Preakness Picks: Risky Horses Crazy Enough to Pan out

It may look unattractive to bettors when a horse is given bad odds to win a race, but that doesn't mean bad odds are a death sentence.

In the 2012 Preakness Stakes, there are plenty of horses who still have a chance even though they've been written off by oddsmakers. 

Here are three of those horses.

Tiger Walk (30-1)

The Preakness Stakes will be Tiger Walk's fourth start in a graded race this year. His main problem is that he loses ground on the turns because he starts to slow down. To combat that problem, his trainer Ignacio Correas has decided to fit the three-year-old colt with blinders to keep him focused.

He's being ridden by Kent Desormeaux, a jockey who is no stranger to winning the Preakness, as he has done so twice before. He's long odds at 30-1, but with a Hall of Famer on his back, you never know.

It doesn't hurt that he has the No. 1 post position. If he can get off to a quick start and avoid being boxed in, he has just as good a chance as anyone not named Bodemeister or I'll Have Another.

Even if he doesn't get off to a stellar start, he still has a chance if the speed up front falters and he can bring up the rear down the stretch.

Cozzetti (30-1)

If a horse is trained by Dale Romans, you can't count him out of a race. Shackleford won last year's Preakness under Romans while Dullahan, another Romans horse, finished third at the Kentucky Derby last year.

In November, Cozzetti ran an impressively fast five-furlong time of 58.80 on a muddy track at Churchill Downs. At the Tampa Bay Derby in his dirt debut, Cozzetti finished furiously, coming from near last to finish the race in third place. 

The No. 11 position is a problem for Cozzetti, but if Jose Lezcano is able to maneuver him in just the right way, he'll have a shot at winning the Preakness.

Teeth of the Dog (15-1)

Creative Clause and Went the Day Well are so close to Bodemeister that they're going to have a tough time getting started once Bodemeister pulls ahead of them and starts to cut them off right away. Teeth of the Dog is all the way at the No. 2 spot, meaning that he'll have a bit more time to get out of the gate before Bodemeister makes his move.

If he gets ahead of Tiger Walk, he can grab the inside track from the outset and experienced jockey Joe Bravo can make it easier on his horse.

Teeth of the Dog finished third at the Grade 1 Wood Memorial behind Kentucky Derby starters Gemologist and Alpha, fighting valiantly to pull away from the middle of the pack and nearly catch the top two horses.

We know that Teeth of the Dog can compete against top competition, but will he do it on Saturday?