With this year’s Kentucky Derby in the books, online sportsbooks have turned their attention to Preakness Stakes betting where early odds favor Bodemeister, I’ll Have Another and Went the Day Well
Kentucky Derby runner-up Bodemeister is the odds on favorite to win at Pimlico Raceway but some experts are concerned that early speed could his downfall. Bodemeister (left) was second to Creative Cause at this year’s San Felipe
Anyone that bet the first leg of thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown will easily recognize the top five horses favored to win the Preakness Stakes. Along with Bodemeister (+175), sportsbooks list I’ll Have Another (+225), Went the Day Well (+600), Creative Cause (+700) and Daddy Nose Best (+1600) at the top of the card.
The favorites have an exceptional record in Preakness betting the past 12 years, winning seven times. But Bodemeister is racing for the sixth time this season and third time in five weeks and that workload could leave this speedster short down the backstretch.
As the winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another is getting a lot of attention and trainer Doug O’Neill has acknowledged that he will need a different gameplan from the one that helped his horse finish first at Churchill Downs.
Animal Kingdom was the winner of last year’s Derby and finished second to Shackleford at the Preakness but in three of the past 12 events, the Derby winner failed to finish in the money at Pimlico.
Creative Cause is an interesting play and with a small field, there is a better chance that Cause could have a clean break from the gate. Two weeks ago at the Derby, Creative Cause was squeezed at the start and spent too much effort making his move into contention mid-race. By the time the pack hit the stretch there wasn’t enough left.
Cause finished fifth at the Derby and was second to I’ll Have Another at the Santa Anita Derby. This horse has four firsts and two seconds in its past nine races, missing the money only once (KY Derby). Joel Rosario was aboard for the past six races (2-1-2) including four trips in 2012. Cause is running from the six-spot next to No. 5 Went the Day Well and No. 7 Bodemeister and in the run for the Black Eyed Susans he’s our early pick.
Take Creative Cause at 7 to 1 odds
2012 Preakness Post Positions; Odds
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | ML Odds |
| 1 Tiger Walk | Kent Desormeaux | Ignacio Correas IV | 40-1 |
| 2 Teeth of the Dog | Joe Bravo | Michael Matz | 20-1 |
| 3 Pretension | Javier Santiago | Christopher Grove | 40-1 |
| 4 Zetterholm | Junior Alvarado | Richard Dutrow Jr. | 20-1 |
| 5 Went the Day Well | John R. Velazquez | H. Graham Motion | 6-1 |
| 6 Creative Cause | Joel Rosario | Mike Harrington | 7-1 |
| 7 Bodemeister | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert | 7-4 |
| 8 Daddy Nose Best | Julien Leparoux | Steven Asmussen | 16-1 |
| 9 I’ll Have Another | Mario Gutierrez | Doug F. O’Neill | 9-4 |
| 10 Optimizer | Corey Nakatani | D. Wayne Lukas | 40-1 |
| 11 Cozzetti | Jose Lezcano | Dale Romans | 40-1 |
Check the EveryEdge Horse Racing forum for more handicapping tips on this year’s Preakness!