2019 Preakness Stakes Odds: War of Will Can Turn Tables

An area of 13 will line up in the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico, and while there is no Triple Crown bid hanging in the balance, it’s a wide-open betting race.
With Kentucky Derby winner Nation House nursing a cough, and the disqualified Maximum Security within his barn waiting for a race after this summer, Improbable is the early betting favorite for the second jewel of the Triple Crown in +250 at BetOnline.
The colt crossed the wire fifth in the Kentucky Derby, moved up to fourth after the disqualification of Maximum Security. Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert is seeking a record eighth win in the Preakness and third in the previous five decades.
Here is a glance at my top three options for your race:
War of Will (+400)
The colt took the worst of it at the bumping incident at the 5/16th’s in the Kentucky Derby. Maximum Security veered in opening a chain reaction. It looked for a second as if the colt would go down, but jockey Tyler Gaffalione righted his bracket and it seemed like he would proceed, but instead he weakened to complete eighth while defeated 4??1/2 lengths.
He may have come into the race a little short. He just did not fire in the Louisiana Derby (G2) in his final preparation, assessing in ninth and defeated 12 lengths at 4-5. He had won the Risen Star (G2) and LeComte (G3) in his first two starts of the year. He also mixed it up in graded stakes while a maiden this past year, running second at the Summer (G1) in his second career start and was only beaten 3??1/2 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) when fifth.
The colt has seemed great in the evenings because the Derby and that he must be ready for a top campaign here.
Bourbon War (+600)
The colt adds blinkers and makes his first start since a fourth in the Florida Derby (G1). He got no pace to run at that day as Maximum Security managed to spend the area gate to wire on a fairly easy lead. That race seems great now that the winner crossed the wire first at the Derby and third place finisher Code of Honor came back to operate third and put next.
The colt has not yet run fast enough to win but seems like sitting on a great one. His career best number came back at the Fountain of Youth (G2) where he left a good late rally to complete the runner up spot, beaten 3/4 of a span by Code of Honor. The third-place finisher in that race has been Vekoma, who won the Blue Grass (G2) following while fifth place finisher Global Campaign won the Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont Park in his next outing.
The $410,000 Keeneland purchase has enough pedigree to take care of the extra ground. He is by Tapit out of their stakes winner My Conquestadory ($502,526), the winner of this Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland in 2013. It seems as though the pace should be honest and that should put things up for him.
Improbable (+250)
The Baffert trainee stalked the early pace in the slop from the Derby, had to wait for a running room briefly dropping a spot or two on the far turn and had a clear route from the stretch but could only make a mild bid to finish fifth (placed fourth), beaten 3??1/4 lengths.
The colt is now 0 3 this year and snapped a six-race winning streak for the Kentucky Derby favorite. Nobody is better at bringing runners back in two weeks in the Derby into the Preakness compared to Baffert. As an additional and this colt picks up Mike Smith from the irons. He is a logical threat with his best, but his price may end up on the light side.
Wagering on the Race I am going to play an exacta and trifecta with War Will and Bourbon War on top of Improbable, Anothertwistoffate and Owendale.
Handicapper Michael Dempsey will soon be covering the Triple Crown for OddsShark and his full card reports with choices, evaluation, fair odds line and wagering recommendations for important tracks can be found every day at turfnsport.com.