2012 Preakness Stakes Vegas Odds and Free Picks – Favorites, Dark Horses and Sleepers to Win the 137th Preakness

2012 Preakness Stakes Vegas Odds, Expert Picks and Predictions – Favorites and Sleepers to Win the 137th Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD: After an exciting finish to the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another will try to keep his Triple Crown dreams alive by winning the Preakness Stakes this weekend. Meanwhile, the rest of the field will try to make sure that Affirmed continues to hold the honor as the last horse to pull off the rare feat. It’s hard to believe that it has been more than 30 years since a horse won the Triple Crown, but is a testament to just how tough the task facing I’ll Have Another really is. He and the rest of the contenders will get their shot Saturday at Pimlico.

The Favorites – 2012 Preakness Stakes Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

Had the Kentucky Derby been just a little bit shorter, Bodemeister would be the horse pursuing a potential Triple Crown. The good news for Bob Baffert’s horse is that the Preakness is shorter by a furlong, which could eliminate the late fade that cost him in the Run for the Roses. After Bodemeister set a record-setting pace at Churchill Downs up until the final stretch, it’s hard not love the horse’s chances at getting the job done in a shorter event. The Preakness should play to the strengths of the sprinter’s blazing speed.

After winning the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another deserves to get the benefit of the doubt. The horse didn’t have the resume of the other top contenders, but when it mattered most, he was the strongest over the long haul on the big stage. Granted, the fast, dry track expected this weekend, along with the shorter distance, in the Preakness isn’t ideal for a horse built for stamina. However, I’ll Have Another surprised the supposedly better horses once. Why can’t he do it again?

The Dark Horses – 2012 Preakness Stakes Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

The distance of the Kentucky Derby proved too much for Creative Cause, but the horse should be able to get back on track at Pimlico. The shorter length of the race is more conducive to the events the horse is used to running, and prior to the Kentucky Derby, Creative Cause had finished third or better in all eight career starts, including four wins. Facing a race setup that he is more comfortable with, Creative Cause should be much more of as factor at the front than he was at Churchill Downs.

He surprised a lot of people with a fourth-place showing at the Kentucky Derby, and Went The Day Well is back for more this weekend at Pimlico. Yes, two of the three horses that finished ahead of him at Churchill Downs are in the field this weekend, but his strong surge to climb up the running order in the final furlong in the Kentucky Derby was impressive. If Went The Day Well can avoid the poor break from the gate that put him behind two weeks ago, a similar late-race surge could put him in the mix for a win.

The Sleepers – 2012 Preakness Stakes Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

He wasn’t in the field for the Kentucky Derby, but Zetterholm could make a splash when he joins the action at Pimlico. He is riding a three-race win streak entering the Preakness Stakes, and he has had about a month off to prepare for and rest up for this weekend’s Triple Crown event. It is a bit of an unknown as to whether or not Zetterholm will be overwhelmed by the tougher competition or the distance of the Preakness Stakes, but given the fact that he appears to be peaking entering Saturday’s race, he is an intriguing wild card that has been added to the mix.

For now, it appears Isn’t He Clever and Hansen aren’t going to be in the field for Saturday’s big race at Pimlico. However, both horses are worth keeping an eye on in case they do end up entering the mix. A rough break ruined Hansen’s Kentucky Derby before it really began, but the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champ could fare much better on a smaller track against a smaller field. Meanwhile, Isn’t He Clever was sired by Smarty Jones, a horse that won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2004, before finishing second in the Belmont. With that bloodline, Isn’t He Clever could make some noise if he does end up entering the race.

Updated Odds to Win the 2012 Preakness Stakes
201 Tiger Walk +3550
202 Teeth of the Dog +1550
203 Pretension +3550
204 Zetterholm +2450
205 Went The Day Well +505
206 Creative Cause +715
207 Bodemeister +165
208 Daddy Nose Best +1415
209 Ill Have Another +215
210 Optimizer +3550
211 Cozzetti +3850

Check updated 2012 Preakness Stakes Odds and updated 2012 Preakness Stakes Predictions from the National Sports Advisors!