2011 Preakness Stakes betting is about to kick up a notch as the big race is on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, and after an exciting Kentucky Derby, horse racing fans should get ready for another thriller. Here is a look at the favorites for Saturday’s “Run For The Black-Eyed Susans”.Animal Kingdom (+270): This horse came out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby with a fantastic closing kick as he caught up to the front three horses at the final turn and blew by everyone. History could be on his side as four horses have won the first two jewels in the Triple Crown since 2002: War Emblem, Funny Cide, Smarty Jones and Big Brown. Animal Kingdom won’t be able to sneak up on horse betting players after his performance at Churchill Downs, and he’ll get a lot of action this week.
Dialed In (+400): Dialed In was one of the Kentucky Derby favorites, but he got off to a poor start before bouncing back for an eighth-place finsh. Everyone knows Dialed In can close; see his phenomenal run to a win in the Florida Derby as proof. But jockey Julien Leparoux and trainer Nick Zito have to do a better job of getting something out of Dialed In early in the race, because his top-end speed is very comparable to the rest of the field. Zito won the Preakness with Louis Quatorze in 1996.
Mucho Macho Man (+425): You may not find a more consistent horse than Mucho Macho Man, who hasn’t finished lower than fourth in nine races, and he was one of the three horses who were battling for the lead at Churchill Downs before Animal Kingdom stole the show. Mucho Macho Man is just a very balanced horse, and even though he lost a little time in the final turn, he stormed back on the stretch, and that’s something your price per head bookie loves to see.
Nehro (+500): Nehro was right there with Mucho Macho Man and Shackleford going into the final turn at Churchill Downs, and he finished second for the third straight race, and it’s not like he’s running in subpar fields: the Louisiana Derby is a Grade-2 race, while the Arkansas Derby is a Grade-1 race along with the Kentucky Derby. With a few breaks, Nehro could have three consecutive wins, and he has a great stable. Jockey Corey Nakatani is very experienced, while trainer Steve Asmussen has won the Preakness on two occasions, with Curlin’ in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009, so he knows how to get his horses ready for Pimlico, Nehro could be the best pick in this list for sports betting players.
