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2023 Preakness Stakes odds, post positions: Mage the betting favorite at Pimlico

First Mission, National Treasure pegged to be Kentucky Derby winner’s fiercest competition

Javier Castellano celebrates atop Mage, after crossing the finish line to win the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 06, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Javier Castellano celebrates atop Mage, after crossing the finish line to win the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 06, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Read moreMichael Reaves / Getty Images
    by Michael Leboff, Action Network
    Published 

The 2023 Preakness Stakes will take place on Saturday, May 20 at 6:50 p.m. ET at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The field for the second leg of the Triple Crown features eight horses, but only one from the Kentucky Derby.

That horse, of course, is the winner Mage. Drawn into the No. 3 position, Mage is currently the betting favorite to win the Preakness with morning-line odds of 8-5. Unlike last year, Mage’s owners were quick to commit to the Preakness, which gives the race more juice.

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While Mage is the headliner thanks to his win at Churchill Downs, there are two other serious players in this field that skipped the Kentucky Derby. No. 8 First Mission, trained by Brad Cox, is the second-favorite with odds of 5-2. Bob Baffert’s horse, No. 1 National Treasure, is the third choice at 4-1.

It’s obvious to say, but the Preakness is a very different race from the Kentucky Derby. The field is half the size, which means there’s usually less chaos — and fewer longshot winners — at the Preakness. Nonetheless, there are a couple of big prices in this field of eight. No. 4 Cofeewithchris was tagged with a 20-1 price on the morning-line, while No. 2 Chase the Chaos has the longest odds at 50-1.

While there have been some longshots that have won the Preakness, it’s nothing like what we’ve seen in the other two Triple Crown Races. Master Derby was 23-1 when he won the 1975 Preakness and that is still the biggest price to top the board in this race, though it should be noted that Rombauer won the Preakness as a 12-1 outsider in 2021.

The early narrative for this race seems to be that the three favorites — Mage, First Mission and National Treasure — should have their way with this field, so it’ll be interesting to see how unbalanced the betting is as we get closer to post-time. That could allow the number on a potential contenders like No. 5 Red Route One or No. 7 Blazing Sevens get to a very tempting price to use in exotics.

2023 Preakness Stakes Odds

  1. No. 1 National Treasure (4-1)

  2. No. 2 Chase the Chaos (50-1)

  3. No. 3 Mage (8-5)

  4. No. 4 Coffeewithchris (20-1)

  5. No. 5 Red Route One (10-1)

  6. No. 6 Perform (15-1)

  7. No. 7 Blazing Sevens (6-1)

  8. No. 8 First Mission (5-2)

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