Sovereignty won a duel with Journalism to take the first leg of the Triple Crown at the Kentucky Derby and now his connections have begun preparations for the 2025 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. A win in the second leg would make him the first horse since Justify in 2018 to capture any two legs of the Triple Crown and set up a thriller in June at the Belmont Stakes. The 2025 Preakness Stakes odds list Sovereignty as the 8-5 favorite. Journalism is at 5-2 in the Preakness Stakes 2025 futures, followed by Rodriguez (5-1), River Thames (10-1) and Clever Again (10-1).
Post time is 6:50 p.m. ET and the second leg of the Triple Crown will be contested at 9 1/2 furlongs (1 3/16 miles). Before making any 2025 Preakness Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and 2025 Preakness Stakes futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling, considering his domination of Triple Crown races.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including 2023 when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He hit the trifecta in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and has predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years. Anyone who has followed those picks on sites like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET is up huge.
Now, with the 2025 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2025 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2025 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2025 Preakness predictions, expert analysis
Demling has already locked in his 2025 Preakness Stakes prediction for Sovereignty following his triumph at Churchill downs. Trainer Bill Mott was a Kentucky Derby winner with Country House in 2019, but only after Maximum Security was disqualified for making what the stewards considered an aggressive move that impeded several other horses running near him. However, Mott got the full experience of the winner’s circle with Sovereignty this year after an impressive stretch duel win over Journalism.
Sovereignty overcame an early bobble out of the starting gates when he was crowded by Chunk of Gold but eventually settled in nicely along the rail. He eventually swung wide and made his move towards the lead at the end of the final turn before outrunning Journalism in the final furlong. Tappan Street is the only horse that’s beaten him in a stakes race but the return of Rodriguez and the early speed he provides could force an earlier kick from this closer.
One surprise: Demling is fading Journalism, even though he was the Kentucky Derby favorite and finished a hard-fought second in the first leg of the Triple Crown. Journalism broke his maiden at Del Mar last November and then earned stakes wins at the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), San Felipe Stakes (G2) and the Santa Anita Derby (G1) to establish himself as the early Derby favorite. However, he’d never run outside of California before and only faced a field larger than five horses once.
Ultimately, he didn’t appear impacted by the travel, but the deep closer found himself in an unfamiliar spot when he made his move late. Sovereignty matched him stride for stride around the final turn and then pulled away in the final furlong. He’ll once again face some stiff competition from Sovereignty and a handful of other closers considered probable to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown. See which other 2025 Preakness Stakes horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Demling has also locked in his 2025 Preakness Stakes picks for Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby last week because of a minor injury but is expected to return to the Triple Crown trail. Legendary trainer Bob Baffert is an eight-time Preakness Stakes winner, most recently winning the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans in 2023 with National Treasure.
Rodriguez was expected to provide the pace at Churchill Downs after going wire-to-wire in his Wood Memorial (G2) win and he’ll likely go to the front of a Preakness Stakes field that could be somewhat devoid of pace. However, will the two-week turnaround be enough time for him to heal the bone bruise on his foot that cost him a chance to run at Churchill Downs and can he hold off closers like Sovereignty and Journalism? See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2025 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Demling is especially high on a huge double-digit longshot who “could be a factor” and will spice up your exotics. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Preakness Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2025, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who nailed the top three in correct order at the Kentucky Derby and nailed the last two Preakness trifectas.