2025 Preakness Predictions: Longshot Bets & Sleeper Picks
Sovereignty, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, will not be running in Saturday's Preakness Stakes. This means there won't be a Triple Crown winner this year, but it doesn't necessarily mean that this race is wide open. Journalism, who finished second in the Run for the Roses, is heavily favored with morning line odds of 8/5.
Nine horses are competing in the Preakness Stakes, and five of them have odds of 6/1 or better to win. Can one of the four horses with odds of 12/1 or worse pull off the win, or at least place or show to increase the payouts of exotics? Here are the best longshots for the 2025 Preakness Stakes.
2025 Preakness Stakes: Best Longshot Bets, Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
American Promise (15/1)
American Promise finished a distant 16th in the Kentucky Derby, which likely has many bettors looking elsewhere on Saturday. However, the horse went out at a blistering pace, running with the leaders for the majority of the race. On a sloppy track, American Promise simply didn't have enough left at the end to close with the best horses. But the Preakness Stakes is a shorter race than the Kentucky Derby, and that could make all the difference for this horse.
This is a horse that won the Virginia Derby in mid-March and has won two of his five races since Christmas of 2024. There's also something to be said for the fact that jockey Nik Juarez is getting another go on this horse after a disappointing Kentucky Derby. To me, this signals the team around American Promise wasn't as disappointed with the result as the final order of finish might suggest. Look for American Promise’s odds to climb on race day, making him an even more enticing option for exotics.
Gosger (20/1)
Gosger has only competed in three races, one of which was just six furlongs. However, the horse has finished first or second in each of those three starts, including back-to-back first-place finishes entering Saturday. His last win came at the Lexington Stakes (Grade 3) when he sat just off the pace for the entire race, and then used a big finish to win by a length. The race was 1 1/16 miles, the longest race Gosger has run, but it didn't look like the length bothered him at all.
Gosger will need to go an extra 1/8 mile on Saturday, but if his last race was any indicator, the distance won't be a problem. What will be a problem is keeping pace with a stacked field of horses likely to push the tempo harder than Gosger is used to. While that means Gosger probably won't win this race, he could pass horses late, as some early frontrunners peter out, opening the door for a sneaky third-place result or even a second-place finish.
Heart of Honor (12/1)
Heart of Honor has run all four of his races in Dubai, finishing first or second in each event. His last time out, he finished second by a nose in the UAE Derby (Grade II). While losing in such a fashion is hardly cause for concern, I am a bit worried about who he lost to. The winner of the UAE Derby was Admire Daytona, the horse that finished last in this year's Kentucky Derby.
Still, this horse is worth a look due to the nature of the races he's run. His last two races were both 1 3/16 miles, which is the same length as the Preakness Stakes. That could give him an advantage over horses that have yet to run such a distance in their careers. Also, Heart of Honor will be fresh entering Saturday's race, having not run since April 5th.
Jockey Saffie Osborne makes her first start in the Preakness Stakes, having never jockeyed in the United States before. Though young and relatively inexperienced, Osborne has had a lot of success astride Heart of Honor, and her consistency could be enough to get this horse in the mix late.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.