2017 Preakness Stakes Predictions
Can Always Dreaming win the second leg of the triple crown by winning tonight’s Preakness Stakes at 6:45PM ET?
Below are our predictions for win, place and show for tonight’s Preakness Stakes.
WIN: ALWAYS DREAMING (4/5)
This year’s Kentucky Derby winner is on a four-start winning streak. He won a Maiden Special Weight on January 25, then won an Allowance on March 3 before making a huge jump to the Grade 1 Florida Derby in early April. He proved that he could handle the step up in class, beating State of Honor and Gunnevera in an impressive performance. While he was the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, other contenders received more hype heading into Churchill Downs. Nevertheless, Always Dreaming’s inexperience did not hinder his performance. He has cruising speed, push-button acceleration, and outstanding closer burst.
PLACE: CLASSIC EMPIRE (3/1)
Despite being slammed at the start, Classic Empire recovered from a bad trip at the Kentucky Derby to rally midstretch. He finished off the board at fourth, but a better trip in the Preakness Stakes could lead to victory. A Mark Casse-trained thoroughbred, Classic Empire won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, finished third in the Grade 2 Holy BUll, and also was a 2-year-old champion, with victories in the Grade 1 Breedres’ Cup Juvenile and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity Stakes. The only true contender in my eyes to give Always Dreaming a race.
SHOW: CONQUEST MO MONEY (15/1)
Looking for an intriguing long shot? Conquest Mo Money has the speed to at least challenge Always Dreaming from a good pace-setting position. He contested the pace from the outset in the Arkansas Derby and almost held off Classic Empire until the end. The Arkansas Derby was Conquest Mo Money’s first start away from his New Mexico-based home at Sunland Park. In five career starts, he has three wins, two seconds and no thirds. He finished second to Hence in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby this year and then repeated the feat in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, losing to only the aforementioned Classic Empire.
The 2017 Preakness Stakes will be the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes. The event will be held Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race will be broadcast by NBC starting at 5:00PM ET, while the race is scheduled to start at 6:45PM ET. The distance is a 1 3/16 mile race, or 9.5 furlongs. The running surface is dirt and the weather in Baltimore is cloudy but dry.