Preakness 2012 Odds: Who the Experts Are Picking

For those of us that like to wager on the Preakness Stakes each year, this 2012 field is full of the best in the business. Finding the winner of the 137th running of this race won’t be easy.

If you are having too much trouble to decide on your own, look to the experts and who they are leaning towards.

After analyzing all the course info and post draws, we will break down the horses with the best chances to win it all.

No. 1: Bodemeister

With the best run of the 2012 Kentucky Derby, the surprising loss for Bodemeister may have been enough to crush most teams' spirits. As long as legendary trainer Bob Baffert is on the case, no one will lose their composure. It may be that stability to push the horse to the front of the pack and to a Preakness win.

No. 2: I'll Have Another

There is no way to describe how much momentum winning the Kentucky Derby can give to a team and its horse. With that said, there is an overconfidence that has plagued the Derby winner over the last few years. I’ll Have Another has the talent to buck that trend, but jockey Mario Gutierrez has to run the perfect race.

No. 3: Creative Cause

One of the top horses that not so many people are talking about is Creative Cause. With a solid fifth-place finish at the Derby and plenty of speed, there is no reason to think that this horse won’t be at the front in a field of only 11 horses.

Long Shot with a Shot: Pretension

Not only is Pretension coming off the third win of the horse’s career, that win came at Pimlico Race Course where the Preakness is held. With obvious experience and success at this track and enough rest to give it a full run, Pretension could be the biggest surprise winner of 2012.

Post Positions and Odds

Post	Horse	Jockey	Opening Odds
1	Tiger Walk	Kent Desormeaux	30-1
2	Teeth of the Dog	Joe Bravo	15-1
3	Pretension	Javier Santiago	30-1
4	Zetterholm	Junior Alvarado	20-1
5	Went the Day Well	John R. Velazquez	6-1
6	Creative Cause	Joel Rosario	6-1
7	Bodemeister	Mike Smith	8-5
8	Daddy Nose Best	Julien Leparoux	12-1
9	I'll Have Another	Mario Gutierrez	5-2
10	Optimizer	Corey Nakatani	30-1
11	Cozzetti	Jose Lezcano	30-1

All information courtesy of the official Preakness Stakes Web site.

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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