Preakness 2012 Picks: Breaking Down Horses with Best Odds to Take

If you're looking for a solid choice at the 2012 Preakness Stakes, you'll undoubtedly want to take a chance with Bodemeister, but if you're feeling extra lucky, a horse like Went the Day Well will be the choice for you.

Bodemeister is currently the favorite, mainly because he looked so good at the Kentucky Derby, and of course, a lot of people are going to go with the Derby winner, I'll Have Another.

While Went the Day Well may not have a big name, he competed in the Kentucky Derby and has  intriguing aspects about him that make him worth a long look.

You would be smart to take either of these horses to win the 2012 Preakness stakes.

Here's a breakdown of each respective horse.

Bodemeister (8-5)

Bodemeister is currently the favorite to win this race, and it's for good reason. Even though he lost the Kentucky Derby, he looked extremely impressive as a front-runner. He was ahead for most of the race, but lost his burst right along the homestretch, which gave way to I'll Have Another.

The encouraging thing about Bodemeister is that he looked very smooth and powerful at the Derby, and the Preakness is a shorter race.

This bodes well, as if Bodemeister is able to get ahead, he'll probably stay ahead.

Went the Day Well (6-1)

Went the Day Well isn't a huge headline-grabbing name yet, but when you take a look at Derby results, you'll like what you see.

Went the Day Well did well to separate from the pack at the end of the race, and ended up rocketing all the way back up the field and finishing fourth. Before the Derby, the horse snagged two first-place finishes, a fourth-place finish and two second-place finishes, so he's undoubtedly used to finishing up in the front.

He's being jockeyed by John Velazquez and trained by Graham Motion—who won the 2011 Kentucky Derby with Animal Kingdom—so you know he's going to be ready to go.

Huge Long Shot Worth Looking At...

Optimizer (30-1)

While Optimizer only hasn't had great finishes (finishing 11th in the Kentucky Derby), it is worth noting that he's trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who is a legendary trainer and has five Preakness wins under his belt. If there's a trainer that knows how to win the Preakness, it's Lukas.

If you're feeling a little bit risky, Optimizer could be an under-the-radar long shot.

Odds via DRF.com.