Open in App
  • Local
  • U.S.
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Real Estate
  • Newsletter
  • Yardbarker

    Horse racing best bets: Should you back this horse instead of Mystik Dan at the Preakness Stakes?

    By Chelena Goldman,

    11 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Q4MFZ_0stdudMU00

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0uSHk8_0stdudMU00
    Jockey Tyler Gaffalione on Sierra Leone, left, puts his hand and whip on Forever Young with jockey Ryusei Sakai aboard as the two drive down the stretch to catch Mystik Dan with jockey Brian J. Hernandez. Mystik Dan won the 2024 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.

    There is a lot of excitement in the racing world following the 2024 Kentucky Derby, which will have fans and avid bettors alike looking forward to the Preakness Stakes in just a few weeks.

    This year's Run For the Roses saw 18-1 long shot Mystik Dan win by a nose, and while Mystik Dan has not yet been officially committed to running the Preakness, his projected participation at Pimlico Race Course means there is a chance there will be a Triple Crown winner this year.

    With CBS Sports already listing Mystik Dan at favorable 5-1 odds, you may be tempted to go ahead and back him to pull off another miraculous win. However, oddsmakers and betting experts have their sights set on another three-year-old colt heading into the second big race of the spring.

    Should you back this horse instead of Mystik Dan when you place your Preakness Stakes bets?

    Enter Muth, the current betting favorite in the Preakness Stakes odds at 11-10 (or +110).

    While this horse may not have the spotlight of the Kentucky Derby on him, he already has the attention of experts who watched him win the Grade 1 2024 Arkansas Derby over Mystik Dan. In fact, Muth won that race handily while the eventual Derby winner finished third.

    "Muth is not only the fastest horse among the Preakness Stakes probables but also the freshest," Horse Racing Nation said. "It's a potent combination that makes him by far the most likely winner of the second jewel of American Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown."

    While the talent is clearly on display, Muth also has a background that makes him a polarizing pick in the Preakness Stakes odds: He is trained by Bob Baffert.

    Baffert is the reason Muth didn't race at the Kentucky Derby. He has been suspended from Churchill Downs since 2021 after Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test and was stripped of the honor. (His suspension has actually been extended , but that's a whole other story.) That hasn't stopped Baffert from racing horses at other tracks, however, and he got his eighth Preakness win in 2023 with National Treasure.

    Baffert has two horses running in the Preakness and his other submission, Imagination, is listed just behind Mystik Dan at 5-1 odds. His polarizing history may sway fans and bettors, but there's no denying his horse is favored this year given his resume.

    There is no doubt that casual racing fans will want to back Mystik Dan to win the Preakness Stakes and get one step closer to winning the Triple Crown. However, it's easy to see why Muth is the betting favorite on the odds board — regardless of how controversial his trainer is.

    The Preakness Stakes will take place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, May 18.

    Expand All
    Comments / 0
    Add a Comment
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
    Local Louisville, KY newsLocal Louisville, KY
    Most Popular newsMost Popular

    Comments / 0