Preakness 2012: Best Bets for Second Leg of the Triple Crown

With the 2012 Kentucky Derby over and done with, it’s time to move onto the second leg of the Horse Racing Triple Crown; the 137th annual Preakness Stakes.

I’ll Have Another came out of the Derby as the surprise winner, but going for the Triple Crown will be unbelievably tough for the horse. While he had the speed and stamina to do it once, this may be much different.

In a field full of horses who could win, it’s time to find the best bets for the Preakness. While we don’t condone gambling, these are the horses we would lean toward for a possible win.

I’ll Have Another

With a huge win at the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another has become the latest long-shot horse to give the horse racing fans little hope of a Triple Crown Winner.

There is no doubt that this horse has what it takes to win and the momentum to make it happen, but there are questions about how well he can get through the field if he gets stuck in traffic again.

There is no doubt that this horse will have much better odds this time around, but he will not be the favorite to win it all; that will be Bodemeister.

Bodemeister

After leading almost the entire Kentucky Derby, Bodemeister lost his stamina and ended up finishing second to a late-charging I’ll Have Another.

With a different track in Baltimore that features a shorter race, there is no doubt that Bodemeister will be a serious threat to win the Preakness Stakes.

As sure as it is that this horse will be in the top three at the race's finish, the odds may not be good enough to wager a single bet on this horse. If you have him as part of a trifecta or as part of another multiple-picks bet, that’s the best case scenario.

Hansen

After all the talk around Hansen’s owner Dr. Kendall Hansen and his wild antics, we heard little of the man or the horse at the Derby.

The ninth-place finish at the Derby was a heart-breaker, but a better start out of the gates against a smaller field at a smaller track could spawn the comeback the team was hoping for.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of ploys Hansen and his team pull at the Preakness, but they had better not distract from the race. We wait all year for those two minutes and we don’t want them ruined by some goober.

Check back for more on Horse Racing as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Horse Racing Page to get your fill of all things from the ponies.

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