One down, two to go. American Pharoah claimed the first leg of the coveted Triple Crown with victory in the Kentucky Derby. His next stop on a possible road toward immortality will be at the Pimlico Race Track for the 140th Preakness Stakes on May 16. Let’s take a look at American Pharoah’s chances of scoring a second win, and size up some of the horses that can challenge him in the race.
We’ve got you covered for everything Preakness Stakes. Don’t forget to check out what the top horseracing experts think with our Preakness Stakes experts’ predictions and experts’ sleepers predictions pieces.
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2015 Preakness Stakes Betting Preview
Favorite – American Pharoah
After his impressive performance in winning the Kentucky Derby by a full length, it’s no surprise to see American Pharoah as the heavy -130 favorite heading into the Preakness. The win at Churchill Downs was American Pharoah’s fifth win in a row, and it’ll be hard to see anyone else catching up to him in the shorter Pimlico track.
[sc:horses240banner ]Two of the last three Derby winners (I’ll Have Another and California Chrome) have gone on to win the Preakness. Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah’s jockey, was the one riding California Chrome when he went for the double last year. Espinoza has also gone on to win the Preakness in two of the three times he won at Kentucky.
Firing Line (+500) and Dortmund (+450), who finished second and third, respectively, behind American Pharoah at the Derby, are expected to be his main competition once again at Pimlico. Dortmund, who shares the same trainer as American Pharaoh in Bob Baffert, will be out for some revenge after he failed to win for the first time in seven career races.
Sleepers – Divining Rod and Competitive Edge
Divining Rod is priced at +1,200 odds to steal American Pharoah’s thunder at the Preakness. Divining Rod will have the advantage of being fresher than the likes of American Pharoah, Dortmund and Firing Line after missing out on the Kentucky Derby. Divining Rod, who won his most recent race in the Lexington Stakes, has been preparing for the Preakness at Pimlico since well before the Derby, giving him a headstart on the competition.
Competitive Edge also decided to skip the Kentucky Derby, but that didn’t preclude him from winning at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. He had a dominating performance at the Pat Day Mile, as he broke the stakes’ 46-year old record winning time en route to victory. The son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Competitive Edge is a very enticing pick at +1,500 to maintain his unbeaten career record, which currently stands at 4-0.
Long Shots – International Star and Bodhisattva
International Star had to pull out just hours prior to the Kentucky Derby after an issue was detected with the colt’s left front foot. It was a real shame for International Star, who was touted by some as a possible sleeper in the Derby. But he should be ready for the Preakness, and at +1,800, he’s got some very good value as a long shot bet.
Bodhisattva has even longer odds at +2,500 to win the Preakness, but he has a couple of things working in his favor. First off, he also skipped the Kentucky Derby, which should give him a fresher pair of legs. And second, he’s the only horse in the field that actually owns a race win at Pimlico. He won his most recent race, the Tesio Stakes, back on April 18.
Writer’s Prediction
Dortmund exacts his revenge on American Pharoah and wins the Preakness. Create a betting account now and put your horse racing predictions to the test!
