Preakness Stakes betting includes Kentucky Derby third place finisher Paddy O’Prado. The horse will not be the favorite in Preakness Stakes odds but he will get some attention based on his third-place finish in the Derby. With a good trip it is possible that Paddy O’Prado could be a factor on Saturday.
Preakness Stakes betting favors Derby winner Super Saver at odds of about 5-2. Paddy O’Prado will be one of the other 13 horses taking a shot at Super Saver in the Preakness. Paddy O’Prado is owned by a group that includes many who are from the state of Iowa. The horse worked well this past week and the horse was confirmed for the Preakness. “I don’t think the work could have gone any better,” said Jerry Crawford, managing partner of Donegal Racing. “It’s consistent with what they’ve been seeing every day. I’ve gotten a unanimous recommendation that the horse looks to be moving forward and we should send him to the Preakness.”
The owners were looking at skipping the Preakness and running in the Belmont but trainer Dale Romans said the horse was working well. Crawford was the one that made the final decision though. “My original thought was because he had raced three weeks before the Derby in the (April 10) Blue Grass Stakes was that he would need some rest and we would point for the Belmont,” Crawford said. “But it’s just as clear as it can be that he’s fine. I think he’ll run big in the Preakness. I have to honestly say that I’m more excited about this than I was for the Derby. I know that we have a Triple Crown-caliber horse.”
Super Saver was able to hold off Paddy O’Prado in the Kentucky Derby but Crawford believes that with a better trip in the Preakness, his horse can win in Preakness Stakes betting. “That’s absolutely the goal,” Crawford said. “We have a bronze trophy in the Triple Crown, we’re a little more ambitious in the next one.”
Paddy O’Prado was looking like a sure winner in the Blue Grass last month before tiring in the stretch. The same thing happened to the horse in the Kentucky Derby when Super Saver beat him. The question for anyone backing Paddy O’Prado in Preakness Stakes odds will be whether or not the horse will tire in the stretch yet again.