The second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the 149th Preakness Stakes race, will be run on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. This historic middle jewel of the Triple Crown is always an exhilarating race. From the iconic weather vane to the singing of “Maryland, My Maryland,” the Preakness Stakes is a can’t-miss race.
If you missed out on the Kentucky Derby or are looking to refine your horse race wagering skills, learn how to bet on the Preakness Stakes with Odds Shark’s guide. We will outline the many betting options to be made online for this Grade 1 thoroughbred racing event.
The Preakness horse race will be run over a distance of 1 3/16 miles (9.5 furlongs) with a purse of over $1 million. For experienced bettors or wagering beginners trying to figure out how to bet on the Preakness Stakes, there are several key steps and strategies to keep in mind when betting on the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans this spring.
How Can I Bet On The Preakness Stakes Online?
#1: Pick A Racebook
Racebooks are the online betting sites you visit so that you can wager on horse racing. All of Odds Shark’s Preakness Stakes sportsbooks are safe, secure, trustworthy and meet all of our criteria. There are plenty of places to bet online for the Preakness Stakes. Have a glance at our horse racing sites page and choose the online racebook that suits your preferences.
Check out our favorite sportsbooks for horse racing.
#2: Sign Up
Registering is easy-peasy. Type in your name, email address, deposit info and birthdate. You’ll be sent a confirmation email or link. Once the registration process is completed, you’ll be able to place your first wager on the running of the Preakness Stakes.
#3: Make A Deposit
Next is deciding on a deposit method. Almost all online sportsbooks accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX), e-wallets (PayPal, Neteller, Skrill) and debit. Many online sports betting sites will allow you to make deposits by taking cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash and Ethereum.
#4: Place Your Wagers On The Preakness Stakes
Pick the track of Pimlico Race Course, the horse race number of the Preakness Stakes, your horse and your bet type. Enter in your dollar amount and submit your Preakness Stakes ticket.
You’re on the last leg. Now decide on a listed racebook and wager on the Preakness Stakes!
How Do Preakness Stakes Odds Work?
Asides from knowing how a race operates and how many horses are running in the Preakness, the most important aspect of figuring out how to bet on the Preakness Stakes online is ensuring you understand the odds. For example, the 2024 odds for Preakness betting contenders look like:
2024 Preakness Stakes Betting Odds
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Muth | +160 |
| Mystik Dan | +250 |
| Catching Freedom | +600 |
| Imagination | +600 |
| Tuscan Gold | +800 |
| Seize The Grey | +1500 |
| Just Steel | +1500 |
| Mugatu | +2000 |
| Uncle Heavy | +2000 |
The horse with the lowest odds (Muth) is favored to win the 2024 Preakness Stakes, while the other horses are all considered underdogs.
A $100 bet on Muth would payout $260. You would receive your original $100 plus winnings of $160 on the favored horse.
Preakness Stakes History: Betting Odds And Preakness Sportsbooks
| Year | Sportsbook | Jockey | Trainer | Odds | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | National Treasure | John Velasquez | Bob Baffert | +400 | 1:55.12 |
| 2022 | Early Voting | Jose L. Ortiz | Chad Brown | +500 | 1:54.44 |
| 2021 | Rombauer | Flavien Prat | Michael McCarthy | +1100 | 1:53:62 |
| 2020 | Swiss Skydiver | Robby Albarado | Kenneth McPeek | +600 | 1:53.28 |
| 2019 | War of Will | Tyler Gaffalione | Mark E. Casse | +600 | 1:54:34 |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert | -200 | 1:55:93 |
| 2017 | Cloud Computing | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown | +1300 | 1:55:98 |
| 2016 | Exaggerator | Kent Desormeaux | Keith Desormeaux | +300 | 1:58:31 |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | -125 | 1:58:46 |
| 2014 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman | -167 | 1:54.84 |
How To Bet On The Preakness Stakes And Win
Bettors often wonder when is the Preakness Stakes? The Preakness takes place two weeks after the Kentucky Derby every year. If you’re looking to learn how to bet on the Preakness Stakes and win big, you’re in luck. Let’s look at some Preakness Stakes tips and betting options below.
From the Preakness post positions and odds to everything in between, our betting guide has you covered. These strategies are relevant to all of the Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, as well as most other races throughout the year, including the Breeders’ Cup.
Straight Bet: Win, Place, Show
If you want to place some bets on your favorite horses at this year’s Preakness Stakes, but you don’t know how or where to bet on the race, some of the most basic bets are: win, place and show. These are great options for beginner horse bettors. Win, Place and Show are common bets you can make on a horse to win or finish in the top three of the race.
Win Betting
A win bet is a bet on a horse to finish in first place.
Place Betting
A place bet is a bet on a horse to finish in first or second place.
Show Betting
A show bet is a bet on a horse to finish in the money, third or better.
Across The Board
An across-the-board wager is a bet on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways (win, place and show). If the horse comes in second, the bettor collects two ways (place and show). And if the horse comes in third, the bettor collects one way (show), missing out on the win and place wagers.
The across-the-board bet is like a parlay bet in other sports. It’s pretty much three wagers combined on one big Preakness Stakes ticket. In parlay betting, you could wager on:
- • Will the winning horse be brown or white at the Preakness Stakes?
- • How old will the winning jockey be at the Preakness Stakes?
- • What post position will the winning horse start from at the Preakness Stakes?
Preakness Stakes Horse Matchup Wagering
Instead of handicapping a field of nine horses and trying to pick a sportsbook, matchups consist of two horses in the field, with a moneyline that’s comparable to what you’d find in other team sports. With match races, you wager on the horse you think will finish ahead of the other horse. It does not matter if that horse wins.
Preakness Stakes Futures Betting
A Preakness Stakes futures wager is when you bet on a sportsbook several weeks or months ahead of the big event. Horseplayers can get their Preakness Stakes betting action down early, and at fixed and often generous odds.
Daily Double Wagering
A daily double bet is a wager where bettors pick the sportsbook of two straight races.
Exacta Bets
An exacta bet, or a perfecta bet, is a wager where bettors pick the top two finishers in the exact order.
Trifecta Betting
A trifecta bet is a wager in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.
Pick 3, Pick 4 And Pick 6
Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6 betting is a form of multi-race bet. A Pick 3 wager means you have to pick the Sportsbook of three races in a row. A Pick 4 wager means you have to predict four successive Sportsbooks, and a Pick 6 wager means you need to pick the Sportsbook of six straight races.
Quinella Wagering
A quinella wager is a bet in which the first two finishers must be picked in either order. It’s like an exacta wager only it doesn’t matter what order the two horses you pick come in.
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Preakness Stakes Betting FAQ
Can I Bet On The Preakness Online?
Yes, you can bet on the Preakness Stakes online. You can choose from straight bets like win, place, show, and across-the-board. Preakness Stakes betting also offers horse matchup wagering, futures bets and Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 6 betting. You can make daily double bets and exotic wagers such as exacta bets, trifecta bets and quinella bets.
How Do I Place A Bet On The Preakness Stakes?
It has never been easier to bet on this year’s Preakness Stakes. With several top-of-the-line racebooks taking bets on all things Preakness, all you have to do is sign up and deposit with one of our approved racebooks, find your winning bet for this year’s Preakness, and sit back and cheer on your horse.
What Horse Should I Bet On In The Preakness?
There are several world-class horses in this year’s race to pick from but the odds are in favor of Epicenter to win the Preakness Stakes. Jockeyed by last year’s Preakness Stakes Sportsbook Flavien Prat, Epicenter is one of the most well-regarded horses in this year’s Triple Crown races and will be the horse to watch during the Preakness.
