QUINIX Sport News: Preakness Stakes 2025 odds, picks: Sovereignty, Journalism, Rodriguez predictions from horse racing expert

The 2025 Preakness Stakes will be contested on Saturday, May 17, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Word broke on Tuesday that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty  will sit out the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. The “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans” was first run in 1873 and it’s been the middle jewel of the Triple Crown since the term was popularized in 1923, with the exception of 2020 because of COVID-19. Sovereignty won a close battle with Journalism at the Kentucky Derby, but only one of them could be included in the 2025 Preakness Stakes field. Sovereignty outran Journalism in the final furlong and was the 8-5 favorite in the 2025 Preakness Stakes odds. However, this race is a half-furlong shorter and Journalism is now the favorite at 5-2 among the 2025 Preakness Stakes horses.

Post time is 6:50 p.m. ET and the second leg of the Triple Crown will be contested at 9 1/2 furlongs (1 3/16 miles). Before making any 2025 Preakness Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and 2025 Preakness Stakes futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling, considering his domination of Triple Crown races. 

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 10 of the last 20 Preakness winners, including 2023 when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He hit the trifecta in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and has predicted the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last seven years. Anyone who has followed those picks on sites like FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires and 1/ST BET is up huge.

Now, with the 2025 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2025 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2025 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2025 Preakness predictions, expert analysis

Will Sovereignty run in the Preakness Stakes 2025? Trainer Bill Mott was a Kentucky Derby winner with Country House in 2019, but only after Maximum Security was disqualified for making what the stewards considered an aggressive move that impeded several other horses running near him. However, Mott got the full experience of the winner’s circle with Sovereignty this year after an impressive stretch duel win over Journalism.

Sovereignty overcame an early bobble out of the starting gates when he was crowded by Chunk of Gold but eventually settled in nicely along the rail. He eventually swung wide and made his move towards the lead at the end of the final turn before outrunning Journalism in the final furlong. Tappan Street is the only horse that’s beaten him in a stakes race. Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness 2025, leaving no potential horse racing Triple Crown winner this year.

Demling just revealed his 2025 Preakness Stakes projections for Journalism, the Kentucky Derby favorite who finished a hard-fought second in the first leg of the Triple Crown. Journalism broke his maiden at Del Mar last November and then earned stakes wins at the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), San Felipe Stakes (G2) and the Santa Anita Derby (G1) to establish himself as the early Derby favorite. However, he’d never run outside of California before and only faced a field larger than five horses once.

Ultimately, he didn’t appear impacted by the travel, but the deep closer found himself in an unfamiliar spot when he made his move late. Sovereignty matched him stride for stride around the final turn and then pulled away in the final furlong. See which other 2025 Preakness Stakes horses to avoid at SportsLine.

Demling has also locked in his 2025 Preakness Stakes picks for Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby last week because of a minor injury but is expected to return to the Triple Crown trail. In that victory at the Wood Memorial, Rodriguez went wire-to-wire and outlasted fellow Kentucky Derby qualifier Grande (also scratched at Churchill Downs last week) for the win.

With a general lack of early speed among the potential 2025 Preakness Stakes contenders, the expectation is that Rodriguez will go to the front again and provide the pace. However, he hasn’t seen the type of closing speed that Sovereignty and Journalism bring to the table and his training schedule will likely be interrupted as he recovers from the foot bruise that held him out of the Derby. See whether you can trust Rodriguez at SportsLine.

One surprise: Demling is high on Clever Again, even though he’s a 12-1 longshot. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Demling told SportsLine, “Clever Again is a son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Clever Again has only made three career starts, but he had a 101 speed figure and will be a contender in the Preakness.” See which horses to back at SportsLine now.

How to make 2025 Preakness Stakes picks, bets

Demling is especially high on a huge double-digit longshot who “could be a factor” and will spice up your exotics. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2025 Preakness Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2025, and which huge double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2025 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who nailed the top three in correct order at the Kentucky Derby and nailed the last two Preakness trifectas.

2025 Preakness Stakes odds, post positions