2016 Preakness Stakes Odds: Nyquist Strong Betting Favorite Coming off Derby Win

After winning the 2016 Kentucky Derby as the favorite on May 7 at Churchill Downs, Nyquist is an even bigger favorite at 5-7 betting odds at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark to take the second leg of the Triple Crown at the Preakness Stakes on May 21.

Nyquist is trying to become the 36th horse ever to win the Derby and Preakness following American Pharoah last year.

Of course American Pharoah went on to become only the 12th Triple Crown winner of all time, something Nyquist’s team of trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez aspires to achieve after falling just short in 2012 with I’ll Have Another.

O’Neill and Gutierrez won the Derby and Preakness that year, but I’ll Have Another was unable to run in the Belmont Stakes due to a tendon injury, becoming the third horse to be scratched for the third Triple Crown race following victories in the first two.

Nyquist’s main competition at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore is again listed as Exaggerator with 9-2 odds. Exaggerator was also the second choice to win the Kentucky Derby and finished second, and besides him, Lani is the only other horse from the Derby already confirmed to be at Pimlico.

Lani placed ninth in the 20-horse field and is listed at 33-1 odds to win the Preakness.

Two other top contenders still deciding whether or not to run at Pimlico are Gun Runner and Suddenbreakingnews, both at 14-1. Gun Runner finished third in the Kentucky Derby, while Suddenbreakingnews placed fifth behind Mohaymen, who was fourth but is not expected to enter the Preakness.

Another horse to watch is Todd Pletcher’s Stradivari, who is the 12-1 third choice after wins in two of his first three career starts.

Even though the odds are against Nyquist taking the Triple Crown, the previous two winners before American Pharoah did so in consecutive years (1977 and 1978). Nyquist is 5-2 to win the Triple Crown and 1-4 not to win it.

Meanwhile, Exaggerator has an opportunity to become the 14th horse to win the Preakness and Belmont without winning the Derby, and the first since Afleet Alex won those two legs in 2005.