2025 Preakness Odds, Post Positions, Picks: Journalism Runs To Win
Preakness Stakes odds are on the board, as race day closes in. The second leg of the Triple Crown opener takes place on May 17, 2025, marking the 150th running of the Preakness.
However, Derby winner Sovereignty won't be on the 2025 Preakness odds board. Which means there won't be at Triple Crown winner this year. Journalism will break from the second post and is the favorite, just as he was in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished second.
Check back for updates on odds to win the Preakness Stakes, and use our BetMGM bonus code to get the most out of your action in 2025.
2025 Preakness Odds
Journalism Plows Way To Win
POST-RACE UPDATE: Favored Journalism bulled his way through heavy traffic on the front straight while making a stirring comeback to win the Preakness Stakes. Journalism closed at even money and overtook Gosger late, covering 1 3/16 miles in 1 minute, 55.37 seconds.
"That might be the best race I've seen a horse run in some time. Incredible determination," TwinSpires retail sports analyst Jared DeRossett said.
Two weeks ago, Journalism was second in the Kentucky Derby. Now, the question becomes whether he'll run the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes in three weeks' time.
Derby winner Sovereignty, who skipped the Preakness, is expected to run the final leg, so he'll certainly be among favorites in Belmont odds. Third-place Derby finisher Baeza, who also skipped the Preakness, could be in the Belmont, as well.
UPDATE 6 P.M. ET SATURDAY: Post time is within the hour, formally set for 6:50 p.m. ET. Journalism, breaking from the No. 2 post, is a tidy 6/5 favorite. Clever Again and Sandman follow, with both now 5/1.
"Journalism jumped up slightly from even money to 6/5," TwinSpires retail sports analyst Jared DeRossett said, noting the favorite is now taking 32% of all dollars in the to-win pool. "I would expect him to close at even money. He's my pick for the race, a bit chalkier from the Derby pick.
"But he seems to be the clear top dog in this race."
It'll be interesting to see which horse goes off as the second choice once the gates open.
"Sandman and Clever Again are going to be back-and-forth on who closes as the second favorite. I would anticipate Sandman being the second favorite," DeRossett said.
American Promise is getting enough play to now sit at 9/1, after opening 15/1 following Monday's post draw.
"He didn't have the best showing in the Kentucky Derby. But it looks like bettors are willing to throw that out at this point in time," DeRossett said.
UPDATE NOON ET SATURDAY: With seven hours until post time, Journalism has shortened to the even-money chalk in Preakness Stakes odds. Clever Again is now the second choice at 5/1, overtaking Sandman, who's dipped from 4/1 to the 6/1 third choice.
After Monday's post draw, Journalism was the 8/5 favorite.
"Journalism is taking a lot of the action, currently 39% of the win pool. I'd be shocked if he went off any longer than 6/5," TwinSpires retail sports analyst Jared DeRossett said. "Clever Again has been largely unchallenged, so this will be his biggest test to date. He's loaded with talent and could give Journalism a run for his money."
Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented is the 7/1 fourth choice, stretching out a touch from his 6/1 Morning Line odds earlier this week.
UPDATE 4:30 P.M. ET THURSDAY: Two days out from the race, six horses are 6/1 or shorter in TwinSpires' Preakness Stakes odds. But Journalism is the clear favorite at 8/5.
And to hear it from Ed DeRosa – horse race betting expert and vice president of content for Horse Racing Nation – Journalism might be the only horse worth support in the win pool.
"With the favorite being an overlay, I don't expect any other horse to offer win-pool value," DeRosa said. "We have had neither an even-money favorite nor a horse greater than 20/1 the last three years. That's good news for Journalism fans such as myself.
"I'd gladly bet him to win at 6/5, let alone his Morning Line price of 8/5."
UPDATE 12:30 P.M. ET TUESDAY: In Monday night's post draw, Journalism drew the No. 2 gate and was installed as the 8/5 favorite in Morning Line odds. Sandman, breaking from the No. 7 post, is the 4/1 second choice.
"Journalism opening as the favorite is very deserved. I'd imagine his odds will remain right around 8/5 as we approach post time," TwinSpires retail sports analyst Jared DeRossett said.
Sandman drew a lot of action to win the Kentucky Derby, but finished a disappointing seventh.
"Sandman gets a jockey change, from Jose Ortiz to John Velasquez. He was a popular horse in the Derby and disappointed despite a fantastic pace setup," DeRossett said. "I'll be curious to see if bettors run back to the well, or if we see Sandman's odds slip a bit to the 5/1 or 6/1 range."
River Thames, who drew the No. 6 gate, is the 9/2 third choice in Kentucky Derby odds. He's followed closely by Clever Again (5/1) and Goal Oriented (6/1), who will break from the Nos. 8 and 1 posts, respectively.
"Goal Oriented, a Bob Baffert-trained colt, won gate-to-wire in an undercard race on Derby Day at Churchill Downs," DeRossett said. "He now takes a huge step up in class. At 6/1 on the Morning Line, he seems to be a very talented horse.
"I'm curious to see how his odds shape up."
UPDATE 8:30 P.M. ET TUESDAY, MAY 6: Three days after Sovereignty's big win in the Kentucky Derby, his connections opted against having the colt run in the Preakness. Perhaps there's a chance Sovereignty runs the Belmont on June 7.
Journalism was the Kentucky Derby favorite and finished second to Sovereignty. So Journalism is the early favorite in Preakness Stakes odds at 5/2 (+250).
Rodriguez is the 5/1 second choice. Rodriguez was among the Derby favorites, but was withdrawn with a hoof issue two days before the race.
Sandman closed as the second choice in the Kentucky Derby and was a popular play. But the colt finished a disappointing seventh place. In early Preakness odds, Sandman is the 8/1 third choice, with no other horse shorter than 12/1.
UPDATE 2 P.M. ET SUNDAY, MAY 4: In the Kentucky Derby, Sovereignty raced past 3/1 favorite Journalism in the final stretch. The 7/1 third choice won in 2 minutes, 2.32 seconds.
Now, the question is whether the Derby winner will get involved with Preakness Stakes odds. Even with a Triple Crown at stake, there's no certainty that Sovereignty will be on the track May 17.
Ditto for Journalism, who's Triple Crown hopes are foiled. But he's certainly a contender in 2025 Preakness odds, should his connections decide to run him.
Rodriguez, who was among the Derby favorites before scratching with a hoof injury, might run the Preakness.
And, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal's Jason Frakes, there could be some newcomers who didn't draw into the Derby, including:
- Clever Again
- Grande
- Heart of Honor
- Instant Replay
- River Thames
Should Sovereignty run and win, he'd then have a shot at the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. You can review all of the potential betting options for horse racing at VegasInsider.
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Preakness Stakes Post Positions🏇
The Preakness post draw was held Monday evening. Following are the post positions for each of the nine horses, followed by Morning Line odds.
- 1. Goal Oriented 6/1
- 2. Journalism 8/5
- 3. American Promise 15/1
- 4. Heart of Honor 12/1
- 5. Pay Billy 20/1
- 6. River Thames 9/2
- 7. Sandman 4/1
- 8. Clever Again 5/1
- 9. Gosger 20/1
2025 Preakness Stakes Info
Race: 13
Purse: $2 Million
Distance: 1 3/16 Miles
Surface: Dirt
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Post-Time: 7:01 p.m. ET
TV: NBC/Peacock
Venue: Pimlico Race Course
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
The Preakness field has a maximum of 14 horses, who must qualify to enter. Qualifying is based on results/earnings from a series of Triple Crown prep races and of course the Kentucky Derby.
2024-25 Kentucky Derby Prep Results
Types Of Preakness Betting
Futures Betting
Preakness futures wagering is a great option for all those who enjoy early betting. This type of bet is usually available up until the running of the Kentucky Derby.
Win, Place & Show Bets
Win, place and show bets are types of wagers that new players usually stick to. Just like the name suggests, a win bet is a bet placed on the horse that you hope to win the Preakness Stakes.
With place bets, you can get a return if your selection finishes first, second, or sometimes even fourth or fifth depending on the bookie’s offer. It goes without saying that the odds are much shorter, but this type of bet is more reassuring.
Show bet is the next in line. It’s quite simple: You win if your selection finishes in the top three. This bet comes with lower risk, but also a lower payoff.
Of course, it’s up to you to decide which one of these options is the best for you. There are also more complicated types of wagers. But once you get familiar with them, you’ll see that they can be easily understood.
Exacta Bet
If you’ve already tried some of the previous types of bets and you’d like to try something new when it comes to Preakness online betting, exacta is the next one to discuss.
In this type of bet, you have to choose two runners who you’ll think will finish first and second, but in exact order. That’s what makes this type of bet more complicated compared to those we discussed earlier. Of course, bigger risk means bigger potential payouts.
Trifecta Bet
A trifecta bet is similar to an exacta. But as the name suggests, this type of wager involves three horses. Choose three runners you think will finish in the top three, in the exact order, and wait for the outcome of the race.
If the “exact order” is daunting, there’s another option called a boxed trifecta wager. With this modified trifecta bet, you also have to choose three horses, but those three horses can finish in any 1-2-3 combination.
149th Preakness Stakes Betting Results
Seize the Grey took the lead early in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and the colt held on to win the second leg of the Triple Crown by 2 1/4 lengths.
Jockey Jaime Torres held off Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, down the stretch to cash tickets and captured the $1.2 million first-place purse.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, an 88-year-old legend, won his seventh Preakness Stakes and 15th all-time Triple Crown race.
Seize the Grey, a son of the late Arrogate, finished in 1:56.82 and returned $21.80, $8.40 and $4.40 across the board for bettors.
The Morning Line favorite for the Preakness Stakes was Muth, who was scratched earlier in the week. Mystik Dan closed as a 5-2 betting favorite prior to post time.
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2024 Preakness Stakes Finish Order
- (6) Seize The Grey 10-1
- (5) Mystick 5-2
- (3) Catching Freedom 4-1
- (8) Tuscan Gold 5-1
- (7) Just Steel 10-1
- (2) Uncle Heavy 8-1
- (9) Imagination 4-1
- (1) Mugatu 18-1
2024 Preakness Stakes Betting Payouts
(Win-Place-Show)
1) 6 Seize the Grey ($21.60, $8.40, $4.40)
2) 5 Mystik Dan ($4.20, $2.80)
3) 3 Catching Freedom ($3.20)
- $1 Exacta (6-5) $59.70
- $1 Trifecta: (6-5-3) $183.70
- $1 Superfecta: (6-5-3-8) $749.00
- $1 Super High Five (6-5-3-8-7) $2,986.80
Preakness Stakes Winners (Last 10)
2024 - Seize the Grey
2023 - National Treasure
2022 - Early Voting
2021 - Rombauer
2020 - Swiss Skydriver
2019 - War of Will
2018 - Justify
2017 - Cloud Computing
2016 - Exaggerator
2015 - American Pharoah
How To Read Preakness Stakes Odds
If you’re new to betting on horses, then your starting point for placing bets is understanding Preakness odds.
Each horse will have betting odds listed next to its post number or name. The majority of tracks and sportsbooks list odds in fractional form. Put simply, the odds are the return that you will receive on your stake or wager on the horse if it wins the race.
The win wager is the most popular wager in all of horse racing. You cash on this bet if the horse you choose wins the race. For example, in last year's Preakness Stakes odds, Seize the Gray was 10/1. If you made a $10 to-win bet on Seize the Gray, you'd have won $100.
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