Kentucky Derby winner Mage will try to win his second race in two weeks when he faces a seven-horse 2023 Preakness Stakes field on Saturday. Mage is the 8-5 favorite in the 2023 Preakness Stakes odds, but he will have to deal with other 2023 Preakness Stakes horses such as National Treasure (4-1) and Blazing Sevens (6-1). Which horses should you include in your 2023 Preakness Stakes bets? Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who just wrapped up a two-year suspension, is back in the Triple Crown series with National Treasure at Preakness Stakes 148. He will try to keep Mage from winning the second jewel of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.
The 2023 Preakness Stakes post time is 7:01 p.m. ET. With several new horses taking their shot at the Kentucky Derby winner, you'll want to see what racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2023 Preakness Stakes picks, considering she nailed the exacta in this race last year.
Few people in racing are as well-connected as Yu. An on-air host and reporter who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, Yu has spent a lifetime in racing. Prior to her television career, she worked for trainers Steve Asmussen and Ron Moquett. She also is married to Santa Anita-based trainer Ryan Hanson.
Yu also has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager last year, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby. And in last year's Preakness Stakes she had the Early Voting-Epicenter exacta.
Since the end of February, she has crushed the Saudi Cup, riding a 15-1 winner, nailed Derma Sotogake to win the UAE Derby and hit the exacta in the Santa Anita Derby.
Now, Yu has handicapped the 2023 Preakness Stakes odds, made her picks and constructed her 2023 Preakness Stakes bets. Click here to see them.
Top 2023 Preakness Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu is completely tossing Blazing Sevens, even though he is trained by two-time Preakness Stakes-winning trainer. Trainer Chad Brown decided to hold Blazing Sevens out of the Kentucky Derby to focus on the Preakness Stakes 2023. Brown used the same strategy when he won the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing and the 2022 Preakness with Early Voting.
However, the same trainer has not won the Preakness two years in a row since Bob Baffert in 2001 and 2002. Blazing Sevens finished a disappointing third in the Blue Grass Stakes after coming in eighth in the Fountain of Youth. He has gone winless since last fall and needs to add multiple points to his speed figure to contend on Saturday, so Yu is going in a different direction with her 2023 Preakness Stakes bets. See which 2023 Preakness Stakes horses Yu is backing at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Instead, Yu's top pick is a horse who should get a "clean trip" on Saturday. She also is high on a horse who drew the perfect post for his running style. She's sharing which 2023 Preakness horses to back only at SportsLine.
So what horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2023, and which horse drew the perfect post? See the latest 2023 Preakness Stakes odds below and then visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the insider who nailed last year's exacta, and find out.
2023 Preakness Stakes odds, horses, post positions
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Treasure | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Chase the Chaos | 50-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Mage | 8-5 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Coffeewithchris | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Red Route One | 10-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Perform | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Blazing Sevens | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | First Mission | SCR |
