The Preakness Stakes, the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, is the second of the Triple Crown races and held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three before the Belmont Stakes. In 2024, that means the race happens Saturday, May 18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race covers 1 3/16 miles on the dirt, and has an exciting $2 million purse!
The Preakness is one of the most important horse races in North America and has been contested since 1873. Expect prolific betting action here matched only by the event’s electric atmosphere. This is the right place to find out your Preakness Stakes best bets and the right places to bet the Preakness Stakes online!
Let’s look at the Preakness Stakes online betting overview, which contains:
Odds
Bovada is a one-stop shop for many bettors and offers strong selections of betting odds including the Preakness Stakes with solid betting lines across.
Bonuses
SIA will match a 50% initial deposit bonus up to $250.
It isn’t one of the most reputable online sportsbooks for nothing. You can’t go wrong with SIA as one of your main books with its strong selection of odds, a wide variety of betting markets, and a competitive signup offer.
Read Bovada Review
Odds
BetOnline has extensive markets including a dizzying amount of props, plus betting odds that are among the industry leaders including horse racing like the Preakness Stakes
Bonuses
Score a 50% Welcome Bonus up to $1,000 on your first-ever BetOnline deposit.
Among the experienced betting community, BetOnline is a no-brainer. Its collection of betting markets, great mobile betting and live betting platforms, and occasional promos make it difficult not to recommend and this applies with the horse racing section as well.
Read BetOnline Review
Odds
BetUS offers strong odds across the board; while it may not be the best odds for Preakness Stakes or horse racing, it is competitive and worth a gander
Bonuses
A bonus of up to $2500 in free bets awaits players when they deposit the same amount.
BetUS is a major player among online sportsbooks and you can tell right away with its stacked lineup of sports, which is easy to peruse with its online set-up. The nice sign-up offer and many options to deposit only make this book more accessible.
Read BetUS Review
The Preakness Stakes is second only to the Kentucky Derby in terms of prestige and popularity as evidence by its betting stubs, attendance, and overall prominence. As , the Preakness Stakes attracts significant betting action.
Due to the high volume of betting, the Preakness Stakes is usually well-scouted and analyzed by oddsmakers. There’s a reason why underdogs don’t usually emerge victorious here and when they do, it usually becomes a big deal in the sports world.
To start with the Preakness Stakes betting picks, it’s best to understand how the betting works. Horse races have one winner and if your intention is to simply pick the winner, this is more straightforward but can still be complex due to the nature of betting odds.
Not all horses are equal and the Preakness Stakes betting odds will reflect that. Some horses have a better shot at winning hence why you will have to shell more money but have slighter returns. These are the favourites. Conversely, an underdog is a horse who is more likely to lose hence betting on them will yield more return than your initial investment.
These odds also apply to other betting markets that do not focus on who will win or what place the horse will finish. These are referred to as “props”, and are specific situations that take place around the Preakness Stakes such as a horse breaking a record, the time of the winner, and what letter the horse’s name starts with.
There is much to learn about horse racing betting or the Preakness Stakes and we advise you to read through betting articles and look through online sportsbooks to keep learning.
People bet for two reasons: because they enjoy it and because they want to win money. Sometimes it can be both. For the main part, the first identifies casual players: those who would throw in a couple of bucks on the Preakness Stakes once in a while. The second type are more of the professionals and hardcore fans: the ones who know horse racing betting like the back of their hand. Both can benefit from this Preakness Stakes betting guide.
Casual players don’t dedicate most of their free time to researching the Preakness Stakes and make bets off of other people’s opinions or on a sheer whim. But as the nature of betting belies, sometimes these folks can strike it rich while their more analytical counterparts flunk.
This usually happens when there is an upset. They don’t happen often and usually bettors who simply throw money arbitrarily or bet on the biggest underdog end up with nothing. However, there have been some cases where they’ve cleaned house.
In 1975, Master Derby became the biggest underdog at 23-1 to win the Preakness Stakes when he upset favourite Foolish Pleasure by one length. Eight years later, Deputed Testamony, a local horse, won at 15-1 odds. And recently in 2013, Oxbow made a miraculous run and won as a 15-1 underdog.
Everyone (except oddsmakers and chalk players (bettors who bet heavily on favorites)) love a good underdog story. This is why many people casually bet. Winning the lottery, cashing out big in a casino, or striking it rich when the longshot horse wins the race captures a feeling that can never be replicated.
But take heed that these magical events are few and far in between. They also tend to be more underlaid than ever: call it the Rich Strike effect. After Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby in 2022 at 80-1, all of the longshots in all the Triple Crown races have been bet too heavily by people hoping to find the next Rich Strike. We’d all love to be the lucky one to win with that big underdog, but to be a winning bettor you have to weigh their actual chances of running well in the race.
Even though the field for the Preakness Stakes does not take clear shape until after the Kentucky Derby, it is not too early to start getting to know the horses you will probably see on Preakness Day. After all, getting to know them now can give you a head start on deciding which horses are the Preakness Stakes best bets.
Many of the runners in the Preakness every year come out of the Kentucky Derby. Although Rich Strike did not contest the Preakness after winning the 2022 Kentucky Derby, he was an aberration. Most horses who win the Kentucky Derby go on to the Preakness because it keeps their hopes alive for the best prize in Thoroughbred racing: the Triple Crown.
Two horses are battling for betting favorite status in the Kentucky Derby: Fierceness and Sierra Leone.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Fierceness was the 2024 champion juvenile after a tour de force victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Though he disappointed in his seasonal debut in the Holy Bull, he crushed the field in the Florida Derby. His frontrunning style should be an excellent fit for Pimlico, though judging from what Pletcher has done in the past, Fierceness will likely only run in the Preakness if he wins the Kentucky Derby.
Sierra Leone, trained by Chad Brown, would be perfect had Dornoch not beaten him by a nose in the Remsen last fall. His two starts as a three-year-old have been stellar: he won the Risen Star in his first start of the year, and then made an impressive sustained run to win the Blue Grass at Keeneland.
Other leading Kentucky Derby contenders include Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom, UAE Derby winner Forever Young, and Santa Anita Derby winner Stronghold. Expect these horses to be well bet in Baltimore if they enter the Preakness.
In addition to the horses who ran in the Kentucky Derby, some horses go straight to the Preakness Stakes from other races. When betting on Preakness Stakes horses, paying proper attention and finding the best of the horses who didn’t run in the Derby can be your ticket to profit: consider well-priced winners like Early Voting, Swiss Skydiver, Cloud Computing, and Rombauer in recent years.
The likely Preakness favorite is a horse who won’t run in the Kentucky Derby: Muth. He is trained by Bob Baffert, the all-time leader in Preakness wins with eight. However, he is still banned from running at Churchill Downs, and will be until at least the end of 2024. Muth is one of the best three-year-olds in the country. Assuming he continues to target the Preakness, he will be coming in off of a strong victory in the Arkansas Derby.
Other Preakness contenders come out of races that specifically award berths to the run for the black-eyed susans. The first of those is the El Camino Real at Golden Gate Fields, the same route Rombauer took to Preakness glory in 2021. Endlessly won that race, though he may actually go to the Kentucky Derby first after a victory in the Jeff Ruby at Turfway.
Informed Patriot earned a berth in the Preakness by winning the Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn. Copper Tax punched his ticket to Baltimore with a score in the Federico Tesio. Patriot Spirit also earned $20,000 toward an entry in the Preakness by winning the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne, though his connections would have to nominate him late to the Triple Crown to make him eligible.
Betting is hitting all-time records with the Preakness Stakes much like the Kentucky Derby. Not having as many markets as the Derby can be a blessing, especially for those who want to hone in on select bets. Although fewer in bets, the Preakness Stakes still sports plenty of action. Check out these Preakness Stakes betting tips!
The win bet is an obvious one and is the bread-and-butter not only of the Preakness Stakes, but all horse racing events. Everyone’s out to figure out who is going to emerge victorious. And the way the odds here look can vary from year to year.
In most years, there is already an established favorite or a group of favourites. It is rare to see a Preakness Stakes where it was a free-for-all. In some cases, the narrative becomes about what the favourite can do: break records, win the Triple Crown etc. This is covered more in the section about Prop Bets.
Next to picking the Preakness Stakes’s outright winner is choosing between the horses and what place they will finish in. This is usually limited to what place in the top three will they finish or if they will finish in the top three at all (a podium finish).
You can usually find these types of bets for all the horses in the race. And they can be formatted in different ways depending on the sportsbook or the year of the race (some years have a higher profile than the others):
In addition to straight bets on individual horses, you can also bet exotic wagers. Exotics come in two broad kinds.
Vertical, intra-race, or single-race exotics involve picking more than one horse in the finish order of the race. These bets include the exacta (top two finishers in order), trifecta (top three), superfecta (top four), and even a high five (top five). These can be excellent choices if you have a limited list of horses you think you can run well, or if you want to key around a horse who is either a strong-looking winner or who often finishes second or third but does not win.
Horizontal, or multi-race, exotics require picking the winners of multiple races. These are excellent if you not only have a strong opinion in the Preakness, but also in other races on the card. Multi-race exotics include the daily double (pick the winners of two races in a row), Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6. Rolling doubles or pick 3 wagers typically cover any group of two or three consecutive races on the card, though make sure to read the entries to find out which races are covered in longer horizontal sequences.
While not as bountiful as the Derby, the Preakness Stakes still offers a smorgasbord of prop bets. Both new bettors and seasoned pros will find more than enough to sink their teeth into. Here are some of the more popular event props that get released routinely:
Since the horses run this race, literally, you’ll find plenty of props centered around them. These vary from the conventional to the funky and can encompass such metrics such as:
The Kentucky Derby tends to have more props that include anything other than general event props or horse-related bets such as props for jockeys, owners, and trainers. It is possible for the Preakness Stakes to include these props although it may be rare and only on higher profile years, which features superstars.
Examples of these types of prop bets may include:
As far as prop bets go, they can be unique and limited to circumstance. They usually also have lower limits than the conventional bets. Pay attention to them differently than the straightforward “choose a winner” types of markets.
Strategies for Preakness Stakes betting can vary event-to-event, although there are some betting principles that stay timeless.
Firstly, identify your skill level. If you are a beginner, the first thing you need to do is become familiar on two fronts: how the Preakness Stakes works from a sport standpoint and how Preakness Stakes betting goes.
Do your handicapping homework. Read news articles about the Preakness Stakes and about what is happening. Search the event’s history and what the betting scene is like.
Once you have some knowledge of how this all works, you will need to look at the betting markets offered. From there, you will be able to tell which kinds of bets you understand and are confident enough to play versus the ones that you don’t.
A lot of Preakness Stakes betting is like betting in general: it’s about managing risk and maintaining discipline. This means having a clear goal in mind. What do you hope to accomplish?
When you’ve identified your skill level, scouted the available odds, and settled on your goal, you can now create a betting strategy around this. And as we mentioned, this starts with reading up on the race, shopping around for odds, and managing your bankroll. Last but not least, take notes of your progress.
Typically, Preakness Stakes odds begin to coalesce after the Kentucky Derby is finished. This makes sense; since most of the field depends on horses who run well in the Kentucky Derby, well enough that their trainers and owners think they can hold their form for another major race in just two weeks.
Keep in mind that Preakness Stakes betting odds are always subject to change and the further the actual event is, the more likely lines will shift. This page was most recently updated on April 23, 2024.
 |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Muth | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Sierra Leone | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Fierceness | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Forever Young | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Catching Freedom | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Stronghold | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Since the Preakness Stakes betting takes place just two short weeks after the Derby, oddsmakers don’t have as much time to analyze it as opposed to the Derby, which is almost a full year after the Belmont Stakes. Although the upsets are not as significant as the Derby, they still happen occasionally.
The Preakness Stakes takes place two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, so around mid to late May. This year it is scheduled for May 18, 2024.
The calendar for the Preakness Stakes, including the Preakness Stakes Festival is usually released about a year before the event. Tickets are already on sale, so make sure to get yours if you plan to head out to Baltimore for the big event!
The 147 editions of the Preakness Stakes means there is just as much history here as the Derby. In fact, the Preakness Stakes was run almost two whole years before it: the first edition was in 1873, and was named after Preakness. He won the Dinner Party Stakes on the first-ever day Pimlico opened in 1870.
The Preakness Stakes is 1 3/16 miles long (9.5 furlongs or about 1,900 meters) on a dirt track. It is the shortest of the three Triple Crown races. Qualified colts and geldings are to weigh 126 lbs (57.2 kilos) while fillies come in at 121 lbs (55 kilos).
The total purse is $2 million with $1.2 million being awarded to the first-placed finisher.
Here are a list of notable records from the Preakness Stakes:
Our take-aways
Upsets are amazing, but don’t bank on them
While upsets are always memorable, they are only profitable for a few people. And it usually is by fluke. Not many upsets happen at the Preakness Stakes, which is also why the few that do are big deals. But don’t be discouraged from picking the dark horse. Expect the worst, hope for the best.
There is no one true “best online sportsbook” for Preakness Stakes betting
There are many good online sportsbooks for both American and Canadian bettors. We’ve listed some of the best, and our reviews can help you take the guesswork out of choosing a place to play. But feel free to find and review as many sportsbooks as you can. There is no harm in learning about more. Analyze your options and sign up for more than one book to reap the benefits.
The Preakness Stakes betting is only getting bigger
With new betting records set just in 2019, Preakness Stakes wagering isn’t going anywhere. With horse racing betting becoming legal and normalized, expect more money to come into the Preakness Stakes. This could mean more betting markets, more scrutinized betting lines, and of course, the potential for bigger upsets.
These are questions that bettors like you often have about how to bet the Preakness Stakes. They can help you have an easy and fun Preakness Stakes betting experience!
Yes! Betting the Preakness Stakes is legal in many states and provinces, and online betting sites bring the excitement and value of the best casinos and sportsbooks to anywhere with an internet connection! Taking a few minutes now to read our reviews and find out the best betting sites for how you wager can help you earn bonuses, build your bankroll, and maximize your profits!
Preakness Stakes betting odds reflect each horse’s chances of winning the race. When deciding who to bet on, you are looking for betting odds that are better than the horse’s actual chance to win. When you find that, it’s called an overlay, and it’s the perfect time to bet.
For online betting, Preakness Stakes betting odds are shown in three formats depending on where you choose to play. If you know how to read them, you will be able to understand odds like a pro.
American: This is the same format sports betting odds are typically shown in, particularly in the United States. A positive number reflects how much you win if you bet $100 on the horse. So, betting $1.00 on a horse at +250 means you get back $3.50 if the horse wins: $2.50 in profit plus your initial $1.00 stake. A negative number, on the other hand, shows how much you have to bet to get $100 in profit. So, if you bet $1.00 on a horse at -125 and the horse wins, you get back a payout of $1.80: $0.80 in profit plus $1.00 in stake.
Decimal: Decimal odds reflect what you get back, including both winnings and betting stake, per dollar that you bet if your horse wins. So, if you bet $1.00 on a horse at 3.50 odds, you get back a $3.50 payout: $2.50 in winnings plus your initial $1.00 in stake.
Fractional: Fractional odds show, as a fraction, the winnings you reap if your horse wins. So, if you bet $1.00 on a horse at 5/2 fractional odds and the horse wins, you get a $3.50 payout: $2.50 in winnings, plus getting back your $1.00 betting stake.
Most betting on Preakness Stakes horses starts after the Kentucky Derby, since that is when the field begins to take shape. Start tracking the odds in those days after the Run for the Roses, and be ready to place your bets when you see an overlay on your horse.
Betting on Preakness Stakes horses online is more convenient than going to the track because you can do it anywhere with an internet connection. You can play from a betting website on a phone, tablet, or computer; some sites also offer slick mobile apps that provide one-touch betting!
Betting the Preakness Stakes online is also better than betting it at the track because you can do it earlier. At the track, you can only bet it on the weekend of the race; online, you can take advantage of futures odds in the weeks leading into the race. And, if you bet at the track you don’t know your odds until post time. At many online sportsbooks, you can lock in your price.
Yes, you can watch the Preakness Stakes online. Some online wagering sites offer online streaming of racetracks, though not all of them do. If your most profitable choice does not, do not fear! In addition to broadcasting the race on its flagship TV network, NBC also streams the Preakness Stakes on its Peacock service, making it easy to watch the race live on an internet-connected device.
National Treasure won the Preakness in 2023 for trainer Bob Baffert, giving him his record eighth victory in the race. He held off Blazing Sevens, a well-prepared Chad Brown trainee, by just a head. Kentucky Derby winner Mage, the morning-line favorite, checked in third.
About the Author
Trent’s your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent’s got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
Read Trent’s ProfileAsk Trent about this guide:
