Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Field, Odds, Prediction, Pick
Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Field, Odds, Prediction, Pick. Place a bet on this horse racing event now at YouWager.lv.
Mystik Dan’s quest for the Triple Crown became a bit easier in the buildup to the Preakness Stakes.
Morning line favorite Muth was scratched to an illness earlier this week. That left Mystik Dan as the favored horse to win at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.
Mystik Dan’s unlikely Kentucky Derby win thrust him into the horse racing spotlight. He has a legitimate chance to capture the Preakness given how weak the field looks at the moment.
We may be watching the horse racing version of “Rocky” this weekend at the 2024 Preakness Stakes (G1). When trainer Kenny McPeek announced that Mystik Dan, the winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1), would run in the second leg of the Triple Crown, it set up a rematch with Muth, who beat Mystik Dan in the 2024 Arkansas Derby (G1).
As we all know, Rocky lost his first fight with Apollo Creed but came back to defeat the heavyweight champion in “Rocky II”. All eyes will be on the Pimlico Race Track to see if horse racing life will imitate art on Saturday evening.
Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Odds and Field
Here is the Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Field and the odds for each participating horse:
| Position | Horse | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mugatu | 20-1 |
| 2 | Uncle Heavy | 20-1 |
| 3 | Catching Freedom | 6-1 |
| 4 | * Muth | 8-5 |
| 5 | Mystik Dan | 5-2 |
| 6 | Seize The Gray | 15-1 |
| 7 | Just Steel | 15-1 |
| 8 | Tuscan Gold | 8-1 |
| 9 | Imagination | 6-1 |
- Muth is not participating in the race as the horse was scratched on Wednesday.
Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Prediction
Now, we have the Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting prediction.
Muth’s absence has left Mystik Dan in much better shape to win at Pimlico.
Muth has been one of the top three-year-old horses in the country, and if Bob Baffert hadn’t been barred from Churchill Downs, he would have been in contention for the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago.
Mystik Dan’s biggest challenge currently is Catching Freedom, who finished fourth in the Derby.
The only Derby horses set to run in the Preakness are Mystik Dan, Catching Freedom, and longshot Just Steel.
The Derby winner finished behind Catching Freedom and Just Steel in at least one lead-up race to the first Saturday in May, but Mystik Dan outperformed the other two during the race.
Mystik Dan’s racing record includes three wins, two top-three finishes, and two fifth-place results. Anyone betting on him to win the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes may be concerned about the variation in his results.
Catching Freedom is projected to be in contention for the entire Preakness. He has never placed outside the top four in a race.
Imagination, the lone Baffert-trained horse in the field, has the potential to derail Triple Crown speculation.
Starting from Post No. 9, the horse has finished first or second in every race of his career, most recently taking second in the Santa Anita Derby in April.
If Mystik Dan, Catching Freedom, and Imagination run their greatest races, one of them should win the Preakness.
A long-shot winner is always possible, but with Pimlico’s smaller field, it is less likely.
Post Positions
The post positions were chosen Monday evening, revealing that the two heavyweights will fight side by side in the ring, with Muth (8-5) taking the 4-post and Mystik Dan (5-2) taking the 5-post. Mugatu and Uncle Heavy, two 20-1 long shots who look to be insignificant, drew the first two posts. The three-post went to Catching Freedom (6-1), who came fourth in the “Run for the Roses” two weeks ago. The sixth and seventh positions go to D. Wayne Lukas stablemates Seize the Grey (15-1) and Just Steel (15-1). Tuscan Gold (8-1) is in eighth place, and the final horse, Imagination (6-1), has drawn the far outside 9-post.
Styles of Racing
When assessing a horse race based on pace, it is useful to divide the horses into four separate categories. Pacesetters take an early lead and race from there. Stalkers keep close to the leaders, preserving ground and energy for a final surge. Midpack runners, the most adaptable of the four, change their speed to stay close to the stalkers and make their push earlier. The fourth and last style is that of a deep close. This year’s Preakness won’t feature this exciting style.
Pacesetters
Bob Baffert, the slightly tarnished trainer, trains Muth and Imagination, who look to be the only two speed horses. Knowing that the two pacesetters are from the same stable is significant because they are unlikely to engage in a potentially deadly speed duel, as Fierceness and Sierra Leone did in the Kentucky Derby. One of the two stablemates will take the lead while the other adopts a stalking position.
Stalkers
There are three main stalkers in this field. Mystik Dan will allow Muth to take the early lead, and he should be able to pass the slower movers inside of him, saving ground along the rail. When Imagination goes closer to the front, only Steel and Tuscan Gold are likely to accompany her.
Mid-pack runners
Mugatu, Uncle Heavy, and Catching Freedom are the first three inside horses, and they are all regarded mid-pack runners. They will most likely see Muth and Mystik Dan fly right past them as they try to preserve energy and stay within shouting distance of the stalkers. Seize the Grey will most likely run a similar race, cutting in from the outside while Imagination surges to the front. These guys appear to be in trouble due to the race’s overall slow pace.
Pace Scenario
Saturday’s forecast in Baltimore, Maryland (home of Pimlico Race Course) calls for a 50% chance of showers and a high temperature of roughly 78. With the rest of the week’s outlook best defined as “uncertain,” it would be prudent to have a contingency plan in place in case of an off-track. The following scenario assumes inclement weather does not negatively impact the track.
When the gates open, Muth rushes to the front, taking an early lead. Imagination joins Mystik Dan in an attempt to stay close to the front-running Muth. Steel and Tuscan Gold tuck in neatly in the first bend, sitting comfortably a few lengths back.
This is Muth’s dream and Mystik Dan’s nightmare. Without another horse to compete for the lead, Muth should be able to retain enough speed and energy to finish in a dominant manner. Imagination, the one horse that could challenge him early on, will not do so due to the stable link.
Brian Hernandez, the rider on Mystik Dan, will have to make a decision: take the lead or lay back? If he presses Muth, he opens himself up to a late charge from one of the stalkers. If he sits back and lets Muth set the pace, Juan J. Hernandez (no connection to Brian) and Muth will most certainly win easily.
According to Equibase’s GPS tracking, Mystik Dan ran the shortest run in terms of feet of any horse in the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, with Muth, the speed merchant, inside him, Mystik Dan will not have that luxury on Saturday. I believe he will be forced to confront Muth earlier than he would prefer. This should open the door to either Imagination or Just Steel.
With an early 15-1 line, I like No. 7 Just Steel’s chances. He has an exceptional pedigree (son of 2018 Triple Crown victor Justify) and a favorable starting position. Only the 6-post has more (16 triumphs), and trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won the Preakness six times. Saturday will also see a rematch between Just Steel and Muth from the Arkansas Derby, in which Muth finished two lengths ahead of Just Steel.
A dismal 17th place finish in the Derby has significantly reduced his odds. I anticipate him running a race closer to the Arkansas Derby and hoping that the minor increase in distance (the Preakness is 1/16 of a mile more than the Arkansas Derby) will allow Just Steel to pull off the upset.
Preakness Stakes 2024 Betting Prediction:
1. Imagination
2. Catching Freedom
3. Mystik Dan