For the first time since 2021, Bob Baffert will have a horse in a Triple Crown race with National Treasure at the 2023 Preakness Stakes. The controversial trainer has dealt with suspensions over the last two years, but also has won the the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans a record seven times. National Treasure is one of the favorites at 4-1 in the latest 2023 Preakness Stakes odds. The 148th running of the Preakness takes place on Saturday from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Kentucky Derby winner Mage is the 8-5 favorite, and other 2023 Preakness Stakes horses include Blazing Sevens (6-1) and Red Route One (10-1). First Mission, trained by Brad Cox, was scratched on Friday.
The 2023 Preakness Stakes post time is 7:01 p.m. ET on Saturday. Before making any Preakness Stakes 2023 predictions, you’ll want to see elite horse racing handicapper Jody Demling’s 2023 Preakness Stakes picks and analysis.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has called the Preakness winner nine times in the last 18 years, and nailed his 2022 Preakness exacta. Demling also enters the 2023 Preakness Stakes having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last five years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest! He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic last November.
Additionally, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 tries. Anyone who has followed him on these races is way up.
Now, with the 2023 Preakness Stakes approaching, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Click here to see them.
2023 Preakness Stakes predictions for Mage, Blazing Sevens
One surprise: Demling is high on Blazing Sevens, even though he’s a longshot at 6-1. Only two 2023 Preakness horses have Grade 1 Stakes wins on their resumes: Mage and Blazing Sevens. The latter won the Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old, and of his four career starts in Grade 1 races, Blazing Sevens has never finished worse than fourth place.
The horse could have run in the Kentucky Derby since he qualified, but trainer Chad Brown elected to bypass that race for the Preakness 2023. That’s a strategy that Brown has used with success in the past. He went that route with Early Voting (2022) and Cloud Computing (2017) and both horses ended up winning the Preakness. Add in that jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has two Triple Crown race wins under his belt, and you can see why Demling is higher on Blazing Sevens than most. See who else to back here.
Demling has also locked in his 2023 Kentucky Derby picks for Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner and 2023 Preakness Stakes favorite. Over the horse’s four starts, he’s won twice, and of the two he didn’t win, Kentucky Derby favorite Forte was victorious. Forte won’t be around for the Preakness, and Mage is ridden by a two-time winner of the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, jockey Javier Castellano.
Mage will depart from the No. 3 post at the Preakness 2023, which isn’t the best draw since its 10.62% win rate ranks fifth. He’ll also have to contend with 2023 Preakness Stakes horses with fresher legs since every other contender will have at least one week of rest on Mage. However, the Kentucky Derby winner has never run a bad race in four starts and he’s the only colt in the 2023 Preakness Stakes field who’s proven he can sustain in a race longer than 1 1/8 miles. See Demling’s shocking prediction for Mage here.
Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, who was scratched just hours before the race, will not race in the Preakness Stakes 2023. He was placed on the veterinarian’s list the day of the Kentucky Derby, and horses on that list are not allowed to enter upcoming races. Forte will be off the list in time for the Preakness 2023, but entry for the second jewel of the Triple Crown was on Monday, May 15.
Trainer Todd Pletcher originally told reporters he wanted clarification regarding his star horses’ status. Forte needs a workout and blood test to get off the veterinarian’s list, but none of that mattered following Monday’s 2023 Preakness Stakes post draw given he was not included in the field. The multiple Grade 1 winner galloped 1 3/8 miles at Churchill Downs two days after being scratched by KHRC veterinarians and could race in the future.
How to make 2023 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Demling’s top pick is an overlooked horse who is “a star in the making.” He’s also locked in a shocking prediction for Mage, who’s coming off a monumental Kentucky Derby victory. He’s sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
Who wins the Preakness Stakes 2023? Where do Mage, First Mission, National Treasure, and Red Route One finish? And which overlooked horse is a must-back? Check out the latest 2023 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the 2023 Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who nailed 10 Derby-Oaks doubles and nine of the last 18 Preakness winners.
2023 Preakness Stakes horses, odds