Best Horse Racing Bets Today | Preakness Stakes (Pimlico)

A clear favorite but only second best in the Kentucky Derby, Journalism will look to return to his winning ways when he tops the field for Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. The Grade 1 affair and second leg of the Triple Crown has drawn a field of nine sophomore colts set to go 1 3/16-miles at the Baltimore oval. Grade 1 winner Sandman is the second choice on the morning line in the American classic.

Other highlights of a huge afternoon at Pimlico include a trio of graded stakes on the turf and the dirt. The $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes is headlined by the Grade 1 winner Trikari, but he should have his hands full in a field of 13 older turf males. The graded stakes action begins when top sprinter Booth puts his three race winning streak on the line in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes. Without further ado, let's get to my analysis, top picks, and suggested wagers for Preakness Stakes Saturday.

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Race #4 Maryland Sprint Stakes (Grade 3) $150,000 6 Furlongs Dirt- 12:16pm EST

Coming in off of three straight stakes wins at Oaklawn Park, Booth will look to prove he can get it done away from the friendly confines of that Arkansas oval when he headlines a field of seven older sprinters entered in Saturday’s Maryland Sprint Stakes at Pimlico.

A 4-year-old son of the champion sprinter Mitole, Booth has always shown promise sprinting, but was unable to get the job done against serious competition earlier in his career. That may all be behind the Steve Asmussen-trainee now. In three straight stakes races at Oaklawn, he flaunted his early speed on the way to victory. The last one was not easy, as he was pressured early but he persevered. He figures to have company on the lead again in this 6 furlong tilt.

A strong second choice on the morning line is Concrete Glory. Like Booth, he has a high turn of early speed and is in the best form of his career. He was run down late in the Gulfstream Park Sprint, but it was his third strong effort in a row while sprinting. Booth will likely make his life difficult early, but he’s hard to dismiss considering how well he has been running of late.

Another serious contender in the Maryland Sprint will be Epic Ride. A participant in last year’s Kentucky Derby, the stakes winning 4-year-old has found a new home sprinting. With plenty of speed to his inside, he should be able to sit a good trip watching the leaders on the outside. With the pick up of top rider Flavien Prate here, he should have every chance to come with a run at the top of the stretch. Epic Ride will be my top pick.

My Plays

• $2 Trifecta Key - Epic Ride over Booth, Concrete Glory, Celtic Contender, and Capture the Flag = $24

• $2 Trifecta Key - Booth over Epic Ride, Concrete Glory, Celtic Contender, and Capture the Flag = $24

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Race #7 Gallorette Stakes (Grade 3) $150,000 1 1/16-Miles Turf- 2:07pm EST

A Group 3 stakes winner in her native Germany, Three Havanas has been tabbed a lukewarm morning line choice among a wide-open field of older female turf runners in the Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico. 

The daughter of Havana Grey has moved to the top turf barn of Christophe Clement after having won four of twelve starts in Germany. This will be her first start in the U.S. as well as her first start of the season. Rains that have hit the Baltimore area hard this week will create a grass course with plenty of give, and that should help Three Havanas, who has plenty of experience on a wet turf course.

Chief among her opposition in this 1 1/16-mile test is the consistent Way to Be Marie. Since stretching out to a mile or more for her last ten races, the Not This Time filly has not run a poor race. A consistent stakes performer, she broke through for her first stakes victory last out, winning the Tom Benson Memorial decisively on the Fair Grounds turf.

There’s a host of others in here who could step up, including a solid one-two punch for trainer Graham Motion. The Irish-bred Queen of the Mud will stretch out in distance after a solid second sprinting in the Monrovia last time, while Sparkle Blue came with a strong rally to be second in the recent Dahlia Stakes at Laurel Park. Because of the course condition, though, I will lean to the German import. Three Havanas will be my top pick.

My Plays

• $10 Exacta Box - Three Havanas and Sparkle Blue = $20

• $10 Exacta Part Wheel - Three Havanas and Sparkle Blue over Way to Be Marie = $20

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Race #12 Dinner Party Stakes (Grade 3) $250,000 1 1/8-Miles Turf- 5:52pm EST

After tangling with Carl Spackler in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile, Trikari will get a class break when he tops a large field of older turf males in the $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday.

All four of his victories in 2024 came in stakes races, with the biggest one coming in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. Overall the son of Oscar Performance has earned nearly $1.4 million in his eleven-race career. A rallying third behind one of the top turf horses in the country last time at Keeneland, the Graham Motion-trained 4-year-old should be ready to fire here.

Last year’s Dinner Party went to the Irish-bred Balnikhov, and the veteran is clearly a contender to win it again. Beaten in his last six tries, he continues to keep strong company and should appreciate a wet grass course, just as he did when winning here last year. 

Several in this race ran last four weeks ago in the Henry Clark Stakes at Laurel Park, including the winner Signator. The son of Tapit ran some good races on the main track for trainer Shug McGaughey but has certainly appreciated the move to turf two starts back. He’s finished with a flourish to win both and is a threat to make it three in a row.  Signator is my top pick.

My Play 

• $4 Exacta Part Wheel - Signator and Trikari over Signator, Trikari, Divin Propos, Crabs N Beer, Neat, Balnikhov, and Fort Washington = $48

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Race #13 Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) $2,000,000 1 3/16-Miles Dirt- 7:01pm EST

An impressive winner of three consecutive graded stakes in California before running second in the Kentucky Derby, Journalism looks to be a solid favorite among nine sophomore colts in Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. 

The Kentucky Derby favorite certainly did not run a bad race at Churchill Downs, but he just could not hold off the late momentum of Sovereignty in the late stages. While that one is skipping the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Michael McCarthy-trained son of Curlin has bounced back well and will be the one they all have to beat in the Middle Jewel. A classy colt, Journalism is a deserving favorite but his odds will be on the low side.

The second choice on the morning line is the late-running Sandman. A convincing winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, the popular gray colt made up some ground in the Run for the Roses, but never threatened to check in seventh. A drier track and smaller field puts him in with a chance on Saturday.

A case could be made for all seven of the other horses in the field, but the ones I prefer are River Thames and Gosger. The former has run very well in all four starts, faced strong competition, and skipped the Derby to take his shot here. The latter is getting better with each start for trainer Brendan Walsh and might be ready to tackle this level. Because of the low odds on Journalism, I am going to tab River Thames as my top pick.

My Plays

• $5 Exacta Box - River Thames, Journalism, and Gosger = $30

• $5 Exacta Box - River Thames, Journalism, and Pay Billy = $30

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