• Horse Racing

2025 Preakness Stakes Odds & Predictions

The 2025 Preakness Stakes odds have one glaring hole: the Kentucky Derby winner is missing. After beating the field by one and a half lengths, Sovereignty’s owners elected not to go for the Triple Crown.

With Sovereignty out of the race, the door is open for a new winner at Pimlico. My Preakness betting guide will break down everything you need to know about this weekend’s event, including the latest odds from top horse racing betting sites.

Who’s Headed to Pimlico?

See the table below for the draw positions of every horse for the 2025 Preakness Stakes.

Position	Horse
1	Goal Oriented
2	Journalism
3	American Promise
4	Heart of Honor
5	Pay Billy
6	River Thames
7	Sandman
8	Clever Again
9	Gosger

The 2025 Preakness position draw could not have gone better for Goal Oriented and Journalism, who drew first and second position, respectively. An inside position is especially good news for Journalism, who came in second at the Derby.

American Promise and Heart of Honor also drew good starting positions. The rest of the field must fight for an inside position after the gates open. Gosger has the toughest fight after drawing ninth, the furthest outside position.

Kentucky Derby Winner Pulls Out

Journalism was the favorite ahead of the Kentucky Derby and had a late lead in the Race for the Roses. However, an end-of-the-race surge from Sovereignty propelled him to a thrilling win.

Unfortunately, fans will not get to see another matchup between Journalism and Sovereignty this weekend. It was announced earlier this month that Bill Mott, Sovereignty’s trainer, informed officials that he will not be competing in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Not having Sovereignty at the 150th Preakness Stakes is disappointing, but it could set up a thrilling matchup in the final Triple Crown race. According to Mott, the plan is for Sovereignty to race at Belmont later this summer.

Early Preakness Favorites

With Sovereignty out of the race, there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. However, the Derby winner’s absence also creates an excellent opportunity for another horse to make history at the 150th Preakness Stakes.

Journalism

All eyes will be on Journalism this weekend at Pimlico. He was the favorite at the Derby and would have won if not for a late surge from Sovereignty.

Journalism finished second, one and a half lengths out of first place. After drawing the second position for the second jewel, Journalism will be in a great position to win on Saturday.

He has dominated most races this season, and some of Journalism’s biggest wins include:

• 2025 Santa Anita Derby (G1)
• 2025 San Felipe (G2)
• 2024 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2)

A win this weekend would allow Journalism to follow in Curlin’s, his sire, footsteps. Curlin lost at the Derby in 2007 but won the Preakness. He was the runner-up at Belmont, finishing in the top three of every Triple Crown race.

River Thames

River Thames, racing out of the sixth gate, is a popular pick to upset Journalism this weekend. He skipped the Derby and has not raced since finishing third at the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes (G1).

Before taking third in Kentucky, River Thames ran a trio of races at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. He won two, including a maiden special weight race, but finished second to Sovereignty at the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).

Like Journalism, River Thames has a score to settle with Sovereignty. With a win this weekend, River Thames could set up an exciting showdown with the Derby winner at Belmont.

Goal Oriented

Goal Oriented immediately improved his odds to win the 2025 Preakness Stakes by drawing the first gate position. He will have the shortest starting track of any of the nine horses in the event.

A great starting position will provide Goal Oriented with a significant advantage if he can avoid the early squeeze. Another feather in his cap is controversial trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert has trained eight previous Preakness winners.

Goal Oriented’s jockey is also experienced, but Flavien Prat built his reputation in Europe and Canada. He does have two Triple Crown racing wins, including winning this event in 2021. Prat has also guided two of the last three Breeders’ Cup winners to victory.

Sandman

Sandman’s seventh-place finish at the Kentucky Derby was his worst showing in over a year. Prior to the Derby, he had not finished worse than third in five straight races. His best win so far came at the 2025 Arkansas Derby (G1).

The muddy conditions at Churchill Downs made it challenging for Sandman to gain separation from the pack. With that in mind, drawing the seventh gate could be a blessing for Sandman.

A better racing surface should make it easier for Sandmand to get out of the gate fast. If he can follow the example set by Journalism and Sovereignty, namely, timing his push to the front correctly, then Sandman should be one of the top finishers on Saturday.

Clever Again

After not competing in the first gem, Clever Again will make his Triple Crown series debut at Preakness. He has one of the best pedigrees of any three-year-old colt competing this weekend.

Clever Again was sired by American Pharoah, who won the Triple Crown in 2015. His mare, Flattering, was sired by Galileo, who was one of the best sires in Europe.

Despite his pedigree, Clever Again’s appearances have been few and far between. He has only raced twice in the last year. Clever Again broke his maiden in February and then took home first place at the 2025 Hot Springs LS.

2025 Preakness Stakes Odds and Picks

Check out the table below for the latest 2025 Preakness Stakes odds, courtesy of BetOnline.

Horse	Position	2025 Preakness Stakes Odds
Journalism	2	-110
River Thames	6	+600
Goal Oriented	1	+700
Sandman	7	+700
Clever Again	8	+700
American Promise	3	+1600
Heart of Honor	4	+2200
Gosger	9	+2500
Pay Billy	5	+5000

Secure sports betting sites list Journalism as the -110 favorite to win the 150th Preakness Stakes. River Thames is a distant second at +600. Goal Oriented, Sandman, and Clever Again are tied for the third-best odds at 7-1 each.

2025 Preakness Win Place Show Bet

Win, place, show wagers are one of the most popular ways to wager on horse races. For these wagers, you must predict the first, second, and third-place finishers of a given race.

Your “win’ pick must finish first, while place and show only need to finish in the top two or three, respectively. You do not need to make all three wagers, but many bettors make a Win, Place, and Show bet on the same ticket.

My top Win-Place-Show combination for the 150th Preakness Stakes is: Journalism – River Thames – Clever Again.

I believe Journalism will come through with a win after a disappointing second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. River Thames and Clever Again, on the other hand, both have the pedigree to run well on Saturday. The more proven horse is River Thames, so I would put him in the place spot over Clever Again.

150th Preakness Stakes Prop Bets

Prop wagers are also a popular option among horse racing fans. Thankfully, BetOnline makes it easy to wager on a variety of props for Saturday’s second gem of the Triple Crown.

Some of my favorite props for the 2025 Preakness are:

• Winning gate number over/under 4.5
• Clever Again (-165) vs. Goal Oriented (+125)
• Winning length over/under 1.5 lengths

As mentioned above, a horse with a low gate number can gain a massive advantage with a fast start. The betting favorite, Journalism, also drew gate number two. With that in mind, I like the winning horse to come out of a gate number under 4.5 (-200).

Head-to-head props are also popular, especially for major events like the Preakness. My favorite head-to-head is for Clever Again to beat Goal Oriented. Despite having the same odds to win, Clever Again is the -165 favorite in the head-to-head matchup with Goal Oriented.

Last but not least, you can also wager on the winning distance in the 2025 Preakness. The over/under is set 1.5 lengths, with both options listed at -120. I am anticipating a close race and recommend taking the under in this prop wager.

Final Turn: More Triple Crown Coverage Ahead

The second gem of the Triple Crown is on the line at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 17th, at the 150th Preakness Stakes. See the guide above for the latest 2025 Preakness Stakes odds and a closer look at this year’s top competitors.

After reading my predictions, sign up at BetOnline to wager on your Triple Crown predictions.

Also, stay tuned for a look at the upcoming final race of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. You can stay up-to-date on the latest news with our horse racing betting page.