Preakness Odds 2014: Latest Betting Lines and Predictions
The second jewel of the Triple Crown is nearly here, and on Saturday, California Chrome will have his chance to become one step closer to claiming horse racing's elusive Triple Crown.
He will not be unchallenged, however. The field is taking shape, and opponents are coming from across the country. Some will be fresh faces after skipping the Kentucky Derby, others are rivals who are hoping to avenge the trouncing the West Coast superstar gave them in Louisville.
Read on for a look at some of the latest betting lines courtesy of Vegas Insider and predictions on how these horses will fare. With no official field set yet, there is still a lot that can change between now and the big race.
Ria Antonia
1 of 11
Current Odds: 30-1
Prediction: Last
In 2009, Rachel Alexandra defeated the boys and earned a spot in the record books. She earned her spot in the Preakness Stakes after annihilating her fellow fillies in the Kentucky Oaks.
Ria Antonia has no business in this race. After the Kentucky Oaks, there was some initial buzz that the winner Untapable would be a Preakness contender. Trainer Steve Asmussen quickly put a stop to that talk.
The best Ria Antonia could manage is a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks. After that uninspiring performance, she will be up against it taking on the boys in the Preakness Stakes.
Ring Weekend
2 of 11
Current Odds: 20-1
Prediction: Second
Ring Weekend got knocked out of the Kentucky Derby with a fever, and though that was disappointing for trainer Graham Motion, he may have an advantage now coming in fresh. He was an interesting long shot heading into the Kentucky Derby off of a runner-up finish in his final prep.
Trainer Graham Motion is as masterful of a conditioner as any horseman in the game. He won the Kentucky Derby in 2011 with Animal Kingdom, and the pair took second in the Preakness that year. Motion has enjoyed much of the success of his career in Maryland, and winning the Preakness would be a major moment for him.
Bayern
3 of 11Current Odds: 10-1
Prediction: Sixth
This lightly raced colt generated a good deal of buzz after back-to-back victories at the start of his career at the beginning of the year. With a third-place finish behind Danza and Ride on Curlin in the Arkansas Derby, he lacked the points needed at that time to make the Derby field and went to the Derby Trial instead.
After a roughly run race, he finished first only to be disqualified and placed second for interference. He is obviously very talented, but with only four races, he lacks experience.
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Ride on Curlin
4 of 11
Current Odds: 14-1
Prediction: Fourth
After the Kentucky Derby, it appeared that Ride on Curlin had one of the worst and most compromising trips of the field. After breaking from the outside, jockey Calvin "Bo-Rail" Borel hustled him sharply all the way onto the rail only to wind up taking him outside again in the stretch for his late run. With all of that maneuvering, he likely actually covered more ground than several rivals.
The criticism of this colt prior to the Run for the Roses still remains relevant. He has yet to win a stakes race and yet to win racing beyond six furlongs, both things he will need to do in order to win the Preakness Stakes.
Social Inclusion
5 of 11Current Odds: 8-1
Prediction: Fifth
Social Inclusion passed the class test in the Wood Memorial, and while he got out-gamed by the gritty Samraat for the runner-up position, it was a credible effort in his first try against stakes company.
Skipping the Kentucky Derby was likely a wise decision. The speedy colt is obviously talented, but with what appears to be some distance limitations and his lack of experience, the Derby would have been asking too much too soon.
He comes in fresh for the Preakness Stakes and may be a contender on the lead.
Dynamic Impact
6 of 11Current Odds: 20-1
Prediction: Third
It may have taken Dynamic Impact until his fifth start to actually break his maiden, but this well-bred colt has the sort of pedigree that indicates he may continue to improve with age and experience.
He won the Illinois Derby in his next start in a game effort and prevailed by a nose. However, he did defeat a pretty abysmal group. Midnight Hawk, the runner-up, simply is not that good, and Irish You Well is still a maiden.
He will get a serious class test here, but he may be improving and hitting his best stride at the right time.
Kid Cruz
7 of 11Current Odds: 15-1
Prediction: Eighth
Kid Cruz will have some local rooting interest behind him after winning the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico. He does have one advantage over his rivals in that he is proven over the Pimlico surface and will not be shipping in and trying a new track for the first time.
While he does have a stamina-rich pedigree, he does appear to be a cut below the top horses class-wise and would need to run the race of his life to make an impact.
General a Rod
8 of 11
Current Odds: 20-1
Prediction: Ninth
General a Rod was a late addition to the Preakness mix and will try to improve off of an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. He was compromised in the Derby with a rough trip, but even without those issues, he may not have been much of a contender realistically.
In the Preakness, he figures to be a contender on the front end but will need to show that the rough trip and demanding effort in the Kentucky Derby did not take too much out of him.
Pablo Del Monte
9 of 11
Current Odds: 18-1
Prediction: Seventh
With the last-minute scratch of Hoppertunity, Pablo Del Monte actually made the Kentucky Derby field on the also-eligible list. With an unfavorable post, trainer Wesley Ward opted to sit out the big dance and instead refocus attention on the Preakness Stakes.
This colt has the pedigree for turf or synthetics, and while he has a third-place finish on conventional dirt to his credit, at this point he seems better suited for other surfaces. He has the advantage of coming in fresh over several rivals, but at this point, that may be his only edge.
Wildcat Red
10 of 11
Current odds: 14-1
Prediction: Dueling with Ria Antonia for last
After being one of the only competitors in the Kentucky Derby to exit the race with injury, it seems like a poor choice to wheel Wildcat Red back on two weeks' rest after an 18th-place finish in the Run for the Roses.
The hard-trying colt outran his pedigree in Florida and moved up over a speed-favoring racetrack at Gulfstream. His weaknesses were exposed in Louisville, and there is no reason to think he will be able to rebound and be more of a factor in Baltimore.
California Chrome
11 of 11
Current Odds: 4-5
Prediction: First
California Chrome showed with authority on the first Saturday in May that he is in a different league than his peers. With his triumphant victory in the Kentucky Derby, he proved his naysayers wrong and rewarded the faith of his connections.
In two weeks, a lot can change. Horses are delicate creatures and can take a step backwards very quickly. Along the same lines, though, two weeks can also be a very manageable time frame to coast along and maintain peak form. If the California Chrome that won the Derby shows up, his rivals are again running for second place.
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