Best Preakness Stakes Betting Sites in the USA - September 2021
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A Beginner’s Guide to the Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is the second jewel of American horse racing’s Triple Crown, held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. The famous flat race is also known as “The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown” and “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”. It ranks as the second-most popular day in American racing in terms of attendance, surpassed only by the Derby.
First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes takes place each year on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Grade 1 race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds is run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs (1 3/16 miles) at the left-handed dirt track. The Preakness Stakes has a limit of 14 runners, which is two more than the Belmont Stakes and six less than the Kentucky Derby.
The winner takes home a cheque worth at least $1 million and the coveted Woodlawn Vase, which was created by Tiffany & Co. of New York in 1860. Any horse that wins both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes enters the Belmont Stakes hoping for Triple Crown glory. Only 13 horses have won all three races since Sir Barton became the first winner of all Triple Crown races in 1919.
Features of the Best Preakness Stakes Betting Sites
Countless websites offer Preakness Stakes betting online, but how do you know which are worth your time? That’s where we can help.
At SBO.net, we’ve reviewed hundreds of betting sites since launching in 2011. We take many factors into consideration when reviewing sites, covering everything from licensing and security measures to payment methods and customer service, to help you find your ideal site.
How to Bet on the Preakness Stakes Online
Thinking about betting on the Preakness Stakes online for the first time? Don’t worry, it couldn’t be any easier to get started. Follow our step-by-step guide to place your first Preakness Stakes bet in minutes:
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Join One of Our Recommended SitesYour first step is to join one of the best Preakness Stakes betting sites listed on this page. Visit the site that ticks all your boxes, click the “register” button, and enter your personal details to create an account. -
Make Your First DepositThe next step is funding your account. Navigate to the banking section and choose your preferred payment method. Fill in your details and enter how much you want to deposit, then click “confirm” to process your payment. -
Find Preakness Stakes Betting MarketsNow it’s time to find the Preakness Stakes betting markets. Find the horse racing betting section from the A-Z list of sports and click on “future races” or “ante post” for a list of upcoming races. Then click “Preakness Stakes” to view the latest odds for the prestigious flat race. -
Place Your Bets and Watch the RaceOnce you decide which horse you’d like to back, click the odds beside its name to add the selection to your betting slip. Next, enter how much you want to bet and click “confirm” to process your bet. Now it’s time to wait for the race to begin and cheer your horse to victory.
Our Top Tips for Preakness Stakes Betting
Now you know how to bet on the Preakness Stakes online, it’s time for us to share our top tips to help you profit from betting on the second leg of American horse racing’s Triple Crown.
We’ll share our predictions for the 2022 Preakness Stakes when the field is confirmed but, in the meantime, here’s some advice to help you pick a winner.
✓ Derby Success Doesn’t Guarantee a Double – Only 23 horses have won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Considering how both races have taken place annually since 1875, this is a low strike rate. It suggests most horses fail to justify the hype after winning the Derby. Remember, the Preakness takes place two weeks after the Derby, so it takes a special three-year-old to recover and win the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
✓ Fillies Rarely Win – Only six fillies have won the Preakness Stakes since its first running in 1873. We must put this number into perspective, though: only 55 fillies have competed in the famous flat race. Swiss Skydiver (2020) and Rachel Alexandra (2009) were the two most recent winners, with Nellie Morse (1924), Rhine Maiden (1915), Whimsical (1906) and Flocarline (1903) rounding out the fillies who have entered the winner’s circle at Pimlico.
✓ History Favors Stalls 1-8 – There have been field sizes of nine runners or more in nine of the last 11 runnings of the Preakness Stakes. Only four of the 32 runners to finish in the top three across those races were drawn in stall nine or higher. The middle stalls regularly deliver winners, as evidenced by 2021 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer clinching the win from stall six.
Preakness Stakes Records
First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes boasts several notable records. Some of racing’s most famous horses, jockeys and trainers have set marks that future competitors will dream of eclipsing.
From the fastest time and biggest winning margin to the most successful jockeys and trainers, here are some of the most impressive achievements in the history of this prestigious flat race.
Fastest Time
Known as the fastest horse in history, Secretariat holds the official speed record for all three Triple Crown races. The ninth winner of the American Triple Crown was originally credited with a running time of 1:55 in the 1973 Preakness Stakes, but clockers recorded 1:53 3⁄5, which would be a new record. After much controversy, the Maryland Racing Commission unanimously ruled to change Secretariat’s final time to 1:53 in June 2012.
Margin of Victory
The biggest margin of victory in the Preakness Stakes was set in 2004 by Smarty Jones, a horse that nearly won it all. The champion Thoroughbred won the Preakness by a record margin of 11 ½ lengths two weeks after winning the Derby. Smarty Jones became the biggest favorite for the Belmont Stakes since Spectacular Bid and Secretariat in the 1970s but was upset by a late charge from 37.00 shot Birdstone.
Most Successful Jockey
Widely regarded as the greatest jockey in the history of American horse racing, Eddie Arcaro won the Preakness Stakes six times (1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1957). He also won the Kentucky Derby five times and the Belmont Stakes six times, more than any other jockey in history. The six-time Preakness winner remains the only jockey to have won American racing’s Triple Crown twice (on Whirlaway in 1941 and on Citation in 1948).
Most Successful Trainer
Boasting seven wins apiece, Bob Baffert (1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2018) and the late Robert Wyndham Walden (1875, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1888) are the most successful trainers in Preakness history. Baffert has won more Triple Crown races than any trainer in history and has trained two Triple Crown winners, so look out for horses trained by him when Preakness Stakes betting odds are released.
Recent Preakness Stakes Winners
Winning the Preakness Stakes is a prestigious accolade. Some of the greatest horses, jockeys, and trainers in racing history have landed in the winner’s circle at the Pimlico Race Course.
Here’s some key information on recent winners of the Preakness Stakes:
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Rombauer | Flavien Prat | Michael W. McCarthy | 1:53.62 |
| 2020 | Swiss Skydiver | Robby Albarado | Kenneth McPeek | 1:53.28 |
| 2019 | War of Will | Tyler Gaffalione | Mark E. Casse | 1:54.34 |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert | 1:55.93 |
| 2017 | Cloud Computing | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown | 1:55.98 |
| 2016 | Exaggerator | Kent Desormeaux | J. Keith Desormeaux | 1:58.31 |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | 1:58.46 |
| 2014 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman | 1:54.84 |
| 2013 | Oxbow | Gary Stevens | D. Wayne Lukas | 1:57.54 |
| 2012 | I’ll Have Another | Mario Gutierrez | Doug O’Neill | 1:55.94 |
| 2011 | Shackleford | Jesus Castanon | Dale Romans | 1:56.47 |
| 2010 | Lookin At Lucky | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 1:55.47 |
Ready to Bet on the 2022 Preakness Stakes?
The 2022 Preakness Stakes is scheduled for 21 May and online betting sites are already taking action.
You can place ante-post bets on the Preakness Stakes right now, though it’s worth noting the final field is yet to be confirmed. We will update our Preakness Stakes betting guide with information on all the runners and riders in due course.
In the meantime, join one of the best Preakness Stakes betting sites listed on this page to claim a generous welcome bonus and bet on the filly or colt you think will be first past the post.
FAQs
Absolutely! Join one of the best Preakness Stakes betting sites and make a deposit. Next, navigate to the horse racing section and find the Preakness Stakes section; it may be listed under “future races” or “ante-post”. Now you can compare betting odds for the field and make your selections.
The Preakness double is a special double in which you predict the winners of two races over two days: the Black-Eyed Susan on Friday and the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The double gives you an opportunity to wager on the two biggest races on Preakness weekend for the cost of a single bet.
The best Preakness Stakes betting sites offer competitive odds on the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Although these sites offer early odds, the morning-line Preakness Stakes betting odds are typically released at the conclusion of the post-position draw, which is held on Wednesday of Preakness week.
Rombauer, trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, won the 2021 Preakness Stakes. The California-based colt romped to an upset victory ahead of Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit, recording the eighth-fastest time since the distance changed to 9.5 furlongs in 1925 (1:53.62).
