run on the track in the Pat Day Mile. However, he was forced to the wide side in the late seconds. His moods can change even in the middle of a race, and if he feels like putting out maximum effort, he could surprise bettors.
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