Preakness Stakes Betting Tips

The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the US Triple Crown in the States. It takes place over 1m1½f at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland.

A field of eight runners is set to contest this year’s renewal for three-year-olds on the dirt. It includes Kentucky Derby winner Mage as he bids to take a step closer to US Triple Crown glory.

Some of the other notable horses in the field are the Godolphin-owned First Mission, the Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure and Blazing Sevens, who represents trainer Chad Brown and leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Selection: Mage Next Best: First Mission

Mage Can Keep US Triple Crown Hopes Alive

MAGE won a strong renewal of the Kentucky Derby earlier this month at Churchill Downs. Coming out on top in an 18-runner race. He settled at the back end of the field in the early stages before producing an impressive turn of foot to prevail by a length.

Expect rider Javier Castellano to use similar targets in the Preakness Stakes, a contest that is only half a furlong shorter than the Kentucky Derby. In this case, he should have no trouble getting through traffic as there is a much smaller field than he faced at Churchill Downs.

With only four appearances to date, Mage is the second least experienced horse in this field. That means he is far more open to improvement than many of his rivals. He was a close second behind Forte in the Florida Derby, and that form is likely to look even better when the Gulfstream Park winner returns to action later this year.

It remains to be seen if this horse can carve his name into the history books at Belmont Park next month. However, for now, he can add another US Triple Crown leg to his CV as this distance is clearly right up his street.

First Mission Can Take Another Big Step Forward in Preakness

With just three appearances before the Preakness Stakes, FIRST MISSION remains unexposed on the track. He has improved with each run this year, and following his latest success at Keeneland, his connections are rightly taking their chance in this Grade One contest.

Brad Cox’s colt just lacked the speed to score over the sprint distance of 6f on his debut. He ran a good race to finish second behind a smart sprinter. Next time out at Fair Grounds, he improved considerably for the step up to 1m½f, scoring by just under seven lengths. That margin would have been far wider had he not been eased up inside the closing stages.

The Godolphin runner’s latest appearance came in the Grade Three Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. He was prominent at the front end of the field throughout and could still produce a turn of foot in the final furlong to hold off the challenge of Arabian Lion.

This extra furlong should not be a problem for the son of Street Sense. If he steps up again from his Keeneland performance, it is hard to see him not going close here.