The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes is set for Saturday, May 17th, continuing a rich tradition as the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, the race takes place at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. First run in 1873 and named after the colt Preakness, a winner of the 1870 Dinner Party Stakes, the race covers 1 3/16 miles on dirt, making it the shortest leg of the Triple Crown and often one of the most tactical.
Over the decades, the Preakness has delivered some of horse racing’s most unforgettable moments. Legends like Secretariat (1973), who still holds the stakes record time of 1:53, and Triple Crown champions Seattle Slew and Affirmed added to their legacies at Pimlico. In more recent history, American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) captured the Preakness en route to breaking long Triple Crown droughts. The race has also featured dramatic upsets and historic wins, including Rachel Alexandra’s groundbreaking victory in 2009 as the first filly in 85 years to take the Preakness, and Swiss Skydiver’s thrilling duel with Authentic in 2020.
Tradition plays a big role at the Preakness. The winning horse is draped in a blanket of black-eyed Susans, Maryland’s state flower (although look-alike blooms are used due to the actual flower’s later bloom time), and the infield—known as “Old Hilltop”—has long been a hub of fanfare and celebration. While the traditional singing of “Maryland, My Maryland” has been retired in recent years, the race’s historic charm remains intact.
One of the key storylines heading into the 2025 Preakness Stakes is the decision by Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty to skip the race in favor of preparing for the Belmont Stakes. With his absence, the Triple Crown is officially off the table this year. In his place, attention turns to Journalism, the Derby favorite who finished a strong second at Churchill Downs and returns as the morning-line favorite at Pimlico. Just two horses in the Preakness field—American Promise and Sandman—are making the start off the Derby trail, both looking to rebound in Baltimore. A noteworthy recent trend adds intrigue: six of the last eight Preakness winners bypassed the Kentucky Derby, potentially giving an edge to the fresher contenders in this year’s lineup.
Wagers: Exacta, 50 Cent Trifecta & Daily Double (Races 13-14), 10 Cent Superfecta, $1.00 Jackpot Super High 5
TV Schedule:
CNBC – 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
NBC – 4:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET
Weather:
The forecast for Saturday’s 150th running of the Preakness Stakes has improved as of Thursday, with the National Weather Service now calling for better conditions and only lingering showers following what’s expected to be an active weather day on Friday.
This updated outlook increases the likelihood that the race could be run over a fast track, but much will depend on the timing and path of any thunderstorms moving through the region late Friday and potentially into Saturday. Whether the dirt and turf courses at Pimlico have time to fully dry out remains the key factor heading into race day.
Previous Winners & Odds:
2024: Seize the Grey
M/L Odds: 15-1
2023: National Treasure
M/L Odds: 4-1
2022: Early Voting
M/L Odds: 7-2
2021: Rombauer
M/L Odds: 12-1
2020: Swiss Skydiver *
M/L Odds: 6-1
2019: War of Will
M/L Odds: 4-1
2018: Justify **
M/L Odds: 1-2
* Swiss Skydiver was one of six fillies to have won the Preakness Stakes
Here are the 2025 Preakness Stakes post positions, along with historical data for each gate since the starting gate was introduced to the race in 1909:
Post Position
Starts
Wins
Win %
Last winner
1
117
12
10.3
National Treasure (2023)
2
117
12
10.3
Cloud Computing (2017)
3
117
12
10.3
California Chrome (2014)
4
117
14
12.0
Swiss Skydiver (2020)
5
115
14
12.2
Seize the Grey (2024)
6
114
17
14.9
Rombauer (2021)
7
105
14
13.3
Justify (2018)
8
93
10
10.8
Bernardini (2006)
9
78
4
5.1
I’ll Have Another (2012)
Field:
Post Position
Horse
Morning Line (ML) Odds
Jockey
Trainer
1
Goal Oriented
6-1
Flavien Prat
Bob Baffert
2
Journalism
8-5
Umberto Rispoli
Michael McCarthy
3
American Promise
15-1
Nik Juarez
D. Wayne Lukas
4
Heart of Honor
12-1
Saffie Osborne
Jamie Osborne
5
Pay Billy
20-1
Raul Mena
Michael Gorham
6
River Thames
9-2
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Todd Pletcher
7
Sandman
4-1
John Velazquez
Mark Casse
8
Clever Again
5-1
Jose Ortiz
Steve Asmussen
9
Gosger
20-1
Luis Saez
Brendan Walsh
Horse Preview
Goal Oriented
Name: Goal Oriented
ML Odds: 6-1
Owner(s): SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Dam: Bizzy Caroline (Afleet Alex)
Sire: Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
2
2
0
0
2025
2
2
0
0
2024
0
0
0
0
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Journalism
Name: Journalism
ML Odds: 8-5
Owner(s): Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Robert V. LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Jockey: Umberto Rispoli
Dam: Mopotism (Uncle Mo)
Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
6
4
1
1
2025
3
2
1
0
2024
3
2
0
1
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
American Promise
Name: American Promise
ML Odds: 15-1
Owner(s): BC Stables LLC
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Nik Juarez
Dam: Tapella (Tapit)
Sire: Justify (Scat Daddy)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
10
2
1
1
2025
4
1
0
0
2024
6
1
1
1
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Heart of Honor
Name: Heart of Honor (GB)
ML Odds: 12-1
Owner(s): Jim And Claire Limited
Trainer: Jamie Osborne
Jockey: Saffie Osborne
Dam: Ruby Love*Chi (Scat Daddy)
Sire: Honor A. P. (Honor Code)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
6
2
4
0
2025
4
1
3
0
2024
2
1
1
0
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Pay Billy
Name: Pay Billy
ML Odds: 20-1
Owner(s): RKTN Racing LLC
Trainer: Michael Gorham
Jockey: Raul Mena
Dam: Harlington’s Rose (Harlington)
Sire: Improbable (City Zip)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
8
4
1
1
2025
4
3
1
0
2024
4
1
0
1
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
River Thames
Name: River Thames
ML Odds: 9-2
Owner(s): WinStar Farm, CHC, Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Dam: Proportionality (Discreet Cat)
Sire: Maclean’s Music (Distorted Humor)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
4
2
1
1
2025
4
2
1
1
2024
0
0
0
0
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Sandman
Name: Sandman
ML Odds: 4-1
Owner(s): D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: John Velazquez
Dam: Distorted Music (Distorted Humor)
Sire: Tapit (Pulpit)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
9
3
1
2
2025
4
1
1
1
2024
5
2
0
1
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Clever Again
Name: Clever Again
ML Odds: 5-1
Owner(s): Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Dam: Flattering*Ire (Galileo*Ire)
Sire: American Pharoah (Pioneer of the Nile)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
3
2
1
0
2025
2
2
0
0
2024
1
0
1
0
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Gosger
Name: Gosger
ML Odds: 20-1
Owner(s): Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables
Trainer: Brendan Walsh
Jockey: Luis Saez
Dam: Gloria S (Tapit)
Sire: Nyquist (Uncle Mo)
Starts
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Life
3
2
1
0
2025
2
2
0
0
2024
1
0
1
0
Pimlico Race Course
0
0
0
0
Projected Pace:
Pacesetter
#1 Goal Oriented
#8 Clever Again
Press the Pace/ Stalkers
#3 American Promise
#5 Pay Billy
#6 River Thames
#9 Gosger
Closers
#2 Journalism
#4 Heart of Honor
Deep Closers
#7 Sandman
Win Bets
#8 Clever Again
Clever Again is a lightly raced colt with a strong upward trajectory. He debuted in April 2024 at Keeneland, narrowly missing by a head in a $79K maiden sprint. After a lengthy layoff, he returned in February with an impressive win in a $110K maiden special weight at Oaklawn Park, cruising home by more than three lengths over 1 1/16 miles. He followed that up with a dominant wire-to-wire victory in the Hot Springs Stakes, winning by four lengths over a mile and earning a 101 speed figure—just shy of the 20-year average winning figure for the Preakness (104).
A son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Clever Again should have no trouble handling the Preakness distance, and the relatively soft field gives him a strong opportunity to shine. He’s trained by Steve Asmussen, who has won the Preakness twice and knows how to have his horses ready for this stage. With the right trip, Clever Again has a legitimate shot to take home the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Longshot Win Bets
#9 Gosger
Gosger enters the Preakness as a lightly raced but intriguing longshot, coming off an impressive Grade 3 victory in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, where he drew off to win by two lengths over 1 1/16 miles. While his speed figure of 87 in that effort will need to improve to contend against this stronger field, there’s reason to believe he has plenty of upside with just three career starts under his belt. The distance shouldn’t pose a problem given his recent performance and pedigree, and a sharp bullet workout on May 10th adds to the optimism. If he takes another step forward, Gosger could be a sneaky player at a big price.
Exacta Bets
#1 Goal Oriented, #3 American Promise, #6 River Thames, #8 Clever Again/ #2 Journalism
BOX: #1 Goal Oriented, #3 American Promise, #6 River Thames, #8 Clever Again
Trifecta Bets
#2 Journalism/ #1 Goal Oriented, #3 American Promise, #6 River Thames, #8 Clever Again/ ALL
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.
