Saturday’s 2023 Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course features only one horse who ran in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, the winner, Mage. With the turnaround so tight in between races, trainers opted to skip the second leg of the Triple Crown in favor of the Belmont Stakes in three weeks or other notable races for three year-olds this summer. Mage, the 8-5 favorite in the 2023 Preakness Stakes odds, will face seven other 2023 Preakness Stakes horses on Saturday, including the winner of the Lexington Stakes in April, First Mission (5-2). Trained by Brad Cox, First Mission will make his fourth career start in the Preakness Stakes 2023. He has finished no lower than second in his short career and has two Beyer Speed Figures of 96 or above.
Post time is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. ET at Pimlico Race Course. With so much to consider while making your 2023 Preakness Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
Mage will try to become the 12th horse since 1998 to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown with a win at Pimlico. The last horse to win both races was Justify in 2018, who went on to capture the Triple Crown with a win three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes. The last horse to run in a Kentucky Derby in May and win the Preakness was War of Will in 2019. Jockey Javier Castellano will try for his third Preakness victory having ridden Cloud Computing in 2017 and Bernardini in 2006.
Given all the history, there’s a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Preakness Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2023 Preakness Stakes picks possible.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has called the Preakness winner nine times in the last 18 years, and nailed his 2022 Preakness exacta. Demling also enters the 2023 Preakness Stakes having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last five years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic last November.
Additionally, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 tries. Anyone who has followed him on these races is way up. Now, he’s sharing all of his 2023 Preakness Stakes bets here.
Top 2023 Preakness Stakes expert picks
Here’s a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine’s Jody Demling:
Preakness Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $25.80 at the 2022 Preakness Stakes with Early Voting and Epicenter.
Preakness Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $66.50 at the 2022 Preakness Stakes with Early Voting, Epicenter and Creative Minister.
Preakness Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned $162.90 at the 2022 Preakness Stakes with Early Voting, Epicenter, Creative Minister and Secret Oath.
While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Mage, he plans to hold tickets with First Mission (5-2) and is using a middle-of-the-pack longshot who could really spice up the payouts. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2023 Preakness Stakes bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Preakness Stakes 2023. He’s sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling’s picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2023 Preakness Stakes.
