Code of Honor Remains +250 Favorite at 2019 Preakness Stakes After Country House Drops Out
- Country House was declared the winner of the Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security was disqualified
- Neither is running in the Preakness Stakes
- Code of Honor is the early Preakness favorite, but others offer value
Tradition dictates that the Kentucky Derby winner move on to the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. But after a bizarre Derby, history is being re-written.
Country House is among the most controversial winners of the Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security, clearly the fastest horse Saturday in Louisville, was disqualified. That said, the history books will show Country House got the roses. However, Maximum Security is not running in the Preakness, and neither is Country House.
2019 Preakness Stakes Odds
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Code of Honor | +250 |
| Tacitus | +400 |
| War of Will | +400 |
| Game Winner | +500 |
| Improbable | +750 |
| Vekoma | +1100 |
| Laughing Fox | +1200 |
| AlwaysMining | +1200 |
| Owendale | +1400 |
| Anothertwistafate | +1600 |
*Odds taken 05/07/19
Even without two top contenders, the Preakness has many solid options. Code of Honor has the shortest average Preakness Stakes odds and is listed at +250.
Code of Honor
Third across the line at Churchill Downs, and officially the runner up after Maximum Security’s DQ, Code of Honor is the early chalk. At 29/2 at the Kentucky Derby, Code of Honor had a relatively smooth trip, took the lead briefly about a mile into the race, and faded a bit down the stretch.
After winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes in early March, he finished third behind Maximum Security and Bodexpress at the Florida Derby.
Other Betting Options
A key to betting on the Preakness now is making sure you select a horse that is going to run. A lot of horses are up in the air, but Bob Baffert announced that Improbable will run.
Sent off as the 4/1 favorite in Kentucky, Improbable had a little traffic around the second turn, made a mild bid, and was fifth across the finish line, around four lengths behind Maximum Security.
He was the favorite thanks to second place finishes in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby.
War of Will, who took the brunt of Maximum Security’s obstruction, is likely to give the Preakness a go. He was eighth across the line at the Kentucky Derby.
War of Will got a pretty good trip before having his momentum stymied when Maximum Security moved into his path. It didn’t appear he was accelerating at a rate that would have made him a winner, but no question he could have finished with an improved placing.
11 Days until #Preakness144…We know the Preakness as the second leg of the Triple Crown, but it was actually held BEFORE the Kentucky Derby eleven times between 1888 and 1931. pic.twitter.com/nx6mUJjqwi
— Preakness Stakes (@PreaknessStakes) May 7, 2019
Often top trainers elect to skip the Preakness with their Derby horses. They do so because modern thoroughbreds virtually never run two weeks apart.
They are rested and run every month or two. That gives a fresh horse an advantage in Baltimore. Perhaps the most equipped to take advantage this year is Anothertwistafate.
Perhaps the most equipped to take advantage this year is Anothertwistafate.
He didn’t qualify for the Kentucky Derby, after a second place finish in the Lexington Stakes on April 13. He was the runner up at the Sunland Derby too. Eclipse award-winning jockey Javier Castellano will get the call, and the odds are significant.
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.
