Preakness Odds 2012: Sneaky Bets That Will Pay off Big

As you can certainly tell from the way the odds are trending, much of the money for the Preakness has been put on Kentucky Derby runner-up Bodemeister and winner I'll Have Another.

That shouldn't come as a surprise since they were clearly the top two horses a Churchill Downs, but making the obvious bet in horse racing rarely makes you any money.

It hasn't always been this way, but almost every horse in the field seems to have a fighting chance in big races nowadays, so it often behooves a bettor to take some risks and go for some longer shots. They aren't going to pay off every single time, but it is much more rewarding to take a chance and fail than to play it safe and fail anyway.

With that said, here are three sneaky bets that you should make for the Preakness if you're looking for a big hit.

Bet Zetterholm to Win

Out of the past six Preakness Stakes races, three of them have been won by a horse that didn't run in the Kentucky Derby. If you believe in recent history, then you have a 50/50 shot of one of your long shots paying off. There are only five non-Derby horses running at Pimlico this year, so you have a 20 percent chance if you buy into an underdog winning.

It's tough to differentiate one from the rest, but Zetterholm seems like a good pick.

Along with Teeth of the Dog, he is considered to be the cream of the crop in terms of the newcomers and he has a decent post position at No. 4. Zetterholm is coming off three straight wins, including a victory in the Patsyprospect Stakes, so he enters the race with a lot of momentum and that certainly shouldn't be downplayed.

Bet Daddy Nose Best to Place

Betting a horse to place doesn't pay as well as a win bet, but it can still be a lucrative proposition if you take a horse with middling or long odds. It can often be more difficult to pick a place horse than the winning horse, but I have a good feeling about Daddy Nose Best.

He came into the Kentucky Derby off two wins and looked to be a player, but he got caught in traffic and was never a factor, as he finished a disappointing 10th.

Since the Preakness has only 11 horses, Daddy Nose Best isn't as likely to get lost in the shuffle and should be able to find his footing and rhythm. Daddy Nose Best is a horse that is most comfortable when he is hanging back and reserving his energy before making a move late. He will have a much better chance to make a push this time around and, while I don't expect it to result in a win, he should contend and get in that second position.

Bet Pretension to Show

Regardless of whether or not you choose to follow my previous advice, if you plan on putting a trifecta together, then it is usually smart to include a long shot in the show position.

It is incredibly rare that an unheralded horse doesn't crack at least one of the top three positions, so if you do something like put Bodemeister and I'll Have Another in your top two, then going with an underdog like Pretension in third could make your bet much more valuable.

Pretension is coming off a win at Pimlico in the Cananero II in his last outing, so he is certainly comfortable with the 9.5-furlong distance and the track itself. Even if Pretension isn't as naturally talented as some of his counterparts, there is a lot to be said for familiarity.

If you're looking for a longer shot to throw into your trifecta, then you could do a lot worse than Pretension.

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