Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: John Velasquez aboard Medina Spirit
Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit has been tabbed as the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 146th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Oddsmakers made Medina Spirit, trained by Bob Baffert, the favorite at 9-5 odds in a race that will feature 10 horses going 1 3/8 miles at Pimlico. The Hall of Fame trainer also has the second betting choice in Concert Tour, who opened at 5-2 odds following Tuesday’s post-position draw.
There was heavy speculation as to whether or not Medina Spirit and Concert Tour would be allowed to run in the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown after the Derby champion failed a drug test after last Saturday’s annual “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
However, Baffert and his legal representation came to an agreement with the Maryland Racing Commission — the governing body of thoroughbred racing in the state that oversees the Preakness — that both horses would undergo blood testing, monitoring and medical review leading up to the race.
Beautiful Gift, another Baffert-trained horse entered in Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, will also be under the same strict watch and testing guidelines. Racing officials expect test results to come back Friday for three Baffert-trained horses.
Barring any setbacks, Baffert will have two big chances at winning a record eighth Preakness in his Hall of Fame career. Concert Tour would have likely gone off as one of the top three betting choices in the Kentucky Derby had he entered, but Baffert and the horse’s connections opted to skip the race and point it toward the Preakness after he finished a third in the Arkansas Derby.
Outside of last year when the Triple Crown races were run out of standard order, Baffert has never lost a Preakness when he’s brought a Derby winner to the race. He also trained 2015 Triple Crown winners American Pharaoh and Justify (2018), which are the highlights of his decorated career.
The Action Network will be providing in-depth coverage, with analysis, odds and picks leading up to the running of the Preakness. The Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, is scheduled for June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Let’s take a look at field, connections and current odds for the Preakness:
2021 Preakness Odds
| POST POSITION | HORSE | ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ram | 30-1 |
| 2 | Keepmeinmind | 15-1 |
| 3 | Medina Spirit | 9-5 |
| 4 | Crowded Trade | 10-1 |
| 5 | Midnight Bourbon | 5-1 |
| 6 | Rombauer | 12-1 |
| 7 | France Go De Ina | 20-1 |
| 8 | Unbridled Honor | 15-1 |
| 9 | Risk Taking | 15-1 |
| 10 | Concert Tour | 5-2 |