Preakness 2020 Odds: Horses to Avoid and Safest Jockeys to Bet This Year

Before you hit send on a Preakness Stakes wager, there are plenty of factors to consider.

Previous results and Triple Crown experience could be valuable when evaluating each of the 11 horses in the field. 

You can also dive into the history of the 11 jockeys in the field to see if they have what it takes to guide a favorite to victory.

There is plenty of experience across the starting grid, but the one with the most Triple Crown success could leave Pimlico Race Course with the champion.

Horses to Avoid

Excession

Excession comes into the Preakness Stakes off a six-month layoff after taking second at the Rebel Stakes. 

The Steve Asmussen-trained horse does not have a great track record and that is reflected by possessing the longest odds in the field. 

In his three starts this year, Excession landed in seventh, eighth and second in races that included a handful of Triple Crown participants. 

Although it may be intriguing to take a chance on him based off the runner-up finish, it seems like too much of a risk. 

There is also the chance Excession gets overrun on the inside by Art Collector and Swiss Skydiver at the start. Additionally, horses that started in the furthest inside post in the first Triple Crown races did not finish better than fifth. 

Tap It to Win finished fifth at the Belmont Stakes from post one, and Max Player took fifth from post two after inside post holder Finnick the Fierce withdrew.

Liveyourbeastlife

The long shot starting on the other end of the 11-horse field is also one to stay away from.

Liveyourbeastlife has one victory in his last six starts and could be at a disadvantage from the start as he attempts to keep up with Authentic and Pneumatic. 

In his last start, Liveyourbeastlife took second in a six-horse field at the Jim Dandy Stakes, which served as his most competitive tuneup race.

The concerns for the 30-1 horse lie with the lack of high-level competition he has faced and the potential lack of speed to follow Authentic from post nine. 

At the Kentucky Derby, Authentic got off to a fast start out of an outside post and even Tiz the Law struggled to keep up with him at first.

If Authentic gets off to another hot start, Liveyourbeastlife may not be able to keep up and could be relegated to a middle-of-the-pack finish at best. 

Safest Jockeys to Bet On

John Velazquez (Authentic)

If you heavily weigh jockey performance in your wagers, John Velazquez is the best rider to trust. 

Velazquez led Authentic on a clean race in the Kentucky Derby and has won five Triple Crown events. The one crown jewel missing from his resume is the Preakness. He has three Kentucky Derby titles and two from the Belmont Stakes. 

If he guides Authentic through the pack from outside again, he could put the Derby winner in position to take his second Triple Crown race. If that occurs, Authentic would be the first horse since California Chrome in 2014 to win two Triple Crown races without taking the third race.

Florent Geroux (Thousand Words)

Florent Geroux does not have a Triple Crown victory, but he has achieved plenty of success at other marquee events, including the Breeders' Cup. 

Geroux mounts one of two Bob Baffert-trained horse in the field, Thousand Words, who may have been a contender at the Kentucky Derby if a last-second withdraw did not occur. 

Thousand Words has four victories in his career and took the Shared Belief Stakes over Honor A.P. in August to get ready for the Kentucky Derby.

Geroux has been aboard a horse in the Preakness in each of the last four years, taking third in 2019 with Owendale. 

With Thousand Words, Geroux is starting out of the same post he took bronze with Owendale. 

Thousand Words is the best horse Geroux has saddled in his last five Preakness starts, and his experience running a race out of post five may give him the edge Saturday.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from HorseRacingNation.com.