Preakness Stakes sets handle record

Wagering on the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday was a record $61.97 million, according to a chart of the race, with unusually sharp handle gains for exotic bets like the trifecta, superfecta, and super hi-5.

The handle total, which included all of the horizontal bets in the race, was up $600,000 over the previous record for the Preakness, set in 2016, and up 2.9 percent over last year. This year, eight horses ran in the Preakness, including the one-two finishers in the Kentucky Derby, Justify and Good Magic, compared with 10 horses last year.

The Preakness betting record was part of an unusually strong 14-race card considering the wet conditions and the absence of large, competitive fields. The average field size was a measly 6.6 horses, down 2.3 horses from last year’s card, yet total handle was $93.66 million, third-best all time for a Preakness card.

Though betting was down in every multileg pool ending in the Preakness with the exception of the pick six – as would be expected on a day with short fields – handle on the trifecta was up 10.9 percent, handle on the superfecta was up 26.5 percent, and handle on the super hi-5 was up 51.7 percent, according to charts of this year’s and last year’s races. Meanwhile, handle in the straight pools was down 2.0 percent, and handle on the exacta was down 7.2 percent.

Justify, who won the race, was 2-5, while Good Magic, who finished fourth, was the second choice at 3.90-1. Second-place finisher Bravazo was 15-1, and third-place finisher Tenfold was 26-1.

The Preakness was run on a sloppy track that had been sealed. Heavy rain fell throughout the week at Pimlico and for most of the card Saturday, leading to scratches that reduced fields. Two races had four-horse fields, and one had a five-horse field.

Pimlico reported attendance of 134,487, the third-largest crowd in track history.

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