Preakness Odds 2017: Picks and Predictions Based on Recent Betting Lines
All eyes will be on Always Dreaming at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, as the Kentucky Derby winner seeks to add the second jewel in the Triple Crown to his collection with victory in the Preakness Stakes.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, the colt was serene in a memorable victory at Churchill Downs to clinch the Run for the Roses on May 6.
The nature of his emphatic triumph means Always Dreaming is set to go off as the pre-race favourite here, although some of the big names who came up short in the derby will be out to scupper any hopes of heading to Belmont with history on the line.
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Here are the odds in full for this year's showpiece in Baltimore and a preview of how the 9 ½ furlong chase is shaping up.
| Always Dreaming | 4/5 |
| Classic Empire | 9/2 |
| Lookin At Lee | 8/1 |
| Hence | 12/1 |
| Gunnevera | 12/1 |
| Conquest Mo Money | 16/1 |
| Multiplier | 16/1 |
| Cloud Computing | 20/1 |
| Senior Investment | 25/1 |
| Term Of Art | 25/1 |
Odds are courtesy of betting books monitored by Oddschecker and are accurate as of 11 a.m. (ET) on Monday, May 15
Race Preview
While the Triple Crown races often encourage casual punters to pick an outsider, such is the unpredictable nature of them, those who play it safe and back the favourites won't have gone too far wrong recently.
American Pharoah made history in 2015 when he became the first horse to win the trio of races in 37 years, while at last year's Derby, Nyquist was the class act in the Run for the Roses.
On Saturday, in what's known as the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, Always Dreaming will hoping to preserve that predictability.
And on the cusp of the big race, you have to say he looks in a fine position to do that. He won the Derby by 2 ¾ lengths from Lookin At Lee, with jockey John Velazquez seemingly leaving Always Dreaming with a lot left in the tank.
Here’s a reminder of how he secured the biggest victory of his career so far, per NBC Sports:
According to Pletcher, now a two-time Derby winner as a trainer, preparation for this event has been pretty much perfect too.
"Aside from deciding to jog him one day instead of gallop, which turned out to be fine, literally everything has gone exactly the way we kind of mapped it out," he said, per Kellie Reilly of Brisnet.com. "We got the quiet environment that we were looking for here. He's settled in really well."
Despite being a short favourite to win in Preakness, there is some serious competition for Always Dreaming here.
The most fascinating challenger to the Derby winner may be Classic Empire, a horse who was well fancied in the buildup to the Kentucky showdown.
However, he suffered a heavy blow in the early stages of the race and, although jockey Julien Leparoux could only steer him back to fourth, that in itself was a creditable effort after the setback.
According to horse racing journalist Amy Nesse, Classic Empire and Always Dreaming look to be the standout horses in the field at the moment:
Further down in the betting, Lookin At Lee may be a decent punt for those who are searching for a little more value from their stake. He was second in the Derby, and while he bowed to the speed of Always Dreaming in the latter stages, he's improving, with his runner-up run at Churchill Downs preceded by a third in the Arkansas Derby and a fourth in the juvenile Breeders' Cup.
Gunnevera also has the pace to feature, as he also came through in Kentucky to finish seventh after a disappointing start. However, it's difficult to see beyond the big two, with Lookin At Lee likely to be the closest challenger once again.
Prediction: 1. Always Dreaming, 2. Classic Empire, 3. Lookin at Lee
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