by Darren Moore
Preakness Stakes 2020 Betting Preview
Swiss Skydiver looks the betting value at +800 with Bovada to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday.
The ante post favourite, Authentic (+150 Bovada), does not appear to have enough in hand on ratings and form to justify backing him at a shade bigger than even money.
The Preakness is the third leg of the US Triple Crown that also includes the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. In any normal season the three Classics are run over a six week period in the spring and summer. The Preakness is usually the second race in the series but in 2020 it’s the final leg.
Tiz The Law was the winning favourite of the Belmont Stakes in June. The horse was then odds-on to win the Kentucky Derby but Authentic won that race and was installed the favourite for the Preakness Stakes. Six horses have won both races this century and then failed to complete the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. The order changed this year and Authentic did not run in the Belmont.
Some of the beaten horses in the Derby re-oppose but they are unlikely to reverse the form with Authentic. Tiz The Law is not running so Art Collector and Swiss Skydiver are next in the Preakness 2020 betting odds but neither horse ran in the Kentucky Derby.
Weight Allowance May Tell
Authentic does bring some Classic winning form to the table and has won over the distance of one mile and one furlong. The colt carries 9st but Swiss Skydiver has the fillies allowance of three pounds which could make all the difference at the end of the race. She could become just the sixth female horse to win the Preakness Stakes.
Art Collector has won five races from five starts this season and beat Swiss Skydiver in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in July. However, since that race Swiss Skydiver has shown improvement and offers some value at the current betting odds.
Other Preakness Contenders
Thousand Words was fourth behind Authentic in a Grade 2 race at Santa Anita in March and is not good enough to beat that horse. Mr Big News, Max Player and Ny Traffic were well behind Authentic in the Derby and will have to shown considerable improvement to win the Preakness Stakes.
Beating Tiz The Law in the Kentucky Derby is the standout form for Saturday night’s race. However, the latest Vegas odds look a little too short for a race of this nature and Swiss Skydiver is preferred.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
