Odds to Win 2012 Preakness Stakes
Written by Jack Jones - Google +
With the Kentucky Derby in the books, the attention now shifts to the 2012 Preakness Stakes and I’ll Have Another’s attempt to win the Triple Crown. The task won’t be easy considering there hasn’t been a horse to accomplish the feat since Affirmed in 1978. The race is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Six horses that took part in the Kentucky Derby are set to race in the Preakness Stakes; I’ll Have Another (1st), Bodemeister (2nd), Went the Day Well (4th), Creative Cause (5th), Daddy Nose Best (10th) and Optimizer (11th). The two most notable horses that finished strong at the Derby that won’t be in action in the Preakness Stakes are Dullahan (3rd) and Union Rags (7th).
There are currently 11 horses scheduled to run in the Preakness Stakes. For those of you looking to get an early feel for the horses racing this Saturday, here is quick breakdown of the five horses who have the best odds to win, plus a complete list of all 11 horses’ odds to win. Keep in mind that the draw for post positions isn’t until Wednesday night, which will have a big impact on the final odds for this race.
I’ll Have Another (3/1) - After stalking the leaders and closing for a 1 1/2-length victory over Bodemeister in the Kentucky Derby, it’s no surprise that I’ll Have Another is one of the favorites in the Preakness. He now has three wins in three tries in 2012, obviously none more impressive than the Run for the Roses. This horse will have to try and close a little earlier on Saturday considering the Preakness is a sixteenth of a mile shorter than the Derby.
Bodemeister (3/1) – One of the favorites going into the Derby, Bodemeister had a great run but fell just short. He blazed through the opening mile and held the lead until the final furlong, only to be passed over the final sixteenth. The Preakness will be run at 1 3/16-miles, which is just an extra sixteenth of a mile longer than the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby’s distance of 1 1/8-miles. Bodemeister won that race by 9 1/2 lengths to really show off his speed.
Creative Cause (6/1) – The gray son of Giant’s Causeway hadn’t finished worse than third in nine career races until his fifth place run in the Kentucky Derby. Creative Cause was withing striking distance at the top of the stretch, but faded to fifth as he simply had nothing left in the tank. He has four wins to his credit, and the shorter distance at the Preakness could benefit him as well.
Went the Day Well (8/1) – This is a horse that I really like. Went the Day Well got off to a rough start in the Kentucky Derby, finding himself 18 lengths back in the early going. However, he was able to make up a ton of ground on the leaders. Went the Day Well finished a strong 4th, just 2 1/2 lengths back of race winner I’ll Have Another.
Daddy Nose Best (15/1) - His 10th place finish at the Kentucky Derby was very misleading. You could argue that Daddy Nose Best had a great shot down the stretch before getting bumped. That bump appeared to cause him to tire, which could be the reason for his disappointing finish. If he can get a clean run like he did when he won the Grade 3 $800,000 Sunland Derby on March 25, then Daddy Nose Best could challenge the favorites.
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