Preakness Future Wager pool opens Friday

Wagering on a futures bet for the May 17 Preakness Stakes will open on Friday, April 25, and close just prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3, the administrators of the pool announced on Wednesday.

The future bet will include 40 entries – 39 individual horses and a final entry including “all other” 3-year-olds. The minimum bet will be $2, and only win betting will be offered. The takeout is18 percent.

This is the third year in a row for the Preakness Future Wager, which is modeled after the Kentucky Derby future bet pools that have been offered for two decades.

The morning-line favorite for the Preakness pool is Journalism, the 5-2 Derby favorite on the line set by Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona. Horses that win the Derby generally run in the Preakness, while many Derby also-rans increasingly end up skipping the race.

Two horses that do not currently have enough points to get into the Derby field have morning-line odds reflecting their secondary goals of running in the Preakness. Baeza, second in the Santa Anita Derby, is listed at 12-1, and Cornucopian, fourth as the favorite in the Arkansas Derby, is listed at 10-1.

The Preakness pool officially closes at 6 p.m. Eastern on May 3. Post time for the Derby is listed as 6:57 p.m.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.