Only two of the 20 horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby are currently in the 2024 Preakness Stakes field given the quick turnaround between the first two legs of the Triple Crown. On Saturday, trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed that Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner, will continue his pursuit of the Triple Crown in the Preakness Stakes 2024 on Saturday, May 18 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore with a post time of 6:50 p.m. ET. Rich Strike was the last Kentucky Derby winner to skip the Preakness Stakes and only three Kentucky Derby winners since 2000 have skipped the second leg of the horse racing Triple Crown. Mystik Dan is 3-1 in the latest 2024 Preakness Stakes odds.
He has the second-shortest odds among the 2024 Preakness Stakes horses behind Muth (11-10), who was unable to run in the Kentucky Derby due to trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension by the Kentucky Racing Commission. Just Steel, who finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby, is 10-1 in the current 2024 Preakness Stakes odds. Before making any 2024 Preakness Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling at SportsLine by using your CBS Sports account (or signing up if you don’t have one).
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Preakness Stakes 2024. In fact, he has hit 11 of the last 16 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta picks in 2023. He keenly understands when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, with the 2024 Preakness Stakes futures already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Join SportsLine through your CBS Sports account to see them.
Top 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2024 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Tuscan Gold, even though he’s a 5-1 longshot that didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby. He finished third behind Kentucky Derby runners Catching Freedom and Honor Marie in the Louisiana Derby in his last run. He has one victory in three career races against several of the world’s top horses, finishing fourth in a race won by Sierra Leone in his debut on Nov. 4. In between, Tuscan Gold won Gulfstream Park on Jan. 31.
Tuscan Gold is trained by Chad Brown, one of the most successful trainers in the sport and a two-time Preakness winner. Most recently, Brown trained Early Voting to the 2022 Preakness title after training Cloud Computing to a win in 2017. Brown’s horses won 25% of their races this year, the second-highest percentage of any trainer in the top 15 for total wins this year. Brown has brought in more than $9 million in earnings, the third-most for a trainer in 2024. Tyler Gaffalione, who jockeyed Sierra Leone to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, will ride Tuscan Gold. Gaffalione rode War of Will to the 2019 Preakness Stakes victory. See which other horses to back by joining SportsLine through your CBS Sports account.
How to make 2024 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Demling is especially high a dark-horse who could have a leg-up on the competition because of extra rest. Demling is sharing which horse it is, and also has a surprising prediction for Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan along with his entire projected 2024 Preakness Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine. Just join though your CBS Sports account here.
Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2024, and which dark-horse is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Preakness Stakes odds below, then join SportsLine and see Demling’s picks for the Preakness Stakes through your CBS Sports account, all from the expert who nailed 11 Derby-Oaks doubles and hit last year’s Preakness Stakes superfecta. If you don’t have a CBS Sports account, get one here
