Race books are favoring Justify, the winner of the 2018 Kentucky Derby, to win the Preakness Stakes this evening at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
The horse, trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, is enjoying heavy odds, currently sitting at 1-2 in the No. 7 position. He hasn’t had a winner at the Preakness since American Pharaoh captured the Triple Crown in 2015. With jockey Victor Espinoza urging him on, American Pharaoh broke a nearly 30-year drought in horse racing, becoming the first horse to capture the glory since Affirmed did so in 1978 with Steve Cauthen aboard.
The horse racing world will see if Justify can come one race closer to the Triple Crown at 6:48 p.m. Eastern, the official post time, as reported by the New York Times . Jockey Mike Smith will ride the chestnut brown 3-year-old. Smith, 52, is a Hall of Fame jockey and is seeking his second-career Preakness win, his first coming in 1993 riding Prairie Bayou.
“Last year, Smith won an astonishing 15 Grade 1 races, the most since he won 20 back in 1994. Of those, nine were with Baffert trainees, a partnership that really blossomed in 2016 when Smith rode Arrogate to wins in the Travers and Breeders’ Cup Classic,” USA Today reports .
A big #BWI welcome to Justify! Several horses for the @PreaknessStakes arrived this afternoon, headed for @PimlicoRC . #MDOTnews #PreaknessStakes #Justify #AirHorseOne pic.twitter.com/AxjddvpkCV
— BWI Marshall Airport (@BWI_Airport) May 16, 2018
Baffert, himself a legend in horse racing, has not been shy about how much faith he has in Justify, heading into the Preakness. In fact, as the Inquisitr previously reported, he recently compared the WinStar Racing-owned colt to the current king of the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James. When asked by TMZ to compare Justify to American Pharaoh, Baffert said, “Oh, he’s up there with him, yeah. Outstanding horse.”
“He looks like LeBron. He’s big, powerful, athletic, fast. Very rare. Very rare. He’s a beast.”
While the odds will still fluctuate up until betting closes, Justify is the clear favorite, heading into the second leg of the Triple Crown.
| Program Number | Horse Owner | Weight Trainer | M/L Odds Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QUIP
WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International Ltd. and SF Racing LLC |
126
Rodolphe Brisset |
12/1
Florent Geroux |
– |
| 2 | LONE SAILOR
G M B Racing |
126
Thomas Amoss |
15/1
Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
– |
| 3 | SPORTING CHANCE
Baker, Robert C. and Mack, William L. |
126
D. Lukas |
30/1
Luis Contreras |
– |
| 4 | DIAMOND KING
Cash is King LLC, D. J. Stable LLC and LC Racing LLC |
126
John Servis |
30/1
Javier Castellano |
– |
| 5 | GOOD MAGIC
Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables LLC |
126
Chad Brown |
3/1
Jose Ortiz |
– |
| 6 | TENFOLD
Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC |
126
Steven Asmussen |
20/1
Ricardo Santana, Jr. |
– |
| 7 | JUSTIFY
China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, WinStar Farm |
126
Bob Baffert |
1/2
Mike Smith |
– |
| 8 | BRAVAZO
Calumet Farm |
126
D. Lukas |
20/1
Luis Saez |
– |
