Preakness

Preakness In the Preakness, Calif. Chrome will have to beat Social Inclusion, a very talented colt that did not get into the Derby. The horse has run just 3 times. The first 2 were eye-popping wins. For his 3rd race, he was rushed to the Wood Memorial, a race Andrew Beyer correctly predicted he was unprepared for. Social Inclusion washed out before the race, and ran out of gas in the stretch, missing 2nd place by a whisker, and with it, his chance to run in the Derby. The horse has a ton of speed and talent. Whether that race in the Wood gave him enough of the kind of experience that he'll need to win the Preakness is a legitimate question. But getting +125 on Social Inclusion and the rest of the field vs CA Chrome feels like a solid bet to me. (CA Chrome to lose the Preakness, +125). I haven't made a line yet, but I'd be surprised if CA Chrome would be favored over the field in my line. The odds have been rising and may continue to rise as post-Derby/Triple Crown hysteria sets in. caveat: I wouldn't like the bet if Social Inclusion wasn't running. And there's always a chance he won't run. He had a minor hoof problem last week. --Dunbar

Thanks Howard. I guess I'll wait until the field is confirmed before making the yearly No Triple Crown Bet. Here's hoping Social Inclusion is not Social Exclusion.

"Here's hoping Social Inclusion is not Social Exclusion." Frank, every morning I wake up expecting to read that Social Inclusion stubbed his toe and won't run! Just now I noticed that the "CA Chrome loses" odds are back up to +125 at 5Dimes after sliding to +100 over the course of a couple of days. Once again I headed to DRF expecting to read the bad news...but so far, so good.

5Dimes is offering something useful. If you make a fixed odds bet on the Preakness and the horse goes off at odds higher than your fixed odds, you get the track odds. Sounds great, but the odds won't be available for betting until after midnight on Friday night. Also, you probably won't get the 10% bonus on successful win bets that you'd get if you take the track odds. Here's the offer: [COLOR="#FF0000"][B][COLOR="#0000FF"]California Chrome heads to Pimlico for the 139th Preakness Stakes this Saturday, May 17th! Place your "To Win" wagers at 5Dimes this weekend and get the best possible payouts – guaranteed! Go ahead, compare the odds for yourself, and then place your fixed odds Preakness wagers at our Sportsbook Main. If the "To Win" track odds pay higher than your "To Win" fixed odds wager, we will honor your fixed odds wager at the track price! (Cumulative risk amount up to $500.) Only wagers made after 12:01 AM ET on Saturday, May 17, 2014 and until the race's post time are eligible for this promotion. Preakness lines will be available Friday night after Midnight.[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR] --Dunbar

Trying to hold out on the NO Triple Crown bet but it's tough. Have seen some decent looking offers. When the hype starts back up Friday I'm sure the price will improve though so waiting is best for the bankroll.

I think you're right. The morning line was set this evening, and Chrome was made a 3-5 fav by Pimlico. The DRF's linemaker put Chrome at 2-5. I make him 9-5. Even slanting everything in his favor would only make him 6-5. Here's my initial line: PP# Horse Fair Odds 1 Dynamic Impact 10 2 General a Rod 9 3 Calif Chrome 9-5 4 Ring Weekend 15 5 Bayern 20 6 Ria Antonia 60 7 Kid Cruz 25 8 Social Inclusion 5 9 Pablo del Monte 35 10 Ride On Curlin 10 --Dunbar