2023 Preakness Power Rankings, Odds: Ranking Each of the Horses in Saturday's Race
2023 Preakness Power Rankings, Odds: Ranking Each of the Horses in Saturday's Race
This year's Preakness Stakes features Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, and six new shooters to challenge him at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore for the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. However, the field has sparked a great deal of discussion within the industry since not one other horse from the Kentucky Derby chose to enter. Additionally, word broke on Thursday night that morning line second choice, First Mission, was a vet scratch due to a leg hind leg issue. All of that being said, the race still has some intriguing dynamics and could be an opportunity for a lesser-known horse to make a big splash on the national stage. Below I rank each horse in terms of the likelihood of winning the 148th Preakness Stakes.
2023 Preakness Power Rankings and Odds
7. Chase the Chaos (50/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
The Pennsylvania-bred was an automatic qualifier for the Preakness by winning the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields back in February. However, that track surface is synthetic and the horse has shown that is his preferred surface. The transition to the dirt at Pimlico will be a challenge. Additionally, in Chase the Chaos's two subsequent races since capturing the El Camino Real Derby he has been a complete non-factor and was thoroughly outclassed in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes. It would indeed be chaos if he were to win the Preakness.
6. Coffeewithchris (20/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
A horse with local connections is a feel-good story coming out of the barn of trainer John Salzman Jr. While it's an uphill battle to make a case for Coffeewithchris, he does at least possess early tactical speed and should sit near the front early in the race. Pimlico's surface has traditionally held up speed well so he will be in a good position throughout most of the race. However, he's clearly below the top-tiered contenders and a slice of the board is probably the best he can expect.
5. Red Route One (10/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
Everyone loves watching Red Route One run because he makes one furious charge from the back of the pack right at the end of the race, producing loads of drama. The Steve Asmussen colt who is sired by Gun Runner is a worthy contender, but the race and track are set up against him. There is unlikely to be much pace in the race which is going to hinder Red Route One's deep closing kick. Additionally, he has not shown a consistent ability to close all the way to the finish. While he won last time out, it was against much lesser competition. The horses he will be chasing on Saturday are in another league.
4. Blazing Sevens (6/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
Trainer Chad Brown has a signature move of skipping the Kentucky Derby and sending one of his horses to the Preakness. It has paid huge dividends as he won the Preakness in 2017 with Cloud Computing and again last year with Early Voting. This year he brings Blazing Sevens to Pimlico after skipping the Derby. Blazing Sevens, similar to Red Route One, will come running from the back of the back. The horse has ability as evidenced by his Grade I victory in the Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old. He recently finished third in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes and seems to be sitting on a big effort. I like his chances to hit the board and run well, but he will face the same issue Red Route One does with the lack of pace in front of him.
3. Perform (15/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
Most people probably would have Perform ranked earlier on their list, but I like this long shot and believe he has a legitimate chance at victory. He took six races to break his maiden, but he was running against a veritable who's who of the best horses in the three-year-old crop. Once he finally won his first race he backed it up with a thrilling victory in the Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park after stumbling at the start. He traditionally sits mid-pack and launches a bid late, which should set up well for this race as he will be within three to four lengths of the lead. Finally, his trainer Shug McGaughey and the ownership group supplemented his entry in the race to the tune of $150,000. You do not PAY that much money to enter a race if you do not think you have a legitimate chance to win.
2. National Treasure (4/1 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
The Bob Baffert-trained colt is loaded with potential and is, in my opinion, the biggest obstacle to Mage winning the second leg of the Triple Crown. He will be breaking from the inside post and has added blinkers. That equipment change and gate position should lead to him being placed forwardly. There is not much speed in the race and there is a good chance National Treasure is able to sit up front, unbothered, and set his own fractions for the majority of the race. His pedigree suggests he will relish the added distance and if Pimlico is favoring front-end speed, he has good a great chance of wiring the field and giving Bob Baffert his record eight Preakness Stakes victory.
1. Mage (8/5 ML Odds) Bet on this horse right now at FanDuel
The Kentucky Derby winner is the rightful favorite and most likely winner in the field. The relatively small field size gives him a huge advantage since he should sit mid-pack in order to keep National Treasure in his sights. Even if he gets off to his now customary slow start he should still have the natural speed to get a good position going into the first turn. He obviously showed incredible talent in the Kentucky Derby, but that was only his fourth career race. Mage might not have even run his best race yet and there might be more untapped potential for Gustavo Delgado's runner. With limited race traffic, Mage should wait until the top of the stretch and launch a bid to track down National Treasure late. If he's successful, we get three more weeks to talk about whether he could win the Triple Crown.