The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes is on Saturday at 7:01 p.m. ET at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Journalism, who finished second as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, is the 8-5 favorite in the 2025 Preakness Stakes odds. Derby winner Sovereignty is not part of the 2025 Preakness Stakes field and was the only horse able to take down Journalism at the end of the Derby. Should you back Journalism with your 2025 Preakness Stakes betting picks? Sandman (4-1) and American Promise (15-1) both ran in the Kentucky Derby and will be at Pimlico for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Other 2025 Preakness Stakes contenders include River Thames (9-2), Clever Again (5-1) and Goal Oriented (6-1). Before locking in any 2025 Preakness Stakes bets, you’ll want to see what longtime horse racing guru Jeff Hochman has to say.
Hochman’s knowledge in horse racing is second to none, having grown up into the sport. He covered horse racing for Picks PAL from 2005 to 2007 and specializes in graded stakes races. Hochman has shown a profit in 22 of the past 36 Triple Crown races. One example of his best picks was Big Brown in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. More recently, he swept the 2022 Triple Crown, capped off by Mo Donegal’s easy win in the Belmont Stakes. In 2023, he cashed the Preakness with National Treasure. Anyone who has followed him on those picks on betting sites like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET could be up huge.
Now, with the 2025 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Hochman is sharing his 2025 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2025 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2025 Preakness Stakes predictions
One surprise: Hochman is high on Clever Again, even though he’s an underdog at 5-1 in the 2025 Preakness Stakes odds. Trainer Steve Asmussen gave his horse some time off following his win at Oaklawn in March, so Clever Again will be well rested compared to most of the other horses in the field. He has only raced three times in his career, but his last two races have resulted in victories.
Jockey Jose Ortiz jumped from Sandman to Clever Again for this race, which should help the inexperienced horse navigate the nine-horse field. This could wind up being the fastest horse in the field, as his speed figures have improved over his first three races. Hochman cites Asmussen’s strong Preakness record along with Clever Again’s speed figures as reasons to back this horse with Preakness bets. See which other 2025 Preakness Stakes horses to consider at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Preakness Stakes picks
Hochman is also high on a double-digit long shot who “could be peaking at the right time.” He is including this horse in his 2025 Preakness Stakes bets, and so should you. He’s sharing which 2025 Preakness Stakes horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2025 Preakness Stakes? And which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Visit SportsLine to see Hochman’s picks for the Kentucky Derby from the expert who has dominated in Triple Crown races, and find out.