The Preakness Stakes is back in its traditional spot in 2021 as the second leg of the Triple Crown. Last year, the Preakness was postponed from the spring to the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic and served as the third and final leg of horse racing’s Big 3 events. Swiss Skydiver captured the 2020 crown, posting the second fastest time ever. As for this year’s “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans,” the race will be held on Saturday, May 15. Preakness betting odds will be posted soon at the top US sportsbooks.
Best Preakness betting sites 2021
Preakness Stakes post positions and odds
Preakness Stakes odds will be posted soon at top US race and sportsbooks.
Where to bet the Preakness Stakes and race schedule
The 146th Preakness Stakes is set for Saturday, May 15, 2021. Here is more information and tips on betting the Preakness Stakes, and how you can watch and wager on this year’s event.
- Date: Saturday, May 15, 2021
- Time: 5:45 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Tablet, Online, Mobile: NBC Sports App and streamed live on NBCsports.com/live and fuboTV
- Track & Location: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
- Distance: 1 3/16 miles (9 furlongs) – since 1925
- Surface: Dirt
- Horses: 3-Year-Old Thoroughbreds
- Track Record: Secretariat (1:53.00 in 1973)
- Largest Margin of Victory: Smarty Jones (11 lengths in 2004)
Live television coverage on NBC begins at 4:30 p.m. ET. As always, watch for the 2021 Kentucky Derby favorites to enter into Preakness contention as the major race season kicks off in May.
Fans can wager legally at racetracks, simulcast centers such as Off Track Betting (OTB) Centers, and on advanced deposit wagering platforms such as TVG, BetAmerica and TwinSpires, where bettors in 31 states can legally bet on horse races from their mobile devices and web browsers. You can also wager on horse racing legally in the state of Nevada at the hundreds of casinos with race and sportsbooks.
Horse racing wagers and bets
In addition to the traditional “straight” wagers (Win, Place, Show), fans can also attempt to cash big in the various “exotic” pools. Exacta (top two finishers), Trifecta (top three), Superfecta (top four), and Super High Five (top five) wagering are all offered, and cashing a ticket in any of these pools can produce a bigger payday.
- Win: Bet on the horse you think you will win the Kentucky Derby.
- Place: Get paid the place price if your horse finishes first or second.
- Show: A show bet pays the least, but you win and get paid the show price if your horse finishes first, second or third.
- Exacta: Predict the first two horses in the correct order.
- Trifecta: Predict the first three horses in the correct order.
- Superfecta: Predict the first four horses in the correct order.
- Super High Five: Predict the first five horses in the correct order.
The Preakness Stakes betting odds are finally determined by the pari-mutuel system at the track which means your potential payout depends on how much money is in the pot overall, divided by how many bets are placed. The odds will fluctuate in the build-up to the race and never more so than in the final few moments before post time.
Picking a Preakness winner
There are many ways to handicap a horse race, and there is no shortage of opinions or angles when it comes to the handicapping the Preakness Stakes following the Kentucky Derby results. From a beginner’s betting guide to the most sophisticated tools for informed handicappers, there are many pieces of information and betting guides to assist you in identifying a potential Preakness winner and narrowing the list of top contenders.
- Handicapping horses and the races takes much time, research and intuition. Beyond studying past performance charts and horse stats, speed figures, class ratings, tracks and bias, jockey and trainer stats, horse pedigree and even post position (Preakness draw is Monday, May 10), a handicapper has to have insight and ability to find various ways to identify horses that are ready to win. That’s especially true for the Derby horses that are running in the Preakness with just a two-week recovery. You can review race videos, tracks, surfaces or find horses that had troubled trips in recent races. But it’s important to distill information that can help you identify horses that may offer some value next time out or others in good form or improving that can provide value wagering opportunities.
- Races and horses should be backed based on positive attributes and not as a result of who’s the best of the worst. As you study some of the betting guides and training tools, you’ll become better prepared and equipped to analyze races in a more meaningful way. That includes the Preakness Stakes along with the Kentucky Derby and the prep races leading up to the Derby. Understanding ‘how’ a horse has run leading up to a race versus the far less important ‘where’ the horse finishes and ‘what’ time he/she completed their recent races will help you become more proficient.
- Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Preakness a record-tying 7 times (D. Wayne Lucas) including in 2015 with American Pharoah and 2018 with Justify, who both went on to win the Triple Crown.
These sections below will be updated with additional horses and information as more runners are confirmed for the Preakness Stakes.
Front runners and “need the lead”
The pace often makes the race, and the Preakness will be no different. The horses that “need the lead” or will be forwardly placed and pressing the pace are ones to watch coming out of the Kentucky Derby.
Stalkers ready to pounce
The 2021 Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality won the Blue Grass Stakes with a stalking trip just behind front running Highly Motivated, who finished a close second. Watch the styles in the Derby, as the post draw and break from the gate is more daunting a 20 horse field.
Value Horses
Known Agenda came from about 3-lengths off the lead to burst through and win the Florida Derby. He’s a son of the great Curlin, and could offer value in the Kentucky Derby at odds of +700 or greater for trainer Todd Pletcher. There is no dominant horses in the Kentucky Derby, but more parity with 7-10 solid horses and more updates coming on other value horses to watch.
War of Will was identified on these pages as a value horse in 2019, and he pulled the upset and won the Preakness at 6/1 odds.
The Preakness has been dominated in recent years by horses who set or press/stalk the pace, but most of the time those were simply the best horses like Justify, American Pharoah, California Chrome, Big Brown and the filly Rachel Alexandra. Exaggerator was able to come from well off a hotly-contested pace to win the 2016 Preakness. An improving 3-year-old or fresher and talented runner like the filly Swiss Skydiver can emerage. She came from off the pace to get to the front at the three quarter mile marker, and out-dueled 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic to win the Preakness at 11/1 odds.
Preakness Stakes history and results
| Year | Winner | Post | Odds | Time | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Swiss Skydiver | 4 | 11/1 | 1:53.28 | Robby Albarado | Kenneth McPeek |
| 2019 | War of Will | 1 | 6/1 | 1:54.34 | Tyler Gaffalione | Mark Casse |
| 2018 | Justify | 7 | 1/2 | 1:55:93 | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert |
| 2017 | Cloud Computing | 2 | 13/1 | 1:55:98 | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown |
| 2016 | Exaggerator | 5 | 3/1 | 1:58:31 | Kent Desormeaux | J. Keith Desormeaux |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | 1 | 4/5 | 1:58.46 | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 2014 | California Chrome | 3 | 3/5 | 1:54.84 | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman |
| 2013 | Oxbow | 6 | 15/1 | 1:57:54 | Victor Espinoza | D.W. Lukas |
| 2012 | I'll Have Another | 9 | 3/1 | 1:55.94 | G. Stevens | D. O'Neill |
| 2011 | Shackleford | 5 | 12/1 | 1:56.21 | M. Guiterrez | D. Romans |
| 2010 | Lookin At Lucky | 7 | 5/2 | 1:55.47 | J. Castanon | B. Baffert |
| 2009 | Rachel Alexandra | 13 | 9/5 | 1:55.05 | M. Garcia | S. Asmussen |
| 2008 | Big Brown | 6 | 1/5 | 1:54.80 | C. Borel | R. Dutrow Jr. |
| 2007 | Curlin | 4 | 7/2 | 1:53.46 | K. Desormeaux | S. Asmussen |
| 2006 | Bernardini | 8 | 12/1 | 1:54.65 | R. Albarado | T. Albertrani |
| 2005 | Afleet Alex | 12 | 3/1 | 1:55.04 | J. Castellano | T. Ritchey |
| 2004 | Smarty Jones | 7 | 3/5 | 1:55.59 | J. Rose | J. Servis |
| 2003 | Funny Cide | 9 | 9/5 | 1:55.61 | S. Elliott | B. Tagg |
| 2002 | War Emblem | 8 | 5/2 | 1:56.36 | J. Santos | B. Baffert |
| 2001 | Point Given | 11 | 2/1 | 1:55.51 | V. Espinoza | B. Baffert |
| 2000 | Red Bullet | 4 | 7/1 | 1:56.04 | G. Stevens | J. Orseno |
| 1999 | Charismatic | 6 | 8/1 | 1:55.32 | J. Bailey | D.W. Lukas |
| 1998 | Real Quiet | 10 | 5/2 | 1:54.75 | C. Antley | B. Baffert |
| 1997 | Silver Charm | 7 | 3/1 | 1:54.84 | K. Desormeaux | B. Baffert |