Preakness Odds

Preakness Stakes betting players witnessed a wild run at the Kentucky Derby, where longshot Animal Kingdom stunned the horse racing world with a huge run on the outside to overcome the horses who had been leading for most of the race. One of the horses who faded at the end will look to bounce back in the second jewel of the Triple Crown at Pimlico.

Shackleford led a huge portion of the Kentucky Derby and set a good pace in the middle of the track, before he broke away with Mucho Macho Man and Nehro. But that trio seemed to be so preoccupied with each other that no one noticed Animal Kingdom coming on the outside, and that won't happen again. Pimlico is a faster track than Churchill Downs, and it's a little shorter than its Kentucky cousin, and this should favor Shackleford, who has been pretty steady this year. He won his allowance race, and his first with jockey Jesus Castanon, and he's put on some great performances in big stakes races such as the Fountain of Youth (a Grade 2 race in which he finishing fifth) and the Florida Derby (a Grade 1 race in which he finished second to Kentucky Derby favorite Dialed In).

The only question remaining for Shackleford is his closing speed, as Dialed In come back to beat him at the Florida Derby, and he came in fourth at Churchill Downs, but if Castanon and trainer Dale L. Romans can find just a little more speed in Shackleford, they'll run away with a win in your best online sportsbook.

Kentucky Derby betting players are gearing up for the biggest race in American thoroughbred horse racing and the first jewel in the Triple Crown next Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, which means they could be getting ready for their final year of racing. A disturbing trend has emerged in the last few years as horses are now being retired after their third year of racing, which is upsetting some Northbet fans, and if the fans (and bettors) leave, horse racing as we know it will be over.

The third year is the most important for a horse as they'll be eligible to win the Triple Crown, which consists of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. But now a lot of owners are retiring their horses after the third year, especially if they don't get any major wins, in order to sell them to breeders, who are looking for the next great racehorse. This isn't good for the sport as fans and bettors alike will lose interest if they have to keep switching which horses they like every three years or so. A major part of being a sports fan is being able to follow a team throughout the years, and while we don't expect horses to run for 10 years, a couple more years of work wouldn't hurt them.

Another reason this isn't a good thing is that owners are only seeing the money they'll receive from selling a horse to a breeder. They're not considering the money they could be getting from racing the horse in more stakes races, and maybe the horse will mature more after their third year and turn into a dominant horse. All in all, it's not looking for horse racing fans, as well as those who are betting online.

Online betting for Kentucky Derby odds is still three weeks away, but it's never too late to start considering the favorites for the "Run For The Roses" at Churchill Downs. Uncle Mo has long been the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but a disappointing performance at the Wood Memorial has opened the door for The Factor, who has a chance on Saturday to show he should be the favorite in your racebook.

The Factor is the odds-on favorite at Oaklawn Park in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, and that shouldn't be a big surprise after he lit up the field in the Rebel Stakes, also at Oaklawn Park. The Factor raced out to the early lead and then cruised the rest of the way, via the guidance of jockey Martin Garcia, for his best win yet. Trainer Bob Baffert should be feeling very confident as The Factor will be facing horses he has beaten this year, such as Caleb's Posse, Archarcharch and Sway Away, and there's no reason to believe that they'll be able to take down The Factor this time.

Uncle Mo is holding onto his status as the favorite by a thread, as he is rated at +300, while The Factor and Dialed In are listed at +500, but Uncle Mo and Dialed In won't run again until the Kentucky Derby, leaving the door open for The Factor. If he absolutely blows away the field at Oaklawn Park this weekend, don't be surprised to see him rise to the top at your favorite betting website.