Preakness Betting – Shackleford Is The Smart Play At Pimlico

Sports betting players are gearing for the second jewel in the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, and the first leg ended with a darkhorse claiming the “Run For The Roses”. The winner of the Preakness won’t be a longshot, but he offers some great value and should be your pick in the “Run For The Black-Eyed Susans”.

• What: Horse Betting
• When: Saturday, May 21st, 5:00 PM ET
• Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
• Pick: Shackleford

The Favorites

Animal Kingdom (+270) is still the favorite after his surprise win in the Kentucky Derby, and he’ll be aiming to become the fifth horse since 2002 to win the first two jewels in thoroughbred horse racing’ s Triple Crown. John Velazquez will continue in the saddle after taking over for Robby Albarado prior to the Derby, so this pairing is obviously going to be the favored horse betting option throughout the week.

Dialed In (+400) isn’t that far behind after struggling to an eighth-place finish at the Derby as one of the favorites, and even though he came on at the end, he and jockey Julien Leparoux got off to a poor start and on a shorter track like Pimlico, that’s not going to cut it.

Nehro (+500) and Mucho Macho Man (+425) finished second and third, respectively, at Churchill Downs, and they were battling for the lead before Animal Kingdom came out of nowhere to steal the win. They’re likely going to be a factor again in the Preakness at Pimlico, which is a faster surface than the one in Kentucky.

The Second Tier

Shackleford (+1000) was leading the Kentucky Derby for most of the race, setting the early pace, but he didn’t have anything left for the stretch run and wound up finishing fourth. However, stamina may not be as big an issue at the shorter Pimlico track, and he could get a better jump on the competition on the faster surface.

Astrology (+1500), Dance City (+1500), Mr. Commons (+1500), Sway Away (+1500) and Midnight Interlude (+1800) make up the rest of the second tier, and there were high hopes for Mindnight Interlude in the Kentucky Derby, but he never got going and wound up 16th. A lot of people think he’ll have a better run at Pimlico as he never took to the surface at Churchill Downs. Sway Away is another interesting prospect as many picked him to be a factor in the Kentucky Derby, but he was never entered in the field. The problem is that he’s been inconsistent as he had a great closing run to finish second in the San Vincente Stakes, but he looked sluggish in the Arkansas Derby.

Dance City will also earn some action among horse betting players after a third-place run in the Arkansas Derby, looking to give trainer Todd Pletcher his first win in the Preakness, which would complete the career Triple Crown for him. Another horse who will get some consideration this week is King Congie (+2000), who will have Albarado in the saddle, and this adds an interesting subplot to the Preakness. Albarado was taken off Animal Kingdom because of a broken nose suffered in an earlier race, and Velazquez was free as Derby favorite Uncle Mo was scratched. Also, you have to remember: Albarado knows how to get around Pimlico, as he won the 2007 Preakness with Curlin’.  King Congie’s trainer, Tom Albertrani, is also a former Preakness winner as he took the “Run For The Black-Eyed Susans” with Bernardini in 200.

The Longshots

Devoted horse betting players will recognize Concealed Identity’s (+4000) sire: Smarty Jones, who won the first two jewels of the Triple Crown in 2004, before finishing second in the Belmont Stakes. Concealed Identity won the Tesio Stakes at Pimlico earlier this month, but he’ll need a couple of breaks to win the Preakness.

One of the horses that Concealed Identity beat at the Tesio Stakes is Ruler On Ice (+5000), but right now, it’s up in the air as to whether he’ll be in the field after finishing second in the aforementioned race. Norman Asbjornson (+5000) rounds out the field, and he finished fourth in the Wood Memorial, one spot behind Uncle Mo.

As was mentioned before, the Preakness is a faster race on a track that is slightly shorter than Churchill Downs, so this is more of a sprint. The smart bet is on Shackleford to correct the mistakes that were made in the Kentucky Derby, because when it comes to top-end speed, he can compete with any of the top horses. King Congie will be an interesting pick as well, as karma could repay Albarado for missing the Derby, but if you want a pick that offers some value outside of the favorites, without being too much of a darkhorse, go with Shackleford in your online betting picks.

Preakness Betting Pick: Shackleford +1000