Preakness Stakes Betting

Preakness Events
While most focus on the big event, The Preakness Stakes itself, Pimlico Field hosts a series of events on Friday and Saturday making it a big weekend for horse racing. In order to make it worthwhile for owners to bring their horses to the race, they have adjusted the days of the races as well as some of the purse amounts this year. With a faltering economy, all tracks are trying to find the best way to lure owners to their race. And the Preakness stakes betting to the sports books.

There are five graded races, all of which found a bump in their purses this year. Of the truly notables there are the Black-Eyed Susan which bumped to a $250,000 purse this year and will run on May 14th. The race is 1 1/8 mile long and is for fillies at the three-year-old mark. Last year when Rachel Alexandra took the main event, it left this field wide open. This is a grade II race, making her win in a grade I race even more spectacular. Dixie Stakes also increased to $250,000 and runs for horses 3 and older for 1 1/8 mile. This is a grade II race. Keep in mind these purses include the track amount while the purses posted reflect the owner’s winnings.

With some post times yet to be determined, here are the races that have found their homes. Friday, May 14th is known as Black-Eyed Susan Day, so most things lead into the main event posting at 6pm for a $175,000 purse. Other races to watch include the Jockey Challenge at 3:15pm. For a quick and dirty race, consider the Jim McKay Turf Spring, posting at 3:45pm for 5 furlongs. And of course the ladies challenge: Ms. Preakness Pink Warrior Stakes for 3 YO fillies at 6 furlongs and $70,000 posting at 5:20pm. The last race of the day will be the Hilltop Stakes, formerly run on Preakness Day. This is also a fillies race, but for 1 1/16 miles at $70,000 posting at 6:30pm.

Saturday, May 15th marks Preakness Day with the main event posting at 6:12pm for 1 million dollars. The Dixie Stakes lead into the main event at 5:12pm for 1 1/8 miles and $200,000. The Maryland Sprint Handicap, grade III runs a fast 6 furlong at 4:27pm, $100,000. The other graded races are William Donald Schaefer Stakes (1:37pm), Chick Lang Stakes (2:57pm), and Gallorette Handicap (3:42pm).

While everyone watches for the elusive Triple Crown, the rest of these races can be even more exciting than the main event. The horses that will later compete might appear as well as some of the up and coming jockeys. These are the races that drive them onto the main event later on. No one thought Calvin Borel would be doing this at his age, but when you look back on his history he has been seen on these tracks his whole career. There is no place better to place your Preakness Stakes betting than www.sportsbook.com where everybody bet.