Preakness Stakes betting will feature a number of high profile trainers. When you are wagering on Preakness Stakes odds how much stock do you put into who trains the horse? How important a factor is the trainer?
Preakness Stakes betting history has shown that some trainers have more success than others in the race. That doesn’t mean the odds will be affected though as normally the winner of the Kentucky Derby is the favored horse in the Preakness. Some trainers have had some success in the Preakness though. Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas have been the most successful trainers in the Preakness in terms of wins. A little fact to remember though is that Lukas has had a lot of starters and his win percentage is really not that good. Baffert’s winning percentage in this race is far better so he is automatically a trainer to consider in the Preakness.
It used to be that you might want to consider a trainer that is based in Maryland because they know the Pimlico track but that is really not thecase anymore. Maryland is simply not a place for top horses or trainers and Pimlico only exists now because of the Preakness.
In the Kentucky Derby the story for many years was the lack of success for trainer Todd Pletcher. In the Preakness the trainer that has struggled is Nick Zito. He has had a lot of starters in the race but only one win. He simply has had all kinds of trouble in the Preakness.
The trainer with the most recent success in Preakness Stakes betting is Steve Asmussen as he has won two of the last three races. He won with Rachel Alexandra last year and with Curlin two years ago. A big name trainer has not won this race since Baffert won in 2002 with War Emblem.
Trainers are a factor to consider as you handicap Preakness Stakes odds. They are not the only factor though. It helps if the horse you like is trainers by Baffert but that does not guarantee a win. You might want to downgrade the chances of a Nick Zito horse though simply because he has been so awful in this race throughout the years. As with any factor though, it is not the end all and should be used in combination with others to find the winner of the race.