Preakness Stakes Lines

The Preakness Stakes is an annual American flat Gr 1 race for three-year-old thoroughbreds, which is probably best known for being the second leg of the auspicious US Triple Crown of Races. It is open to colts, geldings and fillies, and carries a substantial $1 million purse.

The Preakness Stakes is run in May each year at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland, just a few weeks after the first leg of the Triple Crown, the prestigious Kentucky Derby. It precedes the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, which is run in early June each year in New York.

Contested over a distance of 1 3/16 miles on dirt, like the Kentucky Derby before it and the Belmont Stakes after it, the Preakness Stakes never fails to attract the best runners, jockeys and trainers from across the United States, and sometimes beyond. It also attracts huge betting action, particularly if the winner of the Kentucky Derby is entered, and is expected to start as the race favorite.

Preakness Stakes History

Surprisingly perhaps, the Preakness Stakes pre-dates the Kentucky Derby by two years. In 1873 race organizers at Pimlico Racecourse introduced a race for three-year-olds, which from then until now is still known as the Preakness Stakes. The race got its name from a colt named Preakness, who won a race called the Dinner Party Stakes, which was run on the day Pimlico Racecourse opened in 1870.

That first Preakness Stakes in May 1873 was contested by seven runners over a distance of 1 1/2 miles. It was won by a thoroughbred called Survivor with jockey George Barbee aboard for trainer A. Davis Pryor and owner John F. Chamberlain. So superior was Survivor over the rest of the field, that he romped home clear by 10 lengths.

In fact, this record Preakness Stakes winning margin remained in place in the until it was broken only as recently as in 2004 by Smarty Jones, who romped home first 11 1/2 lengths clear of the runner up. There is little doubt that Barbee had no idea would go down in history as the first winner of what was to become one of America's most historical and important races.

Over the years the race distance of the Preakness Stakes has changed several times, varying from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 miles to 1 mile to 1 1/16 miles, and back again. It was only in 1925 that it was set at 1 1/16 miles, and has not since been altered. The fastest winning time of the Preakness Stakes is 1:53.40, which is shared by two horses - Tank's Prospect in 1985 and Louis Quatorze in 1996.

Preakness Stakes Betting

Like the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes betting figures are renowned for being high, as collectively betting fans wager tens of millions of dollars from the United States and abroad. As such, betting on the Preakness is often dictated by the winner of the Derby, as fans hope to back a Triple Crown winner. However, just like the Derby, the results of the Preakness Stakes are often surprising, as the favorites are not always prone to win.

The good news, however, is thanks to the evolution and growth of online sports betting sites and sportsbooks, it has never been easier or more convenient to bet on the Preakness Stakes, as most reputable online sports betting sites these days offer a range of easily accessible and highly competitive Preakness Stakes lines and odds.

2012 Preakness Stakes Odds

The 2012 Preakness Stakes - the 137th running of this prestigious event - has been scheduled for Saturday, May 19, at Pimlico, and betting fans are expected to frequent all manner of online sportsbooks to lay their bets.

While the final field is still being decided, there is little doubt that 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another will enter the race as a big favorite, as betting fans wait to see if he can win the second and hopefully the third leg of the US Triple Crown for the first time since Affirmed pulled off the magnificent feat way back in 1978.