Preakness 2019 Odds: Jockeys to Trust, Fastest Horses and More Picks

Improbable is the 2-1 favourite to win the 2019 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore on Saturday.

He'll be ridden by Mike Smith, who won the Preakness Stakes when he rode Justify to Triple Crown glory last year.

There will be no Triple Crown bid this year, though, as Kentucky Derby winner Country House will not be present because of a virus, and he's one of several absentees from those who competed at Churchill Downs.

Preakness Odds 

Improbable: 2-1

War of Will: 7-2

Alwaysmining: 8-1

Bourbon War: 8-1

Anothertwistafate: 10-1

Owendale: 10-1

Win Win Win: 14-1

Warriors Charge: 14-1

Bodexpress: 18-1

Signalman: 20-1

Laughing Fox: 25-1

Market King: 50-1

Everfast: 66-1

Courtesy of Oddschecker

Jockeys to Trust

As the reigning champion at Preakness and a Triple Crown winner, few jockeys are more trustworthy here than Smith, who also won the race back in 1993.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Smith was due to ride Omaha Beach at the Kentucky Derby, but he had to make a late switch to Cutting Humor after his intended mount was scratched and had to settle for an 11th-placed finish.

He's eager to ride Improbable, as he told Mike Willman of Paulick Report:

"I'm extremely excited to get back there, especially to ride this colt. I still think there's talent there that we haven't seen. To be back riding in this year's Preakness, with [trainer Bob Baffert], [owners] WinStar, all the connections, back together again, it kinda means a little more.  We'll see if we can pull it off, he's definitely got the ability to do so."

The 53-year-old has won seven Triple Crown races over the course of his career, so it's a safe bet to back him to do well here.

Among the other top jockeys taking part is two-time Preakness winner Javier Castellano.

He most recently won the event at Pimlico in 2017 with Cloud Computing, who became just the fourth horse to win the Preakness having not competed in Kentucky since 1983, per Mike Dempsey of OddsShark.

The 41-year-old is in red-hot form at Pimlico, too. On Friday, he won five races including the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes:

The jockey has plenty of experience when it comes to winning on this track, and that should stand him and Warrior's Charge in good stead on Saturday.

Fastest Horses

Given the three horses that beat him in Kentucky—four, including the subsequently disqualified Maximum Security—aren't racing at Pimlico, Improbable is among the top contenders at the Preakness.

Here's a look at how he got on at Churchill Downs:

Owner Elliot Walden discussed Improbable ahead of the Preakness with XBTV's Zoe Cadman:

Improbable is the Preakness favourite, and according to Dempsey, the horse tipped to win at Pimlico has finished in the money in 25 of the last 33 years, so history is on his side, too.

The colt could face some stiff competition from Alwaysmining, though.

While Improbable has not won any of his last three races, Alwaysmining enters the Preakness on a winning streak of six.

Each of those came at Laurel Park, also in Maryland, so he has not had to travel far for the race, either.

Per horse racing writer Tim Wilkin, Improbable's trainer Bob Baffert identified Alwaysmining as the biggest threat:

According to Cadman, the colt looks comfortable on the track at Pimlico, too:

Given it's a Triple Crown event, the field will perhaps be the quickest Alwaysmining has faced.

However, he has conquered all before him in recent months, and that winning experience could give him an edge.

Picks: 1. Alwaysmining, 2. Improbable, 3. Warriors Charge