This coming May 17th, the excitement and the thrill that enveloped the Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby will make its way to the Pimlico track for the 139th staging of the Preakness Stakes.
California Chrome comes in as the heavy favorite in this race, as discussed in our full Preakness Stakes preview, but this is horse racing: darkhorses are sleepers are always worth considering.
With that in mind, take this moment to grab a 50% deposit bonus when you sign up for a betting account and read on for our high-value sleeper picks for the 2014 Preakness Stakes.
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Preakness Stakes High Value Sleepers
Pablo Del Monte (+2,400)
Recent Races: Pablo Del Monte had a chance to compete in the Kentucky Derby but opted to skip it because his camp did not like the idea of starting from post 20. Nevertheless, Pablo Del Monte is a strong colt, ready to make waves at Pimlico. In his last race, he finished third in the Grade I Blue Grass last April 12th, only bested by Derby top-10 finishers Medal Count and Dance With Fate. Pablo Del Monte also came in third in the Grade II Hutcheson last February.
[sc:horses240banner ]Trainer (Wesley Ward): A former champion jockey, Wesley Ward is perhaps best known for winning the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1984. This year, his horses won 28 of 143 starts.
Jockey (Jeffrey Sanchez): Jeffrey Sanchez’s biggest accomplishment in his career thus far is guiding Awesome Feather to a win in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Puerto Rico native has 15 wins in 108 starts in 2014.
General A Rod (+2,000)
Recent Races: General A Rod finished 11th in the Derby at the beginning of the month, the first time he didn’t show in his six-race career. Before joining the Run for the Roses, General A Rod placed third in the Grade I Florida Derby last March 29th. He also finished second in the Grade II Fountain of Youth at the Gulfstream Park back in February.
Trainer (Mike Maker): The Louisville-based trainer knows what it takes to succeed in the second leg of the Triple Crown. In 1999, Maker trained Preakness Stakes winner Charismatic, who also won the Derby that year. Maker is currently ranked fifth among trainers in earnings this year with $3,231,174.
Jockey (Javier Castellano): Like General A Rod’s trainer, Javier Castellano also had won in the most coveted race at the Pimlico. The Venezuelan jockey rode Bernardini in 2006 and the won the Preakness Stakes by 51⁄4 lengths. Castellano won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2013 after setting a new record for annual earnings with $26.2 million.
Social Inclusion (+600)
Recent Races: While Social Inclusion doesn’t have the experience the other horses have, he still impressed a lot of people when he finished third in the highly regarded Grade I Wood Memorial last April 5th. It was only the three-year old colt’s third race. Social Inclusion showed first glimpses of his talent when he finished first in in his debut race at Gulfstream Park back in February before outrunning again the competition at the same track in March 12.
Trainer (Manny Azpurua): Before moving to the US in 1979, Manny Azpurua honed his training skills for 30 years in his native country, Venezuela, where he won more than 3,500 races.
To cash in big on this race, the horses listed above offer the best value. Check out our complete Preakness odds now and get in on the action today.
Jockey (Luis Contreras): Born in Mexico, Luis Contreras etched his name among the greats of his craft when he won the Canadian Triple Crown with three different horses in 2011.
