Popular topic here at TheOddsbreakers as we approach the running of the 149th Preakness Stakes. Patrick Gates, and Kiev O’Neil also have articles that have posted and we are all going to attack the race in different directions. That’s part of the beauty of horse racing. There’s so many different ways to bet the races, and it only takes $1 to hit something big if the right numbers come in.
So am I attacking the race with a mindset that the track will be fairly sloppy. It has been raining in Baltimore all morning and looks like it will stop around 11 AM. The sun is not scheduled to come out before the Preakness runs, and there will likely be only four dirt races run after the rain stops. The mud hasn’t slowed Mystik Dan who gets Brian Hernandez on board. Mystik Dan blew away the field in the mud at the Southwest, and had the Kentucky Derby run on a track that while listed fast still had some moisture in it. His last three times out he has produced three of the top five speed figures in the entire field. Consistency and having shown the ability to run in the mud has me investing on the favorite here. Catching Freedom also has drawn more of my attention with the mud as he showed well in the slop and the Risen Star, reeling in a good chunk of the field and finishing third less than two lengths behind Sierra Leone. Looking at other horses I think Tuscan Gold could compete here if he moves forward from his Louisiana Derby run, but I don’t trust him if the track is wet to do so. Imagination, the Bob Baffert horse will need to go gate to wire in order to win this race, and I don’t see him doing so in the mud with Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom. Finally Just Steel who ran awful in the Derby after sprinting out of the gate will look to rebound here to the form that gave him the best speed figure in the field two times back at the Arkansas Derby. He has thrown three duds out there in his racing career so the consistency hasn’t been there. Just Steel also got blown away by Mystik Dan in the slop at the Southwest finishing a distant second 8 lengths back after being only a 1/2 length back coming around the corner.
Here’s how I am betting the race now with the mud
Win Bets – (5) Mystik Dan $15, (3) Catching Freedom $6 – Total Investment $21 (I bet this before the line move this morning, bets should be closer in size if the odds are closer in size.
Exacta Bet – 3,5/ 3,5,7,8,9 $2 – Total Investment $16
No Trifecta for me. Just don’t feel there is much value
Super High Five – There was a carryover here from the BES so it’s worth throwing a few bucks around here. I’m Putting Mystik Dan up top and mixing in $12 worth of combos hoping to get lucky. – Total Investment $12
Late Pick 5 – I have a $99 ticket in play. Single the 10 in the 10th, and All in the 11th. Hit me up on Twitter @TheGreatKnoche for more information on it!
Good Luck Everyone!
