2023 Preakness Stakes Picks, Best Bets & Predictions For Pimlico

By Adam Thompson Mar 14th, 2024 7:22 AM EDT

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Bookies.com handicapper Adam Thompson has been crushing horse racing the last two years. If you bet $5 on the picks for the 2021 TVG Pacific Classic, your account would be $232 fatter. 

That’s just the latest in a string of horse racing betting success for Thompson, who won $480 on a $10 wager at the 2021 Preakness Stakes and hit the exacta at the Belmont Stakes last year, taking $75 on a $10 bet.

Now he has set his sights on the 2023 Preakness Stakes. The eight-horse field goes to post at 7:01 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20. 

Two weeks ago, Thompson just missed on a big payday for the Derby but crushed six of the seven other races Saturday and nailed a massive 42/1 Exacta Box on Friday to finish up huge on the weekend. 

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2023 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

Saturday, May 20| 7:01 p.m. ET | NBC

After a 23-horse field thrilled at the Kentucky Derby, just seven horses will line up for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Fortunately, one of them was the Derby winner. 

MAGE (#3, 8-5 morning line odds) had morning horse racing odds of 16-1 at the Derby but finished strong for the historic win. The horse won’t sneak up on anyone here though, coming in as the favorite in the latest Preakness Stakes odds on sports betting apps. 

If Mage runs as he did at the Derby, he will be very difficult to beat. I believe he will, and he’s my pick to win the Preakness – as dull as that might be. 

Picking the winner is just part of the fun for horse racing, however, and there are other horses to like and to include in our tickets for Saturday. 

NATIONAL TREASURE (#1, 4-1) is the hope for Bob Baffert as he looks for his record-breaking eighth Preakness win. Legendary jockey John Velazquez will be on the horse, which has yet to prove itself to be a true champion yet. Few horses can match his “strength of schedule,” and he’s finished no worse than fourth, ever. It’s our favorite non-favorite to win. 

With such a small field, it’s tough to find a gem worth backing big. But there are a few worth seasoning for the exotics. With all good picks, one must fade a contender, and for us that’s RED ROUTE ONE (#5, 10-1), who is 0-for-6 in graded stakes races, with half of those times finishing out of the top three entirely. 

Here’s how we’re betting the race; you can lay out your bet at TwinSpires racing bookand on their sports betting app.

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Preakness Stakes Picks

$10 To Win: 3 ($10)

$4 Exacta Box: 1,3,7 ($24)

$.50 Trifecta: 1,3 with 1,2,3,4,7 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($16)

$.20 Superfecta: 1,3 with 1,2,3,4,7 with 1,2,3,4,7 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($20)

Adam Thompson’s Pimlico Park Saturday Picks

Race 1: Win: 10; Exacta Box: 1,3,10

Race 2: Win: 3; Exacta Box: 3,5,6

Race 3: Win: 10

Race 4: Exacta Box: 3,4,6; Trifecta Box: 3,4,6

Race 5: Win: 6; Exacta Box: 4,5,6,10; Trifecta Box: 4,5,6,10

Race 6: Win: 1; Exacta: 1,5 with 1,2,3,5

Race 7: Win: 5; Exacta Box: 2,5,7

Race 8: Win: 1; Exacta: 1 with 2,4,7

Race 9: Win: 2; Exacta Box: 2,3,6

Race 10: Exacta Box: 1,3,10

Race 11: Exacta Box: 7,8,10

Race 12: Exacta Box: 1,5,9

Race 13 (PREAKNESS): Win: 3; Exacta Box: 1,3,7; Trifecta: 1,3 with 1,2,3,4,7 with 1,2,3,4,7

Race 14: Trifecta Box: 3,5,7,9

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About the Author

Adam Thompson

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Long established as one of the nation's premier handicappers, Adam Thompson joined Bookies.com in 2019 after a successful run as senior handicapper for SportsLine & CBSSports.com. He specializes in the NFL and MLB, where he's hit on well over 60% of his picks the past five years. Adam's NBA and horse racing picks have also produced consistent, major winners over the years.