The 148th running of the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course won’t feature any potential duels between Kentucky Derby winner Mage and those that cashed winning tickets for second and third. That is because not one horse other than Mage is running in this race, which is a real oddity.
Because Mage won, he probably would have been the favorite, but it would have made it intriguing to have Two Phil’s and or Angel of Empire in Baltimore, to say nothing of Derby’s pre-race favorite Forte.
But this is horse racing, and only Mage can capture the first two legs of the Triple Crown with a victory, and he’ll face an eight-horse field looking to do just that.
2023 Preakness Stakes
Saturday, May 20, 2023 – Post Time 07:01 EDT at Pimlico Race Course
- Race 11 – 1 3/16 Miles, 3-Year-Olds
- Purse: $1.5 Million
Here is the complete field for the Preakness Stakes, including the trainer, jockey, and their respective morning line betting odds.
- National Treasure, Bob Baffert, John Velazquez, 4-1
- Chase the Chaos, Ed Moger Jr., Sheldon Russell, 50-1
- Mage, Gustavo Delgado, Javier Castellano, 8-5
- Coffeewithchris, John Salzman Jr., Jaime Rodriguez, 20-1
- Red Route One, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 10-1
- Perform, Shug McGaughey, Feargal Lynch, 15-1
- Blazing Sevens, Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1
- First Mission, Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 5-2
Win Candidates
Because this is horse racing, you cannot never completely discount a long shot in a race. Though not exactly the same, the favorite no matter the odds wins about 35 to 40% of the time. Thus, hardly a sure thing. In this Preakness, four horses appear to have a significant chance of winning, as we will explain.
Mage
If Mage runs the same race Saturday as it did in Lexington, he’ll likely be headed to Belmont after the Triple Crown. Mage is well known for breaking slowly out of the gate but finds rhythm around the first turn where he begins to excel.
With the relatively pedestrian early pace at the Derby, jockey Javier Castellano was able to find a lane and when he felt the moment, Mage was ready.
If there is a concern about Mage, it is running twice in 15 days after racing four times in 14 weeks. With his closing style, it’s hard to imagine National Treasure won’t go flying out, begging others to join, which could tire Mage in the stretch. This all has to be considered for making bets.
National Treasure
National Treasure certainly has not stood out with a third and fourth-place finish in two stakes races after being one of the best two-year-olds. This is a horse that likes to run free, unencumbered by traffic.
With not much real speed coming out of the gate other than possibly First Mission and Coffeewithchris, National Treasure and veteran rider John Velazquez could set themselves up for an ideal trip. Also, with Bob Baffert back as trainer after suspension, NT has responded with quality workouts. A definite contender.
First Mission
This is only First Mission’s fourth start. Nonetheless, the results show two wins and a place. The Lexington Stakes was its last race, and he won with a Beyer Speed Rating of 98, which was second only to Mage’s 105 at the Derby.
Though still considered to be a bit green by veteran horse watchers, there is also a camp that believes First Mission is positioned for a hot breakout race in a field he can handle. A true contender.
Blazing Sevens
Similar to National Treasure, Blazing Sevens has seen a pedestrian season thus far after being acknowledged as among the top horses at two.
Trainer Chad Brown could have run BS in the Derby since he qualified but went a familiar path instead that has worked for him. Brown bypassed Churchill Downs and focused on the Preakness, thinking his horse was better for the length of the race and would be fresher.
Hard to argue since Brown won with Cloud Computing (2017) and Early Voting (2022) using this same method. Off what Brown called a “super workout” on May 6, history could repeat itself.
Longshots
There are two possible long shots, though neither is highly thought of in this field. Red Route One has two wins and has hit the board five times in his nine starts. His stalking style could work if he’s not too far back heading for home, but used Lasix in the last outing and cannot here.
Perform has an upside, and would likely do better against lesser competition. The distance should not be a problem for this still-developing contender.
Bets
- Win and Place – #8
- Exacta Boxes on #8, #3 and #1
- Trifectas Choices #8, #3 with #8 #3, #1 #7 with #8 #3, #1 #7
*The line and/or odds in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
