Although Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty is sitting out the 2025 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown remains a prime opportunity for bettors tonight.
Journalism, the favorite from the Derby, tops the Preakness Stakes odds again, but he won’t be my top choice to finish first in the 150th running of the Black-Eyed Susans.
Continue reading with my free betting picks to discover my strategy for the Win, Place, and Show bets for Saturday, May 17.
Best Preakness Stakes betting sites
Where to bet on the Preakness Stakes in the USA
New UsersBet $5, Get $200 in bonus bets if you win! Claim Now
Available in IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY.
CO users: Get $200 instantly when you place a $5 bet.
New UsersGet a $500 No-Sweat First Bet! Claim Now
Available in AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, FL, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, ND, NH, NY, NM, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, WA, VA, WV, WY.
Bet on the Preakness Stakes in Canada
New UsersBet $5, get $150 in bonus bets! Claim Now
*Not available in Ontario.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Win prediction: Clever Again (+500 at FanDuel Racing)
No. 8 Clever Again (+500 at FanDuel Racing) hinted at serious talent in the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park last time out. He took that one-mile heat in gate-to-wire fashion, bringing his lifetime record to 3: 2-1-0.
Clever Again ran second on debut to a next-out winner at Keeneland in April of his two-year-old season before suffering a 10-month layoff. That clearly wasn’t planned, but he overcame the obstacle by earning his maiden diploma while leading at every call over 1 1/16 miles.
Being by American Pharoah, he should appreciate the 1 3/16th-mile Preakness distance. Former Preakness-winning jockey Jose Ortiz has the call for two-time Preakness-winning trainer Steve Asmussen.
Place prediction: Journalism (-334 at bet365)
Although No. 2 Journalism (+160 at FanDuel Racing) did not win the Derby, he still boasts the fastest Beyer speed figure of any three-year-old this season. That 108 came in the San Felipe Stakes in an upset win over Barnes, which perhaps stamped him as the potential three-year-old champion even more so than his follow-up triumph in the Santa Anita Derby.
Journalism has three straight 100+ Beyers under his belt, two more than the entire field combined. So why isn't he my best bet to win? There are two reasons.
The first is the price. He was a relative bargain, even in a 19-horse field, at just below 7-2 in the Kentucky Derby. He isn't anywhere near that price at Pimlico.
The second reason is the two-week turnaround. His connections were very hesitant to enter him back so quickly in the Preakness despite his obvious talent.
Trainer Michael McCarthy won the Preakness in 2021, but that came with a "new shooter" off a six-week layoff in Rombauer.
Show prediction: Gosger (+333 at bet365)
No. 9 Gosger (+2000 at FanDuel Racing) needs to improve from a speed figure perspective in order to win the Preakness, but the lightly-raced son of Nyquist out of a Tapit mare stands to benefit from an increase in distance.
Gosger drew off in the stretch of the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland when last seen. He was also a comfortable winner going a mile at Gulfstream two-back, and that came on the heels of a closing second-place finish at Oaklawn going six furlongs in his career unveiling.
A bullet work on May 10 in anticipation of the Preakness further builds the case for a show bet on Gosger.
Preakness Stakes odds
Horses are listed here by their Preakness Stakes odds, with their Preakness Stakes post positions on the left.
| Post | Horse | * |
** |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Journalism | +160 | 8-5 | +100 |
| 7 | Sandman | +400 | 4-1 | +900 |
| 6 | River Thames | +450 | 9-2 | +600 |
| 8 | Clever Again | +500 | 5-1 | +700 |
| 1 | Goal Oriented | +600 | 6-1 | +500 |
| 4 | Heart of Honor | +1200 | 12-1 | +2200 |
| 3 | American Promise | +1500 | 15-1 | +2500 |
| 5 | Pay Billy | +2000 | 20-1 | +5000 |
| 9 | Gosger | +2000 | 20-1 | +2200 |
*FanDuel Racing odds available in AZ, CO, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY
**bet365 odds are not available in the United States
