Some sportsbooks will start to set Preakness futures betting odds within the next few days as the field of competitors declared for the race grows, but most will wait until the Pimlico Race Course linesmaker sets the ‘morning line’ for the event on the Wednesday before the race.
While the field for the Preakness won’t start to take its final shape shape until early next week, the pecking order among three year old race horses is starting to come into focus. We can get some idea about which horses to watch by looking at the Kentucky Derby betting odds and the results of the ‘Run For The Roses’. Over the next few days the horses that will compete for the Preakness will start to be identified as their connections chart out their races for the rest of the summer.
One horse that will certainly run in the Preakness is Kentucky Derby winner Orb. This Doug O’Neill trained colt receives high marks for his versatility and there’s every reason to think he’ll be the morning line favorite. Several other Derby horses have already declared for the Preakness including Oxbow, Will Take Charge, Goldencents, Normandy Invasion and Vyjack. In addition Illinois Derby winner Departing has been declared for the Preakness. The race is limited to 14 starters so there’s a good chance that it will be over subscribed.
While there are currently no odds for the entire race some sportsbooks are posting specific odds for Orb’s performance in the Preakness. Orb is a -110 choice to win the Preakness in this early proposition wager while the field is priced at -130.
You can expect many of the other horses in the Derby field to be pointed toward the Preakness though their connections will have to make a determination if they can ‘bounce back’ so quickly for another tough challenge or if they’d be better served looking toward the other many stakes races coming up this summer.