There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. But the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 18 looks like a wide-open race with four Kentucky Derby starters returning for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Here’s a look at the early Preakness Stakes odds.
Maximum Security crossed the wire first in the Run for the Roses. But he was disqualified for interference nearing the five-sixteenths pole and placed 17th. The colt will skip the remainder of the Triple Crown and point to races this summer.
Country House, who was elevated to the victory returning the second highest payoff in Derby history at $184.90, developed a cough this week and was declared out of the Preakness.
The colt will be the first Derby winner to miss the Preakness since Grindstone in 1996, who was retired due to an injury.
Code of Honor and Tacitus, who were elevated to second and third, will also bypass the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
There are four Derby alums that are making the trip to Pimlico—the Derby beaten favorite Improbable (4th) along with War of Will (7th), Win Win Win (9th) and Bodexpress (13th).
Preakness Stakes Odds: Improbable Early Betting Favorite
Improbable is the early betting favorite at +150. The Bob Baffert trainee was beaten 3 ¼ lengths for the top spot in the Kentucky Derby.
Baffert is tied with R. Wyndham Walden for saddling the most Preakness winners at seven. Baffert has won the race in two of the last four years. Both American Pharoah and Justify went on to win the Triple Crown.
The trainer started three runners in the Derby. Improbable edged Game Winner by a half-length. Roadster did not fire his best in a 15th place finish.
War of Will was interfered with when Maximum Security veered in at the five-sixteenths, almost making the colt and jockey hit the dirt. The colt recovered but then started to weaken, finishing 4 ½ lengths behind Maximum Security. The Mark Casse trainee is the second choice in early Preakness wagering at +250.
Win Win Win is a late entry, his connections deciding on Thursday morning to send the colt to Pimlico. The Michael Trombetta trainee finished 8 ½ lengths back in the Kentucky Derby.
Bodexpress was part of the chain reaction when Maximum Security veered in and the colt faded to finish 15 lengths behind the winner. The colt is still a maiden, having lost in the maiden special weight company four times.
He earned his ticket to the Kentucky Derby by running second in the Florida Derby (G1) at 71-1 odds. The colt is currently listed at +1000 on the early Preakness Stakes odds.
Others listed as probable for the Preakness include Alwaysmining, Anothertwistoffate, Bourbon War, Laughing Fox, Owendale and Signalman.
The complexion of the field could still change over the next few days. The post position draw comes next Wednesday.