At the recently-concluded Kentucky Derby, touted colt Nyquist extended his dazzling record to eight wins and no losses by finishing Churchill Downs’ course two seconds faster than last year’s Derby and Triple-Crown winner, American Pharoah.
Nyquist remains in prime position to win it all again at the Preakness Stakes this Saturday in Baltimore, but who else can give the undefeated wonder-beast a run for its money? Let’s find out what the horse-racing experts from the internet have to say about the other viable candidates that could pull off an upset at the Run of the Black-Eyed Susans.
For an in-depth look at this week’s field of gritty equine contenders, check out our horse and jockey analysis for the most-notable participants at Pimlico Race Course here.
Experts’ Sleeper Picks for the 2016 Preakness Stakes
*Find the complete list of Preakness Stakes betting lines here
Bleacher Report
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Brian Marron
Exaggerator, Collected, Stradivari
As the runner-up to the Kentucky Derby, Exaggerator is rightfully the competitor with the second-best odds at winning the Preakness with a price of +400.
Brian Marron of Bleacher Report believes that the three-year-old colt has what it takes to thwart Nyquist’s bid at the Triple Crown based on that sizzling runner-up finish at Churchill Downs. The Preakness’ course at Pimlico this week is shorter in distance by one-sixteenth of a mile, though, so B/R’s columnist exclaimed that Exxagerator must get off to a hot start rather than come back from behind with a flurry again like at the Kentucky Derby.
Marron is also high on Collected (+2,800) – Bob Baffert’s best bet in this year’s edition of the Triple Crown. Sure, Collected is nothing like Baffert’s American Pharoah from last year, but there’s no denying that the esteemed trainer knows a great deal about winning Triple Crown races, alright. Throw in the fact that Collected enters Pimlico with fresh legs after sitting out the Kentucky Derby, and Baffert could very well tie R. Wyndham Walden’s record of seven wins at Preakness this weekend indeed.
The Baltimore Sun
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Childs Walker
Exaggerator
It’s only natural that The Baltimore Sun throws in its two cents for this week’s race, and Childs Walker also believes that Exaggerator is the main opposition to Nyquist’s quest for a win in Baltimore.
Walker mentioned one key factor in favor of Exxagerator’s cause, and that’s his jockey in Kent Desormeaux. He’s a two-time winner at Preakness and also has six lifetime wins in Triple Crown races under his belt.
However, The Sun’s reporter also mentioned that Desormeaux is also winless with Exxagerator in four other races that had Nyquist in the mix. Nonetheless, having a mounted master with a solid track record at Pimlico and at Triple Crown events should still work wonders for Exxagerator’s run this week.
SportBet
Expert
Sleeper Pick(s)
Josh Bailey
Stradivari
Like Bleacher Report’s Marron from earlier, Josh Bailey from SportBet took notice of Stradivari as the +2,000 dark horse pick (no pun intended) in this week’s race. Bailey saw a ton of potential from this new shooter, particularly from the young colt’s victory at Keeneland on April 17 that saw him win that race by 14-and-a-half lengths.
Although that one race is a small sample size to work with, the talent and ability to close out races is apparently there already. Stradivari wasn’t present at the Kentucky Derby earlier this month either, meaning he’ll also be relatively fresh coming out of Pimlico’s gates.
If you like to bet on the hottest of contenders entering a particular event, then look no further than Stradivari to possibly pull off a shocking and blazing victory at Preakness this Saturday.
Create a betting account now to win big from all the fast-paced action at the Run of the Black-Eyed Susans this weekend.
