Preakness Stakes Exotic Bets – Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta Picks
- Exotic wagering on the Preakness Stakes is one way to play for large payouts
- What is the best way to attack the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta picks Saturday at Pimlico?
- What horses can we count on, who can we eliminate, and which ones can turn a decent day into a jackpot in the Preakness Stakes exotic bets?
If you had Mage to win the Kentucky Derby, the $2 win payout of $32.42 was more than solid. However, the $2 exacta cashed for $330.34, a $0.50 trifecta awarded backers $491.18, and the $1 superfecta led to more than a nice dinner, $15,643.65. Preakness Stakes exotic bets are hard to hit, but they can be lucrative.
Preakness Stakes exacta, trifecta, and superfecta payouts are not going to be as much as in Louisville. Simply put, there are a lot more combinations when you have 18 runners than seven. That said, look at the latest Preakness Stakes odds. The right horses can certainly allow for a big score.
A refresher on understanding various types of horse racing bets is in order. Now, let’s discuss this year’s Preakness and how we want to attack the Preakness exotics.
Get a Deposit Match Up To $250 & a $10 Free Bet!
Best Preakness Stakes Exotic Bets
With 18 horses at the Kentucky Derby, you needed a pretty strict and defined strategy, particularly if you were trying to hit the big one. Having one or two horses to really focus on, and then using some longshots in various combinations gives you the ability to both put your money where your mouth is, and reach for a price or two.
The seven-horse Preakness Stakes is much more conventional. Who is the favorite, the legitimate contenders, what longshots are worth dabbling with, and who can be tossed when making your best Preakness Stakes predictions?
While wagering budget plays a role, so too does return on investement (ROI). If you hit the trifecta at the Kentucky Derby, it is very likely regardless of the play the ROI is going to be solid. With only seven horses in the Preakness, you need to either bet more on your favorite combinations, or be careful when building your tickets. While it is better than losing everything, wagering $100 to win $65 is not the world’s greatest feeling.
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to recognize that Derby winner Mage is likely to be a big player in this year’s Preakness.
What would be the drawbacks on Mage? He ran just two weeks ago, while all of his competition is more rested, and the pace of the race. Many thought the Derby could be slower paced, and that would make coming from behind difficult. Instead they ran quickly early, helping closers. On paper, there are not that many speed horses entered in Baltimore.
Kentucky Derby Exacta Picks
It is not particularly fun to say, but following Friday’s scratch of First Mission, Mage is clearly the most likely winner of the Preakness.
National Treasure is a solid contender, and could have controlling speed. Blazing Sevens is sensible having run against top competition. Neither provides a lot of betting value in the Preakness Stakes exotic bets.
As it pertains to longer shots, Red Route One is interesting. He has faced a very high level of competition, is coming off his best career race, and has two extra weeks of rest compared to Mage, who he runs similarly to.
- $30 Mage over Red Route One — $30
- $15 Red Route One over Mage — $15
- Total Wager — $45
While it is tempting to use National Treasure and Blazing Sevens, the price wouldn’t be huge. No doubt they can finish in the top two, but Red Route One offers a lot more value. If you play four horses, that is more than half the field, and you cut into your potential profit.
Preakness Stakes Trifecta Picks
The balance between number of combinations you play, how much you play each ticket for, and which horses to include or exclude is key.
Bob Baffert is putting blinkers on National Treasure in a race that doesn’t have a ton of early speed. He could be scary near the front. That said, he has one win in five starts, and the level of competition in his California preps is unclear.
Blazing Sevens has two wins in six starts, but has consistently gone up against the toughest three year olds. Trainer Chad Brown won this race last year, and he fits nicely in this spot.
- $2 trifecta Mage over Red Route One, National Treasure, and Blazing Sevens, over Red Route One, National Treasure, and Blazing Sevens — $18
- $1 trifecta Mage and Red Route One, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, and Blazing Sevens, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform — $40
- $0.50 trifecta Mage and Red Route One, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens and Perform, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform — $25
- Total Wager — $83
All we are doing with these Preakness Stakes trifecta predictions is expanding on the exactas. We like Mage best, and think Red Route One offers value. The other contenders are filled in underneath.
Preakness Stakes Superfecta Picks
It is unclear why the Kentucky Derby makes the superfecta a $1 minimum wager, but the Preakness uses the standard $0.10. That allows you to cover a lot more combinations on a budget, but also limits your payout. Of course, you can play it for more than a dime per combo, and again with ROI in mind, it is better to have strong opinions on the race than in effect be betting against yourself. Consider only one combination can win, so each extra play you make has to be a loser. The idea would be to play the minimum number of tickets it takes to find the winner. For example, a perfect ticket would cost 10 cents. That however requires you to know the exact order of finish for four horses with no safety net.
- $1 superfecta Mage over Red Route One over National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform over National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform — $9
- $0.50 superfecta Mage over Red Route One, National Treasure and Blazing Sevens, over Red Route One, National Treasure, and Blazing Sevens over Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform — $18
- $0.10 superfecta Mage and Red Route One, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure and Blazing Sevens, over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform over Mage, Red Route One, National Treasure, Blazing Sevens, and Perform — $20
- Total Wager — $47
Preakness Stakes Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta Picks
There are a lot of ways to play Preakness Stakes exotic bets. Many people like to box horses, or play a ton of combinations, and while those can lead to cashing tickets, they don’t really maximize your opinions. If you believe Mage is the most likely winner, and Red Route One presents the best value, you should play them more liberally than any other combinations. When betting the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta, you must be clear on what you think the most likely result of the race will be, what horses you can lean on, who you are fading, and utilize anyone that you think presents value.
Now that you’re prepped with all the Preakness Stakes exotic bets to make this weekend, be sure to log on to one of your favorite horse racing betting sites and sign up for the top bonuses in the industry to make your bets!
Get more Preakness Stakes predictions from SBD here!
- 2023 Preakness Stakes Odds & Expert Picks for Favorites & Contenders
- Preakness Stakes Longshot Picks – Win Big With These 4 Horses
- Pimlico Race Course Odds & Picks – Preakness Stakes Undercard
- Preakness Stakes Best Bets: Win, Place & Show Picks
DRF RACEBOOKDEPOSIT MATCH UP TO $250!
- FANDUEL RACEBOOK
$20 NO SWEAT FIRST BET (CO, IL, IN, LA, MD, MA, MI, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV, WY)
- TWINSPIRES RACEBOOK
$200 SIGNUP BONUS
- FANDUEL RACING
$20 NO SWEAT FIRST BET (AR, CA, DE, FL, KY, NH, NM, ND, OR, RI, SD, VT)
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
