Six Strategies for Betting the Preakness

The horses thunder down the stretch in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. California Chrome (center) will try to add the second jewel of the Triple Crown to his Derby win when he takes on nine challengers on Saturday in the Preakness Stakes. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Jose Contreras was the victor in the America’s Best Racing Brand Ambassador Kentucky Derby betting competition and to keep the ABRV team spirit alive we’re going to continue the Triple Crown betting by breaking down the Preakness Stakes. Below, the Ambassadors have outlined their betting strategies for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. 
Ciara Austin 
If California Chrome wins Saturday’s Preakness he will become 13th horse to win two legs of the Triple Crown since 1978, when Affirmed became the last horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Favored at 3-to-5 and breaking from post position 3, California Chrome will be hard to beat. Social Inclusion and Ring Weekend are the two horses that I think have enough speed to keep up with California Chrome. Both horses have had successful 3-year-old seasons and are coming in after a nice rest since neither has run since April 5. Kid Cruz also is one to watch out for coming off of a stakes win at Pimlico on April 19. At 20-1 odds, I plan to use King Cruz as my wildcard in my strategy to increase my payout.
Selections: California Chrome (3), Social Inclusion (8), Ring Weekend (4), Kid Cruz (7)
Strategy: $1 trifecta - 3,8 with 3,4,7,8 with 3,4,7,8 = $12
$2 exacta - 3 with 4,8 =$8
KID CRUZ

Photo by Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Dan Tordjman 
While my longshot horse in the Derby, Vinceremos, didn’t exactly pan out, we’re picking ourselves up and heading into the Preakness with the same search for value. I’ve identified a few horses who can bring the kind of value that we’ll need to cash a large ticket: #2 General a Rod and #7 Kid Cruz.
While I’m not sure General a Rod is interested in running past 1 1/16 miles, he can battle his way into a placing. Don’t read too much into the 11th-place finish in the Derby. He encountered a ton of trip trouble while being forced to run much farther away from the pace than he probably would’ve preferred.
Kid Cruz is intriguing from a pace standpoint. There figures to be a ton of speed up front with #5 Bayern, #8 Social Inclusion, #9 Pablo Del Monte setting the pace and #2 General a Rod, #3 California Chrome and #4 Ring Weekend following closely behind. We know that Kid Cruz is a dead closer and, barring something unforeseen, I think he’ll be flying late for a spot in the top three. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also the only horse with a start and a win on the Pimlico main track. 
Strategy: $1 trifecta - 3,7 with 2,3,7,8 with 2,3,7,8 ($12)
$1 exacta - 7,8 with 2,3,6,7,8 ($8)
Jose Contreras 
Once again, I think they are all running for second behind California Chrome in the Preakness Stakes. I’m going to focus on a $5 exacta and look for a $20-$30 payout and hope one of the longshots takes second. So, hopefully we’ll get about $100 back on our investment.
CALIFORNIA CHROME

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
It looks like it’s going to be a fast pace duel between Bayern and Social Inclusion, so I will throw them out. General a Rod and Ride On Curlin were defeated by California Chrome in the Derby, so will also throw them out. The lone filly Ria Antonia looks to be overmatched. That leaves me with Dynamic Impact, Ring Weekend, Kid Cruz, and Pablo Del Monte.
Strategy: California Chrome (3) with/ Dynamic Impact (1), Ring Weekend (4), Kid Cruz (7), Pablo Del Monte (9)
$5 exacta: 3 with 1,4,7,9 = $20
Mike Johnson 
I’m looking forward to the return of a rested Ring Weekend and a rejuvenated Dynamic Impact. Both could make some noise in this race. Dynamic Impact has the speed to be on the pace and hang around to the finish line. Ring Weekend has some power that leaves him as a force to be reckoned with and potentially upset the favorite. The extended break both have received should serve them well, as I thought they both had impressive spring campaigns.
DYNAMIC IMPACT

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
It comforts me that Kid Cruz has thrived in the Baltimore area, having captured the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park in March and the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico in April. Oh yeah, that California Chrome horse appears to be decent, so I figure I’ll throw him a bone and get him in on the action.
Strategy: $1 trifecta - 3,4 with 1,3,4,7 with 1,3,4,7= $12
$6 place – Ring Weekend (4)
$2 Win – Ring Weekend (4)
Victoria Garofalo  
Best feel-good story of the year is no doubt California Chrome — he is a just use in ALL exotics, and he may just be going to Belmont in Pursuit of Triple Crown, June 9 — at odds on ... there is money to be made beating him.
Social Inclusion — perhaps most raw talent in the field, won his first two races by daylight (7 ½ and 10 lengths, including a Gulfstream Park track record at 1 1/16 mile, beating highly regarded Honor Code). He could take this field all the way at a square price.
SOCIAL INCLUSION

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Ride On Curlin — my personal favorite Triple Crown horse — gets a big jockey switch from Calvin Borel, who strangled the horse back to his familiar rail position only to make late run form 19th to seventh. He “dances every dance” and makes a good trifecta or superfecta here.
Kid Cruz is the sole local winner (2-for-2 in Maryland) and has an off-the-pace running style. I see him rallying late at big odds.
Selections: California Chrome, Social Inclusion, Ride On Curlin and Kid Cruz.
Strategy: $1 exacta box - 3,7,8,10 = $12
$1 trifecta - 3,8 with 3,8,10 with 3,7,8 10 = $8 
Vince Mathews 
California Chrome looks best on paper, for obvious reasons.  The two horses I will use with him are Kid Cruz and Ring Weekend. 
RING WEEKEND

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
I’ve liked Kid Cruz since his win in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park in Maryland on March 8, where the time for his final three-eighths of a mile that day stood out to me. He later tried to make both the Wood Memorial Stakes and Arkansas Derby, but had a bit of a rough spring. I look forward to seeing him show his stuff against the big boys on Saturday. I am also a fan of Ring Weekend - he broke his maiden from the post-position 10 in a two-turn race at Gulfstream Park, which is a very tough thing to do for any horse. After that, he won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby before losing the Calder Derby, a race in which he was taken a bit out of his game after breaking poorly. I give him a chance to rebound in the Preakness.
Strategy: $2 exacta box - California Chrome (3), Ring Weekend (4), Kid Cruz (7) = $12
$2 exacta key California Chrome (3) over Ring Weekend (4) and Kid Cruz (7) = $4
$4 to win on Kid Cruz (7) = $4
Click here to access America’s Best Racing’s betting calculator to calculate your own Preakness bets.
$1.5-million Preakness Stakes
Saturday, Pimlico, Race 12, Post Time 6:20 p.m. ET
1 3/16 miles, dirt, 3-year-olds
Television: NBC coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET

Post

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Odds

1

Dynamic Impact

Miguel Mena

Mark Casse

12-1

2

General a Rod

Javier Castellano

Mike Maker

15-1

3

California Chrome

Victor Espinoza

Art Sherman

3-5

4

Ring Weekend

Alan Garcia

Graham Motion

20-1

5

Bayern

Rosie Napravnik

Bob Baffert

10-1

6

Ria Antonia

Calvin Borel

Tom Amoss

30-1

7

Kid Cruz

Julian Pimentel

Linda Rice

20-1

8

Social Inclusion

Luis Contreras

Manny Azpurua

5-1

9

Pablo Del Monte

Jeffrey Sanchez

Wesley Ward

20-1

10

Ride On Curlin

Joel Rosario

William Gowan

10-1