2021 Preakness Stakes Odds and Picks to Win, Place and Show – Medina Spirit Favored

• The $1 million Preakness Stakes is Saturday at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course
• While the winner earns all the attention, betting for second and third can offer value too
• What are the best win, place, and show wagers Saturday at the Old Hilltop?

The last decade has brought a bit of everything to the Preakness Stakes.

Four winners have paid more than $25, while three times the payout has been less than $4. We have seen $12 for a $2 place wager, and a $2.80 return. No third place finisher has paid huge, but going with a sure shot to hit the board and doubling your investment isn’t bad either.

It is really important to remember, if you bet to place, you cash if your horse finishes first or second. A show wager returns cash if your pick is among the top three.

Let’s look at this year’s Preakness field and Preakness Stakes odds and their prices to finish in the money.

Preakness Stakes Win, Place, Show Odds

All odds as of May 12

	Promo: Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets + NBA No Sweat SGP	Learn More
	Promo: Bet $5 Get $150 in Bonus Bets	Learn More
	Promo: Up To $1,500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back	Learn More

Only three of 10 horses participating in this year’s Preakness also were apart of the Kentucky Derby. There are two ways to think about it. On one hand, the best horses tend to try to go after the biggest prize. On the flip side, having extra rest and not having been all out just two weeks ago is a big advantage.

The Preakness is a-mile-and-three-sixteenths, an eighth of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby. Post time is slated for 6:47pm EST. The race will be available on NBC.

Let’s break-down the field and see where we can find betting value.

The Favorites

When the runner up, show horse, fourth and fifth place finishers in the Kentucky Derby elected to skip the Preakness, whether you like him or not, Medina Spirit became the obvious favorite in Baltimore. The Kentucky Derby winner may have failed a drug test after the race, but he got to the wire first against 18 rivals.

Bob Baffert has come under great scrutiny since the Derby for his inconsistent record with drugs. Regardless, he has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes seven times each. Medina Spirit has never been worse than second in six races, and never been passed when getting the lead.

Concert Tour skipped the Kentucky Derby after a lackluster effort in the Arkansas Derby. He won his first three races for Baffert.

It is interesting Baffert puts two horses who seemingly both want the lead, and could tire each other out in this race. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will be Concert Tour’s rider.

Contenders

Smith was on Midnight Bourbon in the Kentucky Derby. He got a mediocre trip, getting out slowly, going wide on the second turn, but finishing an encouraging sixth while gaining down the stretch. His only victory this year came in January.

He beat Mandaloun, who finished second at Churchill Downs in that race. If indeed there is a speed battle up front, Midnight Bourbon could sit just off the leaders and make the first move down the stretch.

Crowded Trade and Risk Taking both come out of the Wood Memorial on April 3.

Crowded Trade finished third in just his third career start and did so going very wide on the second turn. Risk Taking was the favorite but got out of the gate awkwardly and was never a factor. Risk Taking beat Crowded Trade by a nose in the Withers Stakes in February.

Longshots

If you thought Midnight Bourbon had a rough trip in the Derby, Keepmeinmind suffered through a nightmare. He broke very poorly and was last for the first half of the race. He had to go extremely wide on the second turn. He made a big move down the stretch to finish seventh. It was really his first decent race since November.

If you take just the Kentucky Derby, and account for the issues he had, Keepmeinmind looks really reasonable in the Preakness. The question is why was he so bad in the Blue Grass Stakes and Rebel?

Unbridled Honor has only one win but Todd Pletcher’s horses tend to make big strides as they mature. He took a major step finishing second last time out.

If he just liked the mud at Keeneland last time, then he won’t be a factor without moisture on Saturday. However, if he has begun to figure it out, and Todd’s horses often have that light turning on moment, he could be in the mix at a nice price.

Preakness Betting Strategy

The Kentucky Derby winner is almost always overbet at the Preakness. Even if Medina Spirit wins, he doesn’t possess value. While Concert Tour is reasonable, his price isn’t great and what happened when he was a non-challenging third as the huge favorite in the Arkansas Derby?

It is usually best to bet against Derby/Preakness horses when they run for a third time in five weeks at the Belmont Stakes. That said, running in the first two legs of the Triple Crown isn’t overly taxing for three year olds. Remember, there is a reason horses qualified for the Derby.

Midnight Bourbon and Keepmeinmind both have excuses for the Kentucky Derby and offer value in a variety of ways in the Preakness Stakes.

Preakness Stakes Win, Place, Show Best Bets

Win: Midnight Bourbon (+500)
Place: Keepmeinmind (+525)
Show: Unbridled Honor (+400)