Preakness 2012 Odds: Breaking Down Best Options on Board for Marquee Race

The Preakness Stakes will feature a nice mix of horses that raced in the Kentucky Derby and some new contenders that will be taking part in their first Triple Crown race. That combination makes figuring out which horse will cross the finish line first a tricky task.

Aside from a basic win pick, there are other options such as exactas and trifectas. While they are obviously harder to win, the potential reward is higher. So, let's take a look the best options on the board (for a complete list of information on the Preakness horses, click here).

Win: I'll Have Another

I'll Have Another still isn't getting the respect he deserves after winning the Kentucky Derby. He's the second choice behind Bodemeister despite having a more favorable starting position and a smaller field to deal with.

Simply put, I'll Have Another's victory at Churchill downs wasn't a fluke. He was coming off a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and had only finished out of the money once in his career. So he was always a strong horse.

It's been more than 30 years since the last Triple Crown winner. It's a tough journey, but I'll Have Another showed no signs of weakness or fatigue two weeks ago and I expect a similarly strong performance today.

Exacta: I'll Have Another and Creative Cause

Creative Cause has a good chance for a rebound performance after coming in fifth at the derby. He was able to make up ground late, but it wasn't enough because the traffic kept him too far behind the pace before they turned for home.

He should have a lot more space to show off the form that allowed him to win three graded stakes races during his career. Creative Cause also finished in second to I'll Have Another at Santa Anita, so the horses are somewhat becoming rivals.

Starting from the No. 6 post position should allow him to break freely. He has plenty of late-breaking ability, so as long as he's within striking distance as they come around the final turn, a run into the top two is well within reach.

Trifecta: I'll Have Another, Creative Cause and Bodemeister

After I'll Have Another and Creative Cause comes favorite Bodemeister. He looked like he was going to win the Run for the Roses, but wasn't able to make that one final push to get across the finish line. But second place is still respectable.

He'll once again be near the front of the pack for most of the race. It's a style that has treated him well, finishing either first or second in all five of his career races. One late disappointment shouldn't cause trainer Bob Baffert to change the approach.

The only concern with Bodemeister will be energy level. He's coming back on short rest after already coming up short the last time out. There's a good chance he'll be in the mix, but once again won't be able to finish the deal at crunch time and will fade to third.