May 18, 2019 Pimlico Race Course
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May 18, 2019 Pimlico Race Course 866.88XPRESS (866.889.7737) Welcome to Xpressbet’s FREE Preakness Wager Guide! Fellow Racing Fan, Congratulations to the connections of 2019 Kentucky Derby winner Country House! That certainly was one wild-and-woolly Kentucky Derby, culminating with the fi rst on-track win disqualifi cation in the race’s storied 145-year history. Because of the Kentucky Derby’s wide-open nature, Preakness fi gures to be a similarly challenging handicapping puzzle. None of the top 3 o cial Derby fi nishers will contest the Preakness, so that leaves Improbable and War of Will as post-Louisville headliners. Set to join Derby runners in Baltimore are capable new faces that have been pointed toward Old Hilltop: Alwaysmining, Anothertwistafate, Sueno, Owendale, Bourbon War and more. Have no fear. Xpressbet’s FREE Preakness Wager Guide will navigate you through these uncharted waters. We’ve recruited top handicappers, writers and broadcasters to examine the race—Analysis, Main Contenders, Value Plays and $100 Wagering Strategies. In addition to race-by-race expert commentary, inside you’ll also fi nd oodles of useful Stats & Trends, a handy Exotic Wagering Chart and much more. This season, following the Preakness post-position draw, Xpressbet again will produce an updated version of this guide to refl ect adjustments in expert opinions based on up-to-the-minute information. Make certain to return to the Xpressbet website Friday, May 18 for a FREE revised and enhanced version of the guide, including Eddie Olczyk’s valuable opinions. When you are ready to wager, anytime from anywhere, Xpressbet can help. We’re the best online, telephone and mobile horserace wagering service in the nation! As a current account holder, you know Xpressbet is the best place to watch and wager on worldwide racing. If you don’t already wager with Xpressbet, act now and earn up to $500 in bonus cash! That will come in handy Preakness Day. Complete details are available at Xpressbet.com. Xpressbet hopes your 2019 Preakness wagering experience is fruitful and we look forward to serving as your advance deposit account wagering provider for the big day and into the future. Sincerely, The Xpressbet Team Preakness Wagering Facts By Jeremy Plonk, Xpressbet @HorsePlayerNow Below are some informative wagering tidbits from past Preakness Stakes events. Win-Place-Show Odds Superfecta Payo s (Last 15 years, Odds to $1) (Last 15 years, $1 Payo§ s) Win Odds Average: $3,972.53 Average: 4.91 Notable: Average odds of fourth-place fi nishers is 12.9-to-1. High: 15.40 (Oxbow, 2013) High: $11,151.20 Low: .20 (Big Brown, 2008) (Bernardini-Sweetnorthernsaint-Hemingway’s Key- Notable: Winner has been 3-1 or less 12 of the last 16 years. Brother Derek, 2006) Low: $173.80 Place Odds (California Chrome-Ride On Curlin-Social Inclusion- Average: 12.42 General A Rod, 2014) High: 39.90 (Macho Again, 2008) Notable: Just 4 times in the bet’s 20-year history the Superfecta has Low: 1.30 (Street Sense, 2007) been a 5-digit payo§ . Notable: 7 of the last 15 runner-ups have been 10-1 or more, including 4 of last 5. Highest-Priced Superfecta Finishers (Last 15 Years, Odds to $1) Show Odds Odds Horse Year Fin. Average: 13.78 39.90 Macho Again 2008 2nd High: 31.70 (Senior Investment, 2017) 31.70 Senior Investment 2017 3rd Low: .70 (Nyquist, 2016) 29.40 Hemingway’s Key 2006 3rd Notable: 9 of the last 13 Show horses have been 10-1 28.50 Tale of Verve 2015 2nd or more. 26.10 Tenfold 2018 3rd 25.40 Flying Private 2009 4th Exacta Payo s 25.10 Racecar Rhapsody 2008 4th (Last 15 years, $2 Payo§ s) Average: $95.20 Lowest-Priced Favorites High: $301.40 (Last 15 Years, Odds to $1) (Oxbow-Itsmyluckyday, 2013) Odds Horse Year Fin. Low: $18.20 .20 Big Brown 2008 1st (California Chrome-Ride On Curlin, 2014) .40 Justify 2018 1st Notable: 11 of last 12 Exactas have included at least 1 horse at 5-2 .50 California Chrome 2014 1st odds or less. .50 Barbaro 2006 dnf .70 Nyquist 2016 3rd Trifecta Payo s .70 Smarty Jones 2004 1st (Last 15 years, $1 Payo§ s) .70 Orb 2013 4th Average: $662.27 .90 American Pharoah 2015 1st High: $3,912.80 1.20 Always Dreaming 2017 8th (Bernardini-Sweetnorthernsaint-Hemingway’s Key, 2006) 1.30 Street Sense 2007 2nd Low: $35.40 1.80 Rachel Alexandra 2009 1st (I’ll Have Another-Bodemeister-Creative Cause, 2012) 1.90 Super Saver 2010 8th Notable: 4 of last 7 Trifectas have paid $148 or less. Bob Neumeier Millie Ball Je Siegel Jon White Dick Jerardi Steve Byk Expert (HPNow) (XBTV.com) (XBTV.com) (Santa Anita) (DRF) (SiriusXM Radio) First Improbable Improbable Improbable War of Will War of Will Alwaysmining Second War of Will Alwaysmining Owendale Improbable Improbable Improbable Third Bodexpress War of Will Alwaysmining Alwaysmining Alwaysmining War of Will Fourth Alwaysmining Owendale War of Will Owendale Owendale Owendale Preakness Contenders By Johnny D, Xpressbet @XBJohnnyD Improbable: What’s a Preakness without trainer Bob Ba§ ert? Like a day without sunshine. This Ba§ ert-trained Kentucky Derby favorite arrives in Baltimore o§ a troubled original 5th-placing. It’s reasonable to expect a better performance at Pimlico. The shorter distance favors him and expe- rience gained in Louisville can only help this Grade 1 winner regain top form that has produced 5 in-the-money fi nishes in 6 races. Expect to fi nd him mid-pack early. War of Will: Dominant at Fair Grounds this winter, this son of War Front ran creditably in the Derby after starting from the dreaded number 1 post. He was in the thick of the Louisville doings until just o§ the fi nal turn when part of the Maximum Security disqualifi cation incident. He then faded to 8th. In the Kentucky Derby, he was coming o§ a troubled Louisiana Derby trip and hadn’t had a serious race since Feb. 16. This pace-stalker should be much more fi t in Baltimore. Alwaysmining: This son of Stay Thirsty is a local sophomore tiger. He’s won six-in-a-row, all at Laurel, including four stakes. While he hasn’t faced graded-stakes competition yet, winning margins that range from 1 1/2 to 11 1/2 lengths suggest he can make the leap. He races mainly on the front end, but can sit just o§ the pace like he did last out in the Federico Tesio. There doesn’t seem to be an abundance of early speed in Preakness and the race is in Maryland, so… Owendale: After spending the winter in New Orleans, this son of Into Mischief rebounded strongly last time out from a 12th-place fi nish in the Louisiana Derby to upset the Lexington Stakes at Keene- land. He rallied from well o§ the pace that day at healthy 12-1 odds. He’s experienced with 8 lifetime starts and is trained by the young and talented Brad Cox. He will be a decent price in the Preakness and has to close from far back. Anothertwistafate: Winner of 3 of 6 races, including the El Camino Real Derby, this son of Scat Daddy has been second in his last 2 starts and a bit under the sophomore radar until now. He was runner-up to Cutting Humor in the Sunland Park Derby and to Owendale in the Lexington at Keene- land. All 3 wins came at Golden Gate over a synthetic surface. He races either on or just o§ the pace and should fi nd a suitable spot early in the Preakness. Bourbon War: A winner of 2 of 5 starts, this son of Tapit boasts a runner-up fi nish to original Kentucky Derby show horse Code of Honor in the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth. He also was fourth in the Xpressbet Florida Derby behind original Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security. He races from well o§ the pace and requests an early pace meltdown for his best. Trainer Mark Hennig has saddled two previous Preakness starters: Eddington (2004, 3rd) and Personal Hope (1993, 4th). When You Win, You Lose Post Time: 4:14 PM ET By Bob Neumeier, HorsePlayerNow.com 4YO+, Fillies & Mares 1 1/2 Miles Turf Analysis: A wise man once proclaimed, “There is only one way to win a race and Stats & Trends 20,000 ways to lose.” Unfortunately for the connections and betting public at the Lexington Winners in Preakness Kentucky Derby, Maximum Security landed on one of the 20,000 ways. Yes, he proved to (Since 1988) be the best horse. Yes, he should have been disqualifi ed. In fact, according to Equibase, Year Horse Fin. 2017 Senior Investment 3rd the internal fractions show what a remarkable e§ ort ‘Max put forth. Sloppy track or not, 2016 Collected 10th here are the ¼ mile splits in order: 22.31, 24.31, 25.88, 26.13, and 25.30. Translation: The 2015 Divining Rod 3rd fi rst quarter was insanely fast; and notably the last quarter ran faster than the third or 2003 Scrimshaw 3rd 2002 Proud Citizen 3rd fourth, which occurs on turf, but rarely on dirt. As much as we love handicapping and 1999 Charismatic 1st betting the races, we need to recognize how di cult this process can be. Between fast, 1998 Classic Cat 3rd muddy and sloppy/sealed tracks and the infi nite number of ways to lose, it is likely best 1997 Touch Gold 4th 1995 Star Standard 4th to echo the sentiments of the television character Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” who 1992 My Luck Runs North 12th uttered, “Maybe the best course would be to tread lightly.” 1991 Hansel 1st 1988 Risen Star 1st Note: Overall 12: 3-0-5-2 Main Contenders: Handicappers love trouble lines and wager accordingly.