2025 Preakness Stakes Predictions: Best Exotic Bets
The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is almost here. With Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty not running, it's a wide-open race for the winner's circle. To join in on the fun, you can bet on a winner, or maybe a Preakness Stakes exotic bet is your thing. For novice horse racing bettors, an exotic bet is a combination of bets on different horses in the same race or other races.
It's a parlay, but there are different types. Let's explore our options and go over our favorite Preakness Stakes exotic bets.
Preakness Stakes Exotics: Boxing an Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta
If you want to pick the first and second place finishers, you'll bet an exacta. First, second and third is a trifecta. If you're ambitious and want to go for the top four, that’s a superfecta. Now let's say you have a good feeling about a few horses, but can't say how they'll finish.
You'll want to box your wager.
What that means is that you want to bet on every possible combination of your selections. So, if you pick Clever Again and Sandman, it doesn't matter who finishes first or second. As long as they both finish inside the top two, you win. Boxing a bet will require you to commit more money to your wager. Let's say you're betting $2; you'll need to put down $2 on every possible combo.
Now that we've covered that... here are my favorite exotics for the Preakness Stakes.
Exacta Box: Journalism and Clever Again
Journalism was the Kentucky Derby favorite but finished second to Sovereignty. But with Sovereignty out, Journalism is back in the driver's seat. Will he win? I don't know. But I do know that he's won four of the six races he's entered and has yet to finish lower than third. Clever Again seems to be a popular pick amongst analysts despite his inexperience (three total races; two wins).
When he's run, he has run well. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a championship pedigree. Former Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is his dad.
Trifecta Box: Goal Oriented, Clever Again and Journalism
OK, so I'm cheating a little bit here by using both horses from my exacta box. But Journalism's track record makes it hard not to pick him, and I just love everything I read about Clever Again. Why roll with Goal Oriented? He doesn't have much experience under his belt (two races, both wins). But six of the last eight Preakness winners did not run in the Derby.
Also, his trainer, Bob Baffert, knows a thing or two about preparing a horse to win the Preakness Stakes since he's done it eight times.
Superfecta Box: Goal Oriented, Clever Again, Journalism and River Thames
I'm adding River Thames to my Trifecta Box to make it a Superfecta Box. River Thames is another horse many are talking about as a contender to win the Preakness Stakes. Since January, he's run in four races, winning the first two and then finishing in second and third in the last two. Rather than run in the Derby, he took the last couple of weeks off to rest and prepare for the Preakness Stakes.
With many analysts picking River Thames to win, I feel good picking him to finish in the top four.
Superfecta Box No. 2: Heart of Honor, Sandman, Clever Again and Journalism
As a writer, I almost feel obligated to pick Journalism; luckily, he also happens to be a contender to win, which makes me feel hopeful he'll finish in the top four. Clever Again checks all the right boxes, but doesn't have experience (but experience isn't everything). Sandman was a top contender at the Kentucky Derby but got bumped early on, forcing him to battle back from 18th to finish seventh.
With a smaller field, I like his chances of being able to run a clean race that will showcase his capabilities.
As for Heart of Honor, not running in the Derby gave the horse plenty of time to rest for the Preakness. So far, he has not finished lower than second in a race this season. While he finished in second at the UAE Derby to the horse that finished last at the Kentucky Derby, Heart of Honor is a popular longshot pick to win.