2025 Preakness Odds, Post Positions, Trainers, Jockeys and Betting Prediction

Sean Treppedi | May 14, 2025

Sandman enters the 2025 Preakness Stakes with 4-1 odds to win. / Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The middle jewel of the Triple Crown is here as post positions have been set for the 2025 Preakness Stakes.

Here’s a full rundown of the field at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 1, 2025 — including each horse’s odds and starting gate:

Preakness Stakes Odds and Pole Positions

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Horse	Odds	Jockey	Pole Position
Journalism	8-5	Umberto Rispoli	No. 2
Sandman	4-1	John Velazquez	No. 7
River Thames	9-2	Irad Ortiz Jr.	No. 6
Clever Again	5-1	Jose Ortiz	No. 8
Goal Oriented	6-1	Flavien Prat	No. 1
Heart of Honor	12-1	Saffie Osborne	No. 4
American Promise	15-1	Nik Juarez	No. 3
Pay Billy	20-1	Raul Mena	No. 5
Gosger	20-1	Luis Saez	No. 9

Journalism Set as Betting Favorite... Again

Journalism enters the 2025 Preakness Stakes as the clear favorite at 8-5, looking to rebound after a determined second-place finish in a muddy Kentucky Derby where he entered at 7-2. 

With Derby winner Sovereignty skipping the race, Journalism now has a clear path and a prime post position (No. 2) to deliver a clean, tactical trip. 

Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the colt has the resume to bring it home, having secured wins in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby. With a smaller field and shorter distance, his grit makes him well-positioned to claim redemption for his first Triple Crown race after falling just a length short two weeks prior.

2025 Preakness Stakes Prediction and Pick

Clever Again has all the makings of a Preakness Stakes winner — and at 5-1 odds, he offers outstanding value in a wide-open field. With a projected neutral pace and few true speedsters in the lineup, Clever Again’s front-running style provides him a significant tactical edge, especially with Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, sitting this one out. Drawing from the outside, he can break cleanly and either set or press the pace without traffic trouble, a crucial factor to achieve success at Pimlico.

His pedigree is elite: his sire is 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and his dam is a mare of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Galileo. So, Clever Again is bred for both speed and stamina—ideal for the 1 3/16-mile distance. 

He's already proven he can handle stakes company, romping to a four-length win in the Hot Springs Stakes over a Grade 1 winner, earning a top Equibase speed figure of 108. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and ridden by top jockey Jose Ortiz, he enters the race with momentum, having recorded impressive recent workouts at Churchill Downs.

Clever Again has never finished worse than second in three career starts and has been specifically pointed to this race. While Journalism will take the betting spotlight, recent Preakness trends favor speed horses over closers and longshots over favorites. Besides, a betting favorite hasn’t won the Preakness since 2018. 

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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