Experts from The Post and Motion Network handicap Saturday’s one hundred and fiftieth running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Post time is roughly 7:01 p.m.
Vic Cangialosi
Recent York Post racing handicapper
1. Clever Again: The history books say speed kills within the Preakness. The 2 favorites, Journalism and Sandman, do their best running late. There are a pair on this field that may dance with Clever Again early. Bob Baffert’s calmly raced Goal Oriented is the fastest and almost certainly challenger.
If Jose Ortiz can win that battle, he can win the war. Steve Asmussen’s colt hasn’t raced since March so he’s well rested. Loads off a triple-digit fig and Pimlico is speed favoring when it’s fast. More so when it’s wet. May prove tough to reel in.
2. River Thames: Do you want Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty? Then you have got to contemplate Todd Pletcher’s colt. Lost by a neck to the champ within the Fountain of Youth. Raced once since.
Again narrowly defeated, ending a detailed third within the Blue Grass. True contender, though Pletcher is 0-for-10 on the Preakness and Irad Ortiz is 0-for-6. Stalks the pace, makes a run, but like his last two starts, he comes up just a little short.
3. Journalism: You simply get one likelihood to win the Derby. Made probably the most of his. Did the whole lot asked of him, except win. Made regular progress within the mud. Finished strong. Just got outkicked. The Derby winner is skipping the center jewel, so he’s the one to beat. Again.
Special horses can run 2¹/₂ miles in two weeks. Sovereignty’s connections won’t let him try. Perhaps that race took something out of each of them. Game, but a drained third.
Michael Leboff
Recent York Post betting author
1. Journalism: Odds aside, Journalism is the most effective pick to win the Preakness Stakes. He finished second on the Kentucky Derby, but still ran a terrific race. Plus, this field and setup is far softer than the one he saw at Churchill Downs.
2. Gosger: Factoring in the chances, Gosger is my favorite bet on the board and a horse that has a terrific likelihood of outrunning his odds. He should give you the chance to get out in front from his post position, which is his best path to success on this field.
3. Clever Again: Like Gosger, I like Clever Again’s probabilities of attending to the front and battling his technique to a podium finish. Definitely a horse to make use of in your exotics, as his price could drift with other entrants getting more support.
Mike Conti
Motion Network racing handicapper
1. Journalism: Ran a valiant second within the Kentucky Derby, showing those of us who had doubts concerning the competition and field sizes out west that he’s extremely talented and top-of-the-line 3-year-olds within the country. The largest query can be coming back in two weeks, but he again appears to be probably the most talented horse in the sphere.
2. Clever Again: The one other horse in the sphere to post a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, when he won the Hot Springs Stake at Oaklawn Park with relative ease last outing. Jockey Jose Ortiz had a ton of horse coming out of the turn and drew off from the remainder of the sphere.
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He’s bred to get the space being a son of American Pharoah and is making his fourth profession start, third as a 3-year-old, so it’s reasonable to think he can improve off that last effort.
3. Goal Oriented: Won last outing on the Derby Day undercard, albeit against allowance company. That was only his second profession start and first time stretching out. He showed a unique running style from his maiden rating, taking them gate to wire.
Given his post position and the opposite speed, jockey Flavien Prat will almost certainly need to send him out of the gates to get positioning. Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Preakness a record eight times.Â
