2025 Preakness Best Bets (Underdogs/Sleepers): Who Could Knock Off Journalism?
-
Doug Upstone
- May 13, 2025
Top Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – Clever Again (+700) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Preakness gate draw was Monday evening, and there is a field of nine horses for the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Kentucky Derby runner-up, Journalism is the 8-5 morning line favorite at the top-rated sportsbooks. Most sharp horse bettors feel that number will come down on a horse that in six starts has four wins, a place, and a show on his resume.
Though Journalism is a solid favorite, that doesn’t mean he’s a “sure thing”. Horse racing is often befuddling because just when you think you have an angle figured out, that notion is wiped out due to a surprising outcome.
Here are horses that could pull the upset or fit nicely on exacta cards for the 150th Preakness.
2025 Preakness Odds
| Horse | Price | Offered by |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism | +100 | |
| Sandman | +500 | |
| River Thames | +600 | |
| Clever Again | +700 | |
| Goal Oriented | +850 | |
| American Promise | +1800 | |
| Gosger | +1800 |
River Thames (+600)
Trainer Todd Pletcher / Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
If not Journalism, River Thames has the second-best odds for this race.
River Thames has made four starts and has not finished out the money (2 W- 1 P- 1 S). He was a game second at the Fountain of Youth, behind Kentucky Derby champion Sovereignty, then finished a close third in the Blue Grass Stakes.
Trainer Todd Pletcher thought the extra two weeks of rest would help RT be fresher, and having a rider like Ortiz Jr. is a benefit. This horse is a win contender spotted nicely in Gate 6.
- Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – River Thames (+600) at BetOnline
Sandman (+500)
Trainer Mark Casse / Jockey John Velazquez
Sandman was the final entry for the Preakness last Thursday after finishing #7 at Churchill Downs in the Derby.
Mark Casse likely waited to see how his horse felt because after a slow start two weeks ago, he charged from next to last to seventh and was still running at the end. After liking his workouts, Casse’s group entered Sandman, who is 3-1-2 (W-P-S) in nine starts, which included a nice Arkansas Derby win.
For those unfamiliar, influencer Griffin Johnson used his media platform to talk up Sandman as part-owner. This caused Sandman (named after the Metallica song – Enter Sandman) to be overbet at the Derby (2nd most bet horse), and his odds now reflect that.
The key for Sandman is getting just behind Journalism and hoping he has a late kick when he posted his 99-speed rating.
- Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – Sandman (+500) at BetOnline
Clever Again (+700)
Trainer Steve Asmussen / Jockey Jose Ortiz
Trainer Steve Asmussen seeks a third Preakness win at Pimlico with Clever Again. This lightly raced colt’s first start was 13 months ago, finishing second by a head.
Because of various ailments, CA didn’t race again until this February, where he won a two-turn race at Oaklawn. In his last start, he won again at Oaklawn by four lengths. Clever Again is the son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who appears to run best with a lead. Coming out of Gate 8, Ortiz would like his horse near the lead starting down the backstretch.
Don’t undervalue.
- Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – Clever Again (+700) at BetOnline
Best 2025 Preakness Betting Sites
| SPORTSBOOK | TRUST SCORE | BONUS | ONLINE SINCE | BEST FOR | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
20% Cash Bonus
|
2001
|
|||
|
|
55% Cash Bonus
|
2001
|
|||
|
|
$750 Cash Bonus
|
1994
|
|||
|
|
$500 Cash Bonus
|
1985
|
|||
|
|
$250 Free Bet
|
2001
|
|||
|
|
$500 Cash Bonus
|
1983
|
Goal Oriented (+850)
Trainer Bob Baffert / Jockey Flavien Prat
Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race amazingly eight times. Goal Oriented has raced only twice and won both, so you know that Baffert has a specific game plan in mind.
Because he’s on the rail in the #1 gate, look for Prat to have his horse break early before settling into a rhythmic pace. Goal Oriented is comfortable with the plan to run Journalism harder than he prefers.
If Baffert/Prat can have the trip they want, this is a good wager.
- Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – Goal Oriented (+850) at BetOnline
Gosger (+1800)
Trainer Brendan Walsh / Jockey Luis Saez
Of the four horses with double-digit odds, Gosger is the best of the bunch coming in. In a trio of starts, two wins and a 2nd proves he has talent if not the resume of some of the others.
He was sired by Derby winner Nyquist, proving the bloodlines are good. Jockey Saez has to work for the farthest post into the mix by the first turn. Longshots are always possible.
The best other way to bet Gosger is a Show bet or at the bottom of vertical wagers.
- Preakness Pick: To Win 2025 Preakness – Gosger (+1800) at BetOnline
Box ‘Em Up
Somebody will have to beat Journalism as he’s the class of the field. The two likely choices are Clever Again and Goal Oriented, who have to run their race. Using one or both in an exacta is not a bad strategy, or using all three in an exacta box can also work.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
