Legendary trainer Bob Baffert won't be in attendance at the 2021 Preakness Stakes on Saturday after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test. He can still, however, make history if either of his 2021 Preakness Stakes horses, Medina Spirit or Concert Tour, wins. That would give Baffert eight Preakness victories, more than any other trainer. A Preakness Stakes 2021 win for Baffert would also give him three champions in the past seven years after American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) also won at Pimlico. Post time is 6:47 p.m. ET on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, and Medina Spirit is the 9-5 morning line favorite in the 2021 Preakness Stakes odds. With so much to consider while making your 2021 Preakness Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.

Justify, American Pharoah, California Chrome and I'll Have Another are among the recent horses who helped cement their legacies at the Preakness, but the second jewel of the 2021 Triple Crown schedule has also seen its fair share of surprises. In 2013, for example, Oxbow came to Pimlico as a 15-1 long shot after failing to hit the board at the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier. The pace was slow that day and the D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt stunned onlookers with a win in 1:57.94. It was just one of just two graded-stakes victories in his career and served as a reminder that anything can happen in this shorter 1 3/16-mile race.

Given all the history, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta, and superfecta bets in a Preakness Stakes like this, and SportsLine's Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2021 Preakness Stakes picks possible.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the Preakness Stakes 2021 after a major heater in 2020. At one point last year, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.

This is the same handicapper who has called the Preakness winner nine times in the last 16 years. In last year's Preakness Stakes, Demling nailed the Swiss Skydiver-Authentic exacta. He also correctly faded 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic in the Preakness a year ago, saying "it's a lot to ask to come back after that performance in the Derby less than a month ago."

He opened last season's Triple Crown schedule on a heater too. At last year's Belmont, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg's horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. Anyone who has followed him is up huge. Now, he's sharing all of his 2021 Preakness Stakes bets here.

Top 2021 Preakness Stakes expert picks

Here's a refresher on how to bet the Preakness 2021 from SportsLine's Jody Demling: 

Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $75.60 at the 2020 Preakness Stakes with Swiss Skydiver and Authentic.

Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $0.50 trifecta returned $602.85 at the 2020 Preakness Stakes with Swiss Skydiver, Authentic and Jesus' Team.

Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $0.10 superfecta returned $503.50 at the 2020 Preakness Stakes with Swiss Skydiver, Authentic, Jesus' Team and Art Collector. 

While Demling has no quibbles with the favorite status of Medina Spirit (9-5), he plans to hold tickets with Concert Tour (5-2), as well as several huge underdogs who could really spice up the payouts. You can see his picks here.

How to make 2021 Preakness Stakes bets

Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Preakness Stakes 2021. He's sharing them over at SportsLine. 

So which horses do you take? And in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2021 Preakness Stakes.