Who Finishes Second? Here’s Why it Matters

On the eve of Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, we pose this question.

Who says “nobody remembers who finishes second,”?

Certainly not us at HorseRacingFLA, when it comes to the Triple Crown races since 2014.

We can rattle off the names because we made money on horses at 10-1 or higher that finished second in each of the last three runnings of the Preakness, and in the Kentucky Derby in 2014 and this year.

In the first four of those races we had the winning exacta. In this year’s Kentucky Derby, run on May 6, we put money down and in our published selections recommended Show bets and higher on Lookin at Lee who finished second at 33-1.

Our other long shot second place finishers were:
2014 Kentucky Derby – Commanding Curve, 37-1

2014 Preakness – Ride on Curlin, 10-1

2015 Preakness – Tale of Verve, 28-1

2016 Preakness – Cherry Wine 17-1

Our suggested bets made money in each of the last three runnings of the Preakness. Our combined return on investment (profit) was 51 percent.

This evening, we are starting our serious phase of handicapping for the Preakness (Grade 1).  Post time for the race tomorrow is 6:45 p.m. Eastern at Pimlico in Baltimore.

We probably will pick Always Dreaming to win—just as we correctly suggested betting on him to win the Kentucky Derby.

We are looking for a long shot or two to include an exacta box and in the second spot in an exacta part wheel.  Those we will consider are Hence, Conquest Mo Money and Multiplier.

There was a downpour late this afternoon at Pimlico.  But clear skies are forecast for tomorrow afternoon.

We will factor in the weather—along with the likely pace scenario, post positions and reports we are reading and hearing about which horses might be fresh and which horses might be tired. We also will consider the records of trainers in the Preakness and in other big races.

Check back in with HorseRacingFLA at 11:00 p.m. Eastern tonight, when we will post our next handicapping article.

At approximately 2:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, we will publish our Preakness bets on this Web site and on our blog which can be accessed on the menu bar at the top of the home page of this Web site.
In our next article, we will have details about why and how we featured Ride on Curlin, Tale of Verve and Cherry Wine in our Preakness bets. And we will point out how some of those lessons might apply late Saturday afternoon.

So, join us in reading the Past Performances and charts, watching replays and comparing notes with other racing fans. Of course, we are not a wagering or betting site – our information and recommedations are FREE.

Then, take the final step in making your picks — Use the Force.