Preakness Stakes Horse Racing OddsPreakness Stakes Horse Racing Odds

Betting Guide

2024 Preakness Stakes Odds

2024 Preakness Stakes

By TVG Staff
Updated May 17, 2024

The flagship race of the Pimlico Race Course meet, the Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday, May 18. The race goes 1 3/16 miles on the dirt track, and is open to three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies. The purse is a soaring $2 million, up from the $1.5 million base of previous years, and the winner not only earns a big payday but also a place in horse racing history.

For bettors, the Preakness presents one of the most interesting challenges of the year. And the race got even more challenging Friday morning with the scratch of one of the favorites, original morning-line second choice First Mission, who was removed from the race Friday morning due to a left hind ankle issue.

Preakness Stakes Contenders

The Preakness Stakes was drawn on Monday, May 13, and drew a field of nine runners, though only eight are expected to run with the Wednesday-morning scratch of Muth, who spiked a fever. Three of them come out of the Kentucky Derby, including Mystik Dan, who rallied up the rail and held to win the Run for the Roses by a thrilling nose. The two others coming in from the first jewel of the Triple Crown include fourth-place Catching Freedom and 17th-place Just Steel.

The scratch of morning-line favorite Muth leaves five of the new faces in the field. The ones likely to take the most betting interest include Imagination, the one Bob Baffert trainee remaining in the race, as well as Tuscan Gold, the third-place finisher behind Catching Freedom in the Louisiana Derby (G2).



2024 Preakness Stakes Odds Updates

This is the official field for the Preakness Stakes including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds released by Pimlico Race Course.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyML
1MugatuJeff Engler

Joe Bravo20-1
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.20-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat7-2
4MuthBob BaffertJuan HernandezSCR
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.8-5
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres12-1
7Just Steel
D. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario12-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione9-2
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori3-1

These morning-line odds are not final, since betting is pari-mutuel and therefore based on actual Preakness Stakes betting action. However, they can be an excellent guide to which horses are expected to take money or not. And, comparing them with actual betting through Friday and Saturday can give you a good window into who is coming into the race hot or cold on the board.

Morning-line odds reflect the updated morning line released by Pimlico after the scratch of Muth.

2019 preakness stakes odds

2024 Preakness Stakes Futures Odds

Before the race is drawn and morning lines are assigned, future wagering odds can provide a picture of how odds on horses may shape up. The Maryland Jockey Club offered two official Preakness futures, including one that closed right before the Kentucky Derby. In addition, sportsbooks also offer futures. Since these sportsbook futures are ongoing, they can provide a glimpse into how Preakness wagering may settle.

Preakness Stakes Future Wager

Pimlico expanded its Preakness Future Wager offerings this year. In 2023, the debut of the wager, it offered one pool in the days leading into the Kentucky Derby. In 2024, it offered both that pool and an earlier one open February 29 through March 2. With the pre-Derby pool closed, that one is going to be far more informative about, at least, relative odds of some horses.

Keep in mind that odds on some horses may shift, especially ones who ran well Kentucky Derby weekend like Derby winner Mystik Dan and Pat Day Mile (G2) winner Seize the Grey. However, especially with the new shooters, it can shed some light on who may be more heavily bet than others.

These are the odds from the second Preakness Future Wager pool, which closed about an hour before the Kentucky Derby, for horses who are entered to run in the Preakness.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyPool 2 odds
1MugatuJeff EnglerJoe Bravon/a*
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.99-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat14-1
4MuthBob BaffertJuan Hernandez7-2**
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.45-1
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres25-1
7Just SteelD. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario35-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione17-1
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori17-1

* Mugatu was not an individual betting interest in Pool 2 of the Preakness Future Wager. He is included in the all other 3-year-olds group, which closed at 12-1.

** Muth has been scratched from the Preakness. These were his closing odds in the second Preakness future wager pool, and those bets will simply be considered losing bets since part of the risk of a futures bet is whether the horse will make the starting gate at all.

Preakness Stakes Sportsbook Futures

Since morning-line odds are not a guarantee of what you’ll actually see on the third Saturday in May, Preakness futures odds at international sportsbooks can also provide a clue about who bettors may think will be the Preakness winner. These tend to open soon after the Kentucky Derby. They are liable to fluctuate as horses train toward the race and the field takes final shape, but they can provide betting clues.

As of May 15, after the defection of Muth, these are best prices in overseas sportsbooks as cited on OddsChecker.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyOdds
1MugatuJeff EnglerJoe Bravo35-1
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.14-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat7-2
4MuthBob BaffertJuan HernandezSCR
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.2-1
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres12-1
7Just SteelD. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario9-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione4-1
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori4-1

* Odds for Catching Freedom, a later declaration for the Preakness, were not published yet.

How the Preakness Odds Are Formulated

Morning line odds are an estimate of how the betting public will approach a race. Preakness odds will be estimated based primarily on the results of the other major sophomore horse races from 2024, including Kentucky Derby preps, the Kentucky Derby itself, and other stakes races including Preakness preps like the El Camino Real Derby, the Federico Tesio Stakes, and the Oaklawn Stakes.

Preakness Stakes Connections

Some horse racing reputation enters calculations as well. Horses trained by people who have won a lot of Triple Crown races or other major horse races, like Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, or Brad Cox, for example, are always highly regarded. The Kentucky Derby winner is usually the favorite, though may not be in a year when the Kentucky Derby winner was a distant long shot. Any horse who is able to win a major Grade I race is also typically well-fancied by the bettors at Pimlico Race Course.

wayne lukas, market king, bourbon war

Preakness Stakes Race Day Odds

On May 18, the Preakness Stakes live odds will be calculated by the pari-mutuel system. The final odds are determined by how much is in the pool from bettors around the country divided by the number placed in wagers on each horse.

It makes sense to watch the odds in the pool on race day, since sometimes you get a better price than the morning line forecasts. For example, when War of Will went on to win the 2019 Preakness Stakes, he wasn’t the most popular, meaning his morning line odds of 4/1 became starting odds of 5/1.

Odds on the Preakness will fluctuate a lot on the pari-mutuel system as the event gets closer, especially right before the gates open, so be prepared not to know what odds you will get on your picks for the Preakness until the last moment.

Major Preakness Prep Races And Kentucky Derby Race Winner

The Preakness Stakes is the second jewel in the Triple Crown and carries immense importance, as not every horse will make the cut.

And many other top-stakes races will have also taken place in 2024, stretching back to the major Kentucky Derby preps and other important sophomore events, all of which are tough to win. The eventual Preakness winner often comes out of one of these major stakes races.

Preakness Stakes odds are partly shaped by the results of these major races, though for handicapping purposes, be sure to go back and check out how well other horses ran underneath these winners as well. After all, the winners often do not go to the Preakness, but underneath finishers may.

DateRaceVenueWinner
February 17, 2024Risen StarFair GroundsSierra Leone
February 24, 2024Rebel StakesOaklawn Park Timberlake
March 2, 2024Fountain of Youth StakesGulfstream ParkDornoch
March 2, 2024Gotham StakesAqueductDeterministic
March 2, 2024San Felipe StakesSanta Anita ParkImagination
March 9, 2024Tampa Bay DerbyTampa Bay DownsDomestic Product
March 23, 2024Louisiana DerbyFair GroundsCatching Freedom
March 30, 2024Florida DerbyGulfstream ParkFierceness
March 30, 2024Arkansas DerbyOaklawn ParkMuth
April 6, 2024Santa Anita DerbySanta Anita ParkStronghold
April 6, 2024Wood MemorialAqueductResilience
April 6, 2024Blue Grass StakesKeenelandSierra Leone
May 4th, 2024Kentucky DerbyChurchill DownsMystik Dan

Betting the 2024 Preakness Stakes with TVG

Our team is always on hand to offer in-depth analysis and expert Preakness Stakes picks as we head towards post time for the race.

Find out who is in the running to run down the 149th Preakness Stakes and keep it TVG for Pimlico, your trusted one-stop destination to bet on the Preakness, to the Belmont Stakes, and on horse racing all year long.

AWARE - Always Wager Responsibly - National Gambling Helpline: 1-800-522-4700. 

Disclaimer:TVG provides free information, odds, facts, and commentary about the Preakness Stakes and horse racing and betting, in general. Third-party marks may be referenced in a transformative, editorial, informational, nominative, critical, analytical, or comparative context. TVG may reference marks belonging to third parties pursuant to our right to engage in fair use, fair comment, statutory fair use, or trademark fair use doctrine. As such, TVG does not contribute to any dilution of any trade or service marks.

Get up to $100 Back

If you don't win your first single-horse win bet. Bet the Preakness!

By TVG Staff
Updated May 17, 2024

The flagship race of the Pimlico Race Course meet, the Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday, May 18. The race goes 1 3/16 miles on the dirt track, and is open to three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies. The purse is a soaring $2 million, up from the $1.5 million base of previous years, and the winner not only earns a big payday but also a place in horse racing history.

For bettors, the Preakness presents one of the most interesting challenges of the year. And the race got even more challenging Friday morning with the scratch of one of the favorites, original morning-line second choice First Mission, who was removed from the race Friday morning due to a left hind ankle issue.

Preakness Stakes Contenders

The Preakness Stakes was drawn on Monday, May 13, and drew a field of nine runners, though only eight are expected to run with the Wednesday-morning scratch of Muth, who spiked a fever. Three of them come out of the Kentucky Derby, including Mystik Dan, who rallied up the rail and held to win the Run for the Roses by a thrilling nose. The two others coming in from the first jewel of the Triple Crown include fourth-place Catching Freedom and 17th-place Just Steel.

The scratch of morning-line favorite Muth leaves five of the new faces in the field. The ones likely to take the most betting interest include Imagination, the one Bob Baffert trainee remaining in the race, as well as Tuscan Gold, the third-place finisher behind Catching Freedom in the Louisiana Derby (G2).



2024 Preakness Stakes Odds Updates

This is the official field for the Preakness Stakes including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds released by Pimlico Race Course.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyML
1MugatuJeff Engler

Joe Bravo20-1
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.20-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat7-2
4MuthBob BaffertJuan HernandezSCR
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.8-5
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres12-1
7Just Steel
D. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario12-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione9-2
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori3-1

These morning-line odds are not final, since betting is pari-mutuel and therefore based on actual Preakness Stakes betting action. However, they can be an excellent guide to which horses are expected to take money or not. And, comparing them with actual betting through Friday and Saturday can give you a good window into who is coming into the race hot or cold on the board.

Morning-line odds reflect the updated morning line released by Pimlico after the scratch of Muth.

2019 preakness stakes odds

2024 Preakness Stakes Futures Odds

Before the race is drawn and morning lines are assigned, future wagering odds can provide a picture of how odds on horses may shape up. The Maryland Jockey Club offered two official Preakness futures, including one that closed right before the Kentucky Derby. In addition, sportsbooks also offer futures. Since these sportsbook futures are ongoing, they can provide a glimpse into how Preakness wagering may settle.

Preakness Stakes Future Wager

Pimlico expanded its Preakness Future Wager offerings this year. In 2023, the debut of the wager, it offered one pool in the days leading into the Kentucky Derby. In 2024, it offered both that pool and an earlier one open February 29 through March 2. With the pre-Derby pool closed, that one is going to be far more informative about, at least, relative odds of some horses.

Keep in mind that odds on some horses may shift, especially ones who ran well Kentucky Derby weekend like Derby winner Mystik Dan and Pat Day Mile (G2) winner Seize the Grey. However, especially with the new shooters, it can shed some light on who may be more heavily bet than others.

These are the odds from the second Preakness Future Wager pool, which closed about an hour before the Kentucky Derby, for horses who are entered to run in the Preakness.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyPool 2 odds
1MugatuJeff EnglerJoe Bravon/a*
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.99-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat14-1
4MuthBob BaffertJuan Hernandez7-2**
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.45-1
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres25-1
7Just SteelD. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario35-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione17-1
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori17-1

* Mugatu was not an individual betting interest in Pool 2 of the Preakness Future Wager. He is included in the all other 3-year-olds group, which closed at 12-1.

** Muth has been scratched from the Preakness. These were his closing odds in the second Preakness future wager pool, and those bets will simply be considered losing bets since part of the risk of a futures bet is whether the horse will make the starting gate at all.

Preakness Stakes Sportsbook Futures

Since morning-line odds are not a guarantee of what you’ll actually see on the third Saturday in May, Preakness futures odds at international sportsbooks can also provide a clue about who bettors may think will be the Preakness winner. These tend to open soon after the Kentucky Derby. They are liable to fluctuate as horses train toward the race and the field takes final shape, but they can provide betting clues.

As of May 15, after the defection of Muth, these are best prices in overseas sportsbooks as cited on OddsChecker.

PostHorseTrainerJockeyOdds
1MugatuJeff EnglerJoe Bravo35-1
2Uncle HeavyRobert Reid, Jr.Irad Ortiz, Jr.14-1
3Catching FreedomBrad CoxFlavien Prat7-2
4MuthBob BaffertJuan HernandezSCR
5Mystik DanKenny McPeekBrian Hernandez, Jr.2-1
6Seize the GreyD. Wayne LukasJaime Torres12-1
7Just SteelD. Wayne LukasJoel Rosario9-1
8Tuscan GoldChad BrownTyler Gaffalione4-1
9ImaginationBob BaffertFrankie Dettori4-1

* Odds for Catching Freedom, a later declaration for the Preakness, were not published yet.

How the Preakness Odds Are Formulated

Morning line odds are an estimate of how the betting public will approach a race. Preakness odds will be estimated based primarily on the results of the other major sophomore horse races from 2024, including Kentucky Derby preps, the Kentucky Derby itself, and other stakes races including Preakness preps like the El Camino Real Derby, the Federico Tesio Stakes, and the Oaklawn Stakes.

Preakness Stakes Connections

Some horse racing reputation enters calculations as well. Horses trained by people who have won a lot of Triple Crown races or other major horse races, like Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, or Brad Cox, for example, are always highly regarded. The Kentucky Derby winner is usually the favorite, though may not be in a year when the Kentucky Derby winner was a distant long shot. Any horse who is able to win a major Grade I race is also typically well-fancied by the bettors at Pimlico Race Course.

wayne lukas, market king, bourbon war

Preakness Stakes Race Day Odds

On May 18, the Preakness Stakes live odds will be calculated by the pari-mutuel system. The final odds are determined by how much is in the pool from bettors around the country divided by the number placed in wagers on each horse.

It makes sense to watch the odds in the pool on race day, since sometimes you get a better price than the morning line forecasts. For example, when War of Will went on to win the 2019 Preakness Stakes, he wasn’t the most popular, meaning his morning line odds of 4/1 became starting odds of 5/1.

Odds on the Preakness will fluctuate a lot on the pari-mutuel system as the event gets closer, especially right before the gates open, so be prepared not to know what odds you will get on your picks for the Preakness until the last moment.

Major Preakness Prep Races And Kentucky Derby Race Winner

The Preakness Stakes is the second jewel in the Triple Crown and carries immense importance, as not every horse will make the cut.

And many other top-stakes races will have also taken place in 2024, stretching back to the major Kentucky Derby preps and other important sophomore events, all of which are tough to win. The eventual Preakness winner often comes out of one of these major stakes races.

Preakness Stakes odds are partly shaped by the results of these major races, though for handicapping purposes, be sure to go back and check out how well other horses ran underneath these winners as well. After all, the winners often do not go to the Preakness, but underneath finishers may.

DateRaceVenueWinner
February 17, 2024Risen StarFair GroundsSierra Leone
February 24, 2024Rebel StakesOaklawn Park Timberlake
March 2, 2024Fountain of Youth StakesGulfstream ParkDornoch
March 2, 2024Gotham StakesAqueductDeterministic
March 2, 2024San Felipe StakesSanta Anita ParkImagination
March 9, 2024Tampa Bay DerbyTampa Bay DownsDomestic Product
March 23, 2024Louisiana DerbyFair GroundsCatching Freedom
March 30, 2024Florida DerbyGulfstream ParkFierceness
March 30, 2024Arkansas DerbyOaklawn ParkMuth
April 6, 2024Santa Anita DerbySanta Anita ParkStronghold
April 6, 2024Wood MemorialAqueductResilience
April 6, 2024Blue Grass StakesKeenelandSierra Leone
May 4th, 2024Kentucky DerbyChurchill DownsMystik Dan

Betting the 2024 Preakness Stakes with TVG

Our team is always on hand to offer in-depth analysis and expert Preakness Stakes picks as we head towards post time for the race.

Find out who is in the running to run down the 149th Preakness Stakes and keep it TVG for Pimlico, your trusted one-stop destination to bet on the Preakness, to the Belmont Stakes, and on horse racing all year long.

AWARE - Always Wager Responsibly - National Gambling Helpline: 1-800-522-4700. 

Disclaimer:TVG provides free information, odds, facts, and commentary about the Preakness Stakes and horse racing and betting, in general. Third-party marks may be referenced in a transformative, editorial, informational, nominative, critical, analytical, or comparative context. TVG may reference marks belonging to third parties pursuant to our right to engage in fair use, fair comment, statutory fair use, or trademark fair use doctrine. As such, TVG does not contribute to any dilution of any trade or service marks.