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Horses that Can Win the Preakness Stakes in 2025

by Spencer Toth - 5/13/2025

Horses that can win the Preakness Stakes Sandman

The 2025 Preakness Stakes is the second race in the Triple Crown, which takes place just two weeks after the famous Kentucky Derby. This race will not receive as much attention as the Kentucky Derby, but there is no shortage of betting opportunities on Saturday night. Nine horses will run in the 2025 Preakness Stakes, and a few contenders stick out as potential winners. One noticeable absence is 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, which means there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Here are the strongest contenders to win the 2025 Preakness Stakes, with one longshot that may be able to pull off a massive upset. 

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Journalism (8-5, +160) Post Position 2

Journalism finished second in the 2025 Kentucky Derby and is the overwhelming favorite to claim the 2025 Preakness Stakes. The three-year-old finished 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner Sovereignty, and still received a pretty penny for their effort. Placing at the Kentucky Derby is no easy task, and it is hard to argue with Journalism’s place on top of the morning odds list. He was the outright favorite for the Kentucky Derby, and will certainly close as the outright favorite at the Preakness Stakes too. 

Journalism had his four-race win streak snapped at the Kentucky Derby, and there is no doubt trainer Michael McCarthy will want to get back to winning ways in this race. Journalism faded down the stretch at the Derby, but a slightly shorter race at the Preakness Stakes should be able to allow his fast start to translate to victory. Even though I will not dispute that Journalism deserves to be the favorite, 8-5 odds are simply too short. This implies Journalism comes out on top nearly 40% of the time. That is too much to ask after he faltered at the Kentucky Derby, and these odds are slightly inflated, as they were at the Kentucky Derby. 

Pick: Pass

Sandman (4-1, +400) Post Position 7

Sandman fell short of expectations at the Kentucky Derby, finishing seventh. The training staff will feel confident they can bounce back here, and Sandman is worthy of his short odds to prevail. Sandman is a resilient horse who can race under any conditions, and it was surprising to see him fall down the leaderboard given the sloppy conditions two weeks ago. It is looking like Baltimore will have a heavy dosage of rain leading up to the Preakness Stakes, so a stab at Sandman is certainly something we have to consider. 

Sandman thrives in sloppy conditions, and a Preakness Stakes victory would more than make up for their Kentucky Derby downfall. Sandman is trained by the experienced Mark E. Casee, who would love nothing more than to finish off his career with a major race victory. The short field combined with a generous price on Sandman makes him a horse that certainly has the potential to win the Kentucky Derby. The wetter the better for Sandman, and it certainly looks as though the race conditions are shaping up nicely for a strong showing from this horse. 

Pick: Sandman to Win (4-1)

Clever Again (5-1, +500) Post Position 8

Clever Again did not participate in the Kentucky Derby and has been preparing for this race all year long. Clever Again is a perfect 2-0 in races in 2025, and can find success due to their fast start out of the gates. The Kentucky Derby was too long for a horse with this skill set, but the 1 3/16 mile long race this weekend is the perfect length for Clever Again. Clever Again prefers dry conditions to ensure they effectively use their fast start out of the gates, but even in sloppy conditions, they have found recent success. 

Clever Again is trained by Steve Asmussen, who already has two Preakness Stakes victories on his resume. Asmussen thrives in training horses that prefer shorter distances, and Clever Again is a serious contender to win the Preakness Stakes. The son of American Pharoah has no shortage of genetics, and it appears as though the stars could be aligning for a Clever Again victory. The quick start Clever Again is used to mean he either finishes first, or falls off the podium, so do not hesitate to get aggressive with ‘to win’ wagers rather than getting creative. 

Pick: Clever Again to Win (5-1)

Longshot:
Gosger (20-1, +2000) Post Position 9

Gosger has the longest odds to win the Preakness Stakes, but given the short 9-horse field, he still has a real chance to win. Gosger won both of his races in 2025, including a victory at Lexington (G3) last month. His straight line speed will always give him a chance to win this race, and the long odds make him a horse that cannot be ignored. He posted a 103 speed rating in December 2024 and has all the attributes needed to pull off the upset. The lack of high-level race experience has seen some people overlook Gosger at the 2025 Preakness Stakes, but that is a foolish thing to do. He is the textbook definition of a live underdog, and is certainly worth a sprinkle at odds like these. 

Pick: Gosger to Win, Place, and Show, Less than One Unit

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