Biggest Preakness Favorites

Biggest Preakness Favorites
Biggest Preakness Favorites /

Biggest Preakness Favorites

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom
Eclipse/ZUMAPRESS.com

After winning the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom entered the Preakness as the early 2-1 favorite. He closed fast at the finish but placed second to Shackleford. How have other odds-on favorites fared at Pimlico over the past 35 years? SI.com takes a look.

Big Brown

Big Brown
Bill Frakes/SI

2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown entered the Preakness as a heavy 1-2 favorite and didn't disappoint. The three-year-old stunned the field with a 5 1/4-length victory, and it looked like he could have won by much more.

Barbaro

Barbaro
Bill Frakes/SI

After a win in the Kentucky Derby, Barbaro was a 1-to-2 favorite to win the Preakness. He finished ninth and suffered a career-ending and eventually life-ending injury on the track.

Smarty Jones

Smarty Jones
Bill Frakes/SI

The closest to a Triple Crown winner since Spectacular Bid in 1979, Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones won the Preakness too. With odds in his favor to win the Belmont, Smarty lost to a 36-to-1 longshot.

Fusaichi Pegasus

Fusaichi Pegasus
Bill Frakes/SI

A 3-to-10 favorite after winning the Kentucky Derby, Fusaichi Pegasus (center) finished second to Red Bullet (right) in the Preakness.

Easy Goer

Easy Goer
AP

Easy Goer may have taken second in the Derby, but oddsmakers gave him 3-to-5 odds at the Preakness. He finished second there too, behind Sunday Silence.

Swale

Swale
Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

A tough son of 1977 Derby and Preakness winner Seattle Slew, Swale was an 8-to-10 favorite to win the Preakness after a victorious Derby run. He came in seventh as Gate Dancer came away with the win.

Spectacular Bid

Spectacular Bid
Jerry Cooke/SI

Derby winner and SI coverboy Spectacular Bid was a 1-to-10 favorite before winning the Preakness.

Affirmed

Affirmed
AP

Not only did Affirmed come through with a Preakness win, but also a Belmont victory to complete the Triple Crown.

Seattle Slew

Seattle Slew
Jerry Cooke/SI

A 2-to-5 favorite, Seattle Slew won the Preakness on his way to winning the Triple Crown.

Secretariat

Secretariat
Neil Leifer/SI

Secretariat came through on 3-to-10 odds to win the Preakness en route to becoming the first Triple Crown winner since 1948.


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