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Triple Crown Betting Online: It’s no surprise Justify is the early favorite heading into the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes. He captured the first leg of the Triple Crown by winning the Kentucky Derby handily by two-and-a-half lengths on a soggy track in Louisville to remain undefeated. There might be some concerns about Justify’s work load as the three-year-old colt prepares to run his fifth race this year, but the shorter track at Pimlico shouldn’t be a major concern after blowing away the competition at the Derby.
The Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday, May 19, 2018 with post time set for 6:20 p.m. ET at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Catch the Preakness Stakes live on NBC.
Justify
Career Record: 4-0-0
Career Earnings: $2,098,000
Preakness Stakes Odds at BookMaker.eu: -200
The dust had barely settled at the Derby when Justify was tabbed at -200 as the early favorite to nab the second leg of the Triple Crown, and deservedly so after a near-dominant performance on the muddy track of Churchill Downs. After not racing as a 2-year-old, Justify is slated to run for the fifth time in 2018 at the Preakness. It should be noted, however, that trainer Bob Baffert is the best in the business and he will have Justify ready to go at Pimlico. Baffert was also the trainer of American Pharoah, the last horse to win the Triple Crown back in 2015.
Why Justify Will Win the Preakness Stakes
Trainer Baffert has already compared Justify to some amazing horses, claiming Justify, Arrogate and American Pharoah as the three best horses he’s trained. That’s heaping an enormous amount of praise on a colt that ran its first race earlier this year.
But Justify showed his explosiveness at the Derby and cruised to a rather easy victory in a stacked field. According to jockey Mike Smith, Justify possesses incredible acceleration, which will be more evident on the shorter track at Pimlico. And it’s obvious that Baffert and his horse don’t give a darn about history. Justify snapped the curse of Apollo by becoming the first to win the Derby after not racing as a 2-year-old.
Why Justify Won't Win the Preakness Stakes
Seldom do we see horses run as often as Justify has this year. His entry in the Preakness will be his fifth race in the span of roughly three months, and that’s a lot for the ponies. He truly is a special horse, but he isn’t a machine. And as we’ve seen in the past, horses that don’t win the Kentucky Derby are often sidelined for the trip to Baltimore two weeks later, and there’s a reason why.
And there is a reason why we’ve had just one Triple Crown winner in the past 40 years. Granted, that horse was trained by Baffert, who puts Justify in the same class as American Pharoah. But I have to believe that the number of races and the short turnaround could play a role in Justify not winning the Preakness.
The Final Verdict
According to Baffert, Justify is, pardon the pun, a work horse, and the number of races over the last few months shouldn’t be a concern. The colt bolted to the early lead and held off the field at the Derby, and given the shorter track at Pimlico, he likely has a good shot to run away from the field there. He’s undefeated and if Baffert likes the chances of his horse, so do we.
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2018 Preakness Stakes Contenders
