Along with Jesus’ Team and Excession, Liveyourbeastlife is among the longest of shots in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course. The top two choices, Authentic (winner of the Triple Crown) and Art Collector, are getting a lot of the press, but taking a look down the odds list can help you make picks for your exacta, trifecta and superfecta that will add to your winnings because of their higher odds. 

Let’s take a look at William H. Lawrence’s Liveyourbeastlife, but before we do that, let’s touch up on the latest Odds to Win on the Preakness, courtesy of JAZZSports.ag:

Preakness Stakes – Odds to Win 

*Odds are subject to change. *Courtesy of JAZZSports.ag

Preakness Stakes Spotlight: Liveyourbeastlife

Liveyourbeastlife earned the bulk of his qualification points with a runner-up finish in the Jim Dandy Stakes (Grade II). His workouts ahead of the Preakness Stakes have been impressive, including multiple five-furlong breezes in a time of less than a minute.

On August 12, Liveyourbeastlife won a nine-furlong allowance event at Saratoga Race Course, beating older horses, and on September 5, he came in second to Mystic Guide at the Jim Dandy Stakes, also a nine-furlong event. At the Jim Dandy, his jockey, Junior Alvarado, noted that Liveyourbeastlife struggled between the half-mile and the three-eighths pole, and Alvarado allowed him to fall back too much for him to make up the difference down the stretch. Liveyourbeastlife will have Trevor McCarthy on board for the Preakness Stakes.

An additional piece of information that will influence the atmosphere at Pimlico Race Course is that only 250 people will be allowed to attend. The grounds are tightly restricted now, at a time when this part of Baltimore is usually vibrant and exciting. Just as with the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, the area around the racetrack is packed with bettors and race fans the week before, lasting through the race weekend.

This year, though, the only spectators will be horse owners, jockeys, trainers and close relatives of those three groups. The purpose is to allow for the race to go on with a minimum of risk of spreading the disease. People coming from out of town, such as owners, journalists, or jockeys have to show that they have tested negative for COVID-19 and, if needed, demonstrate proof of quarantine. It’s hard to say how much this influences the horses, if at all, but it just goes to show how important these races are for professional sport that they take place at all during a pandemic.

Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert racing advice. Until Next Time!

Brian Hernandez Jr is still looking for his first win as a jockey in a Triple Crown event. He was set to ride Art Collector on September 5 at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, but then at the last minute, Art Collector was scratched from the list because of a minor foot injury. Hernandez had an excellent shot to win the Kentucky Derby but instead was out of the race. The irony built when he finished his other riding assignments at Churchill Downs on Derby Day and wanted to leave before the climactic event, but protests taking place in Louisville blocked him from leaving, so he watched the fight. 

Hernandez has a reputation as one of the top positional jockeys in all of horse racing, getting his horses in the right spot to win and understanding how to save ground. Can he win on Saturday riding Art Collector at the Preakness? 

Check out the latest odds as well as our thoughts on Hernandez’s chances.

Preakness Stakes – Odds to Win * Courtesy of JAZZSports.ag 

*Odds are subject to change. 

Preakness Stakes Spotlight: Can Brian Hernandez Jr Ride Art Collector to Victory?

Hernandez has been Art Collector’s regular rider in races since last November, and he started riding Art Collector during work sessions in the spring. In four races in 2020 they have yet to finish anywhere other than first, with the Blue Grass Stakes and the Ellis Park Derby the most prestigious of the four.

Art Collector’s trainer is Tommy Drury, and in a press conference this week, he said, “I think Brian fits this horse like a glove. He’s been on him for most of his breezes in the mornings, you know, gosh, he even served as my exercise rider for a few days there at Churchill and was galloping him. And I can’t think of anybody else on earth that I’d rather have on this horse.”

Since scratching at the Kentucky Derby, Art Collector has completed three workouts, once at the Skylight training center and the other two at Churchill Downs. According to Hernandez, Art Collector is making progress toward a stellar performance on Saturday. The current odds for the Preakness Stakes have Art Collector as the second choice behind Authentic, who won the Kentucky Derby.

Hernandez comes up with jockeying as a tradition, as he is the brother and son of jockeys. He won the Eclipse Award in 2004 as the top apprentice rider, and he has built a solid reputation since then, with most of his rides taking place in the New Orleans circuit during the winter and Kentucky during the other seasons. Going into Friday, he has 2,082 victories, capped by the Breeders’ Cup classic in 2012, when he won above Fort Larned. Other major victories include the Kentucky Jockey Club, Madison, Stephen Foster, Whitney, Spinster, Louisiana Derby and the Alcibiades. A win in a Triple Crown race would be the next bullet point on his resume. He rode McCraken in the 2017 Kentucky Derby and has ridden twice in the Preakness Stakes before. So if any jockey is due on Saturday, it might well be Hernandez. Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert racing advice. Until Next Time!

This Saturday marks the end of the 2020 Triple Crown cycle, as Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore prepares to host the Preakness Stakes. The COVID-19 pandemic shook up the Triple Crown as it has done with the vast majority of professional sport, delaying all three races and changing the order, so that the Belmont Stakes, usually the last race, came first, followed by a delayed Kentucky Derby and a delayed Preakness Stakes. The top two choices for sports bettors, at least with the current odds, are Authentic, winner of the Kentucky Derby, and Art Collector. But could you land a long shot?

Let’s take a look at some of the horses down the odds list.

Preakness Stakes Odds to Win *

Odds to Win courtesy of JAZZSports.ag

*Odds are subject to change.

Can You Hit on a Long Shot at the Preakness Stakes?

Why should you consider a long shot? In the last 10 years when the Kentucky Derby winner also ran in the Preakness Stakes, the Kentucky Derby winner won both races four times. However, that means that in six of those years, a different winner emerged at the Preakness. The winner of the Belmont Stakes, Tiz the Law, is not running at Pimlico, taking another potential top choice off the board.

Pneumatic is an extremely interesting long shot. Of the 11-horse field, Pneumatic has the least racing mileage on his legs, which should make his fresh. He started his career in February of this year, winning in a sprint. Since then, his metrics have improved with each race. At the Matt Winn Stakes (Grade III), he came in third, and he came in fourth at the Belmont Stakes in June. While his place did not improve, his Equibase Speed Figures were 90, 96, 98, 101 in his four races (with a mile race coming in April between his debut and the Matt Winn). At the Pegasus Stakes in August, he posted an Equibase Speed Figure of 113. If you consider that Authentic posted a 109 in winning the Churchill Downs, and Swiss Skydiver posted the same number at the Kentucky Oaks, then Pneumatic looks even more promising.

The Preakness Stakes runs 1 3/16 miles. The only horses in the field that have won at comparable distances are Swiss Skydiver (Alabama Stakes) and Authentic (Kentucky Derby), with both of those races running 1 ¼ miles. Pneumatic’s sire is Uncle Mo, who has sired more stakes winners at distances between 9 ½ and 10 furlongs than the sires of all of the horses in Saturday’s field. Pneumatic’s trainer, Steve Asmussen, has worked with two Preakness winners (Curlin in 2007 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009). So if you’re looking for a longshot that will return big odds, consider Pneumatic.

Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s regular content. This whole week we will have a special set of betting articles dedicated to the Preakness. Until Next Time!

On Monday, the 11 horses that will run on Saturday in the 145^th edition of the Preakness Stakes had their post positions drawn, so now we know the field and where they will each start in the race. The post positions can be important, as some feel an outside position allows for horses to stay unfettered by the crowd and push up to the lead, while an inside position can cause a horse to get stuck in by the rail and the other horses.

Let’s take a look at the draw, the Odds to Win, and we have some thoughts about the contenders now that they’ve been assigned places.

Preakness Stakes Post Positions & Odds to Win

Odds to Win courtesy of JAZZSports.ag

*Odds are subject to change.

Updates from the Preakness Stakes: Thoughts on the Draw

After his win at the Kentucky Derby, Authentic is the favorite (especially since Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law is being held out to rest for the Breeders’ Cup in November). This race brings to a conclusion a Triple Crown that has taken much longer than a usual cycle; usually running from the first weekend in May until the first weekend in June, the Triple Crown this year began on June 20 and ends on October 3, with the Belmont Stakes serving as the first race, instead of the last. This pushes the Preakness much closer to the Breeders’ Cup than it would be in a typical year, and Tiz the Law’s ownership saw no reason for him to run both races since he had no chance at a Triple Crown.

Authentic is trained by Bob Baffert, who also has Thousand Words in his stable, giving the legendary trainer two horses in the field of 11 as he aims for his eighth Preakness Stakes, which would be a record for any trainer. Authentic led the Kentucky Derby from wire to wire, winning by 1 ¼ lengths.

Art Collector is the second choice in the early odds, sired by Bernardini, who won the Preakness back in 2006. He had to miss the Kentucky Derby with a hoof injury, and he has not entered a race since the Ellis Park Derby on August 9, which he won. In that race, he had Post #4, and he had come out of Post #3 in his two races before that, so having the #3 position now should be something familiar to him.

Swiss Skydiver looks to become the sixth filly to win a Preakness Stakes, and the first in 11 years. She will have Robby Albarado on board, who won the Preakness Stakes in 2007 while riding Curlin.

Don’t miss the latest in horse racing odds and matchups from JAZZHorseRacing – and enjoy the Preakness all throughout the week with our special set of articles dedicated to the race. Until Next Time!

We’re just five days away from Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, and the final field is coming into shape ahead of Monday’s draw. Going into the weekend, 10 of the 14 slots at Pimlico Park were filled, and we’re getting more information about the horses that will race in the last leg of this year’s Triple Crown.

Take a look at these updates as you consider your wagering options for Saturday, and before we continue, let us take a look at the latest Odds to Win, courtesy of JAZZ Sports Racebook.

Preakness Stakes – Top 5 Odds to Win *

*Odds are subject to change.

Updates from the Preakness Stakes: Filling out the Field

Swiss Skydiver will enter the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Her trainer had considered putting her in one of two races for fillies in October but will instead put her into the field with the boys. Robby Albarado, a veteran jockey with a solid reputation, will be on board. He rode Curlin to victory at Pimlico in the 2007 Preakness Stakes. This will be his first ride aboard the filly, who has had Tyler Gaffalione on board in previous races.

Swiss Skydiver will be just the 55^th filly to run in the Preakness Stakes. Five fillies have won the Preakness Stakes in the past, most recently in 2009, when Rachel Alexandra was the victor. On Saturday morning, she got some work against males in a five-furlong workout at Churchill Downs, and she turned in a time of 1:00.80. She had a three-race winning streak come to an end at the Blue Grass Stakes (Grade II), where she finished second behind Art Collector, who will be in Saturday’s field as well. She won the Alabama Stakes (Grade I) at Saratoga Race Course and was the runner-up at the Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) in early September.

The other dirt race option for Swiss Skydiver had been the Spinster (Garde I) on October 4. Her trainer hopes that she draws an outside post position; at the Kentucky Oaks, she drew Post 1 and ended up getting stuck on the inside, and then Gaffalione tried to take her around the outside to try and come all the way back, but she was not able to make up the distance. McPeek’s observation that had Gaffalione stayed on the inside, Swiss Skydiver would likely have won the race, could explain the switch in rider for Saturday.

Ny Traffic has expanded the Preakness Stakes field to a dozen. He came in eighth at the Kentucky Derby and took part in his first time work on Sunday. Paco Lopez rode Ny Traffic at the Kentucky Derby, but no jockey has yet been announced for Ny Traffic at Pimlico Park.

Ny Traffic is still looking for his first stakes victory. He came in third at the Risen Star (Grade III) back in the winter. Then he finished as the runner-up at the Louisiana Derby (Grade II), Matt Winn Stakes (Grade III) and the Haskell Stakes (Grade I), finishing just a nose back of Authentic, who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert betting advice. Stay tuned for a special set of Preakness Stakes articles released all throughout the week!

With the 2020 Preakness Stakes just a week away now, the horses preparing for that showdown are taking part in their last major training sessions ahead of the race this weekend. Let’s take a look at how some of the contenders fared in their last touch-ups before the last leg of the Triple Crown.

Before we continue, let us take a look at the latest Preakness Stakes odds to win, courtesy of JAZZ Sports Racebook:

Preakness Stakes – Top 5 Odds to Win *

*Odds are subject to change.

Updates from the Final Preakness Training Sessions

Mr. Big News took his last major session on Friday morning at Churchill Downs. In his last start, he came in third at the Kentucky Derby. On Friday, he zoomed through a half-mile in 50.40 seconds. That broke down in 13.20 seconds for the first eighth, 25.60 for the first quarter, and then the last quarter in 24.80. He posted a gallop-out time of 1:03.20 over five furlongs, showing that he rounded the turn in 12.80 seconds, a solid number.

His trainer terms the workout as “just a maintenance work,” stressing that if Mr. Big News is not already set for the race at this point, he won’t catch up in a week. The purpose of the workout was to allow him to stretch his legs and keep up the strong galloping that he has put forth in the weekday workouts. On Saturday, Gabriel Saez will be the jockey; he qualified for the Preakness by winning the Oaklawn Stakes on April 11, paying on +4600 odds.

As far as the field itself, there are ten horses who will race for certain on Saturday, with four more horses that could possibly race. That would push the Preakness Stakes to its maximum of 14. The four “maybes” are Swiss Skydiver, Happy Saver, Ny Traffic and Mystic Guide. Mystic Guide seems the likeliest of the four to sit the Preakness out. If Ny Traffic enters the race, he would be the fourth horse to run in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, along with Authentic, Mr. Big News and Max Player. Ny Traffic was eighth in the Kentucky Derby, the first time in his three-year-old season that he did not finish in the money.

Swiss Skydiver is a possibility for the Preakness Stakes, but trainer Ken McPeek indicated that he was considering two other alternatives, also Grade I stakes: the Spinster for mares and fillies on October 4, and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 10.

Happy Saver won the Federico Tesio Stakes earlier this month; on Friday, he zipped through five furlongs in 1:01.09. Trainer Todd Pletcher is considering the Preakness or the Jockey Club Gold Cup for Happy Saver.

The draw for the Preakness Stakes will take place on Monday at noon Eastern time.

Give an EDGE to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert betting advice. Stay tuned for more special content on Preakness & Breeders Cup throughout the week. Until Next Time!

Swiss Skydiver, the speedy filly that came in second place at the Kentucky Oaks, might make an appearance at the Preakness Stakes, according to trainer Ken McPeek. She has faced males before and could make a big splash in a Preakness field that will not have Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law. Will she enter the field?

Before we continue with our special, let’s check out the latest odds to win the Preakness Stakes, courtesy of JAZZSports.ag:

Preakness Stakes – Top 5 Odds to Win *

*Odds are subject to change.

Will Swiss Skydiver Enter the Preakness Stakes?

In an interview with Daily Racing Form, McPeek said, “The filly has had a really good week. There’s no need to make any kind of decision just yet. Let’s see how she works Saturday and we’ll go from there.”

Swiss Skydiver, a three-year-old filly sired by Daredevil, had her first competition against male horses at Keeneland this summer in the Blue Grass Stakes (Grade II). There she came in second, 3 ½ lengths back of Art Collector, who will also race at the Preakness. She won the Alabama Stakes (Grade I) by 3 ½ lengths and came in 1 ½ lengths behind Shedaresthedevil at the Kentucky Oaks.

Swiss Skydiver is supposed to breeze on Saturday at Churchill, and then McPeek will make his determination by Monday.

More confirmed entries for the October 3 Preakness Stakes are coming in as well. Earlier this week we wrote about Max Player’s chances. Now, Pneumatic, winner of the Pegasus Stakes, has had his entry confirmed. Excession, who was the runner-up at the Rebel Stakes (Grade II) will enter as well.

Country Grammer, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes (Grade III) has also entered. At this writing, there are ten confirmed entrants for the Preakness. Currently, the favorite is Authentic, winner of the Kentucky Derby. The field is limited to 14, so the entries are running out.

Excession has not run in six months since finishing as the runner-up to Nadal at the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He started regular workouts again in August, moving to a 1:00.6 breeze over five furlongs on Tuesday, the fastest workout over that distance of the day.

Country Grammer has had an eight-week break since finishing fifth at the Travers Stakes (Grade I) at Saratoga Race Course.

Give an edge to your horse-betting with JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert advice! – We will be daily posting special articles on the upcoming Preakness Stakes & Breeders Cup. Until Next Time!

The 2020 Preakness Stakes is just a week and a half away. We already know that we won’t have a Triple Crown winner, and we found out yesterday that Tiz the Law was pulling out of the Preakness field to focus on the Breeders’ Cup in early November. That leaves Authentic and Art Collector as the top two choices for bettors, at least at this point.

However, there’s another horse making waves, and that is Mr. Big News, currently offering +1250 odds on JAZZ Sports:

Latest Preakness Stakes 2020 Betting Odds *

Sept. 26th, 2020

Betting Odds courtesy of JAZZSports.ag

*Odds are subject to change.

Could Mr. Big News Win the Preakness? Don’t Rule Him Out

At the Kentucky Derby, Mr. Big News settled into tenth place, but then in the late moments of the race he made his move. It seemed unclear at the time whether Authentic would be able to maintain his pace down the stretch. Mr. Big News was among the longer shots in the Kentucky Derby; originally, he had been set to enter one of the turf races but his ownership decided at the last minute to put him in the Kentucky Derby.

Mr. Big News will face Authentic and many of the other horses from Churchill Downs. Art Collector, who won the Ellis Park Derby but was scratched due to a foot injury from the Kentucky Derby, will race in Baltimore as well.

Mr. Big News has made eight career starts and has won twice. His victories came in a maiden special weight race in January at Fair Grounds, and he won the Oaklawn Stakes in April. At the Blue Grass Stakes, he came in sixth. However, at Churchill Downs, he turned that late surge into a third-place finish. As a +4600 long shot, he ended up paying $16.80 because of the show.

With Tiz the Law out of the field, there is room for some other horses down the odds list to make a move. If Mr. Big News can make his surge sooner and doesn’t find himself shoehorned back down the field, then he definitely has a chance to pull off the win.

Quick Facts about the Race

The Belmont Stakes ran at a shorter distance than usual because it was the first leg of the Triple Crown instead of last, where it usually sits in the schedule. The Preakness Stakes, though, will remain at its usual 1 3/16 miles.

The race is set for Saturday, October 3, from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. You can catch the coverage on NBC, going live at 5:00 pm Eastern time. You can stream the race on the NBC Sports app.

Give an edge to your horse-betting by reading JAZZ Horse Racing’s expert advice. Until Next Time.