Preakness Stakes Odds: Five Horses You Should Bet On at Pimlico

Preakness Stakes odds will be the hot play this week as the second jewel in horse racing‘s Triple Crown will be up for grabs on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Animal Kingdom was a longshot bet in the Kentucky Derby, but that didn’t stop him from taking the “Run For The Roses”. Now, how will he fare in the “Run For The Black-Eyed Susans” as a favorite? Here is Animal Kingdom and four more horses to watch on Saturday.

Animal Kingdom (+270): His closing kick at Churchill Downs wasn’t all that surprising, but still, no one expected this horse to come as it did. Horse betting players will give Animal Kingdom a long look as four horses in the last nine years have won the first jewels in the Triple Crown, and he’ll have a very good chance to become the fifth.

Mucho Macho Man (+425): This horse has finished out of the top three in only one of his nine races, and he’s probably the most balanced horse in the entire field. The Kentucky Derby was his first Grade-1 race, and he should earn some strong consideration at Pimlico as well.

Nehro (+500): Nehro finished one spot ahead of Mucho Macho Man at Churchill Downs as the two battled with Shackleford heading into the final turn, and he has now finished second in his last three races, including a pair of Grade-1 races. Like the above horse, Nehro is very balanced, but he may be a little bit better when it comes to closing.

Shackleford (+1000): If pressed for a pick, Shackleford would be the way to go after his performance at Churchill Downs, in which he finished fourth, but he led a large portion of the Kentucky Derby. Shackleford’s problem has been closing races as Dialed In (who is rated at +400 after an eighth-place run in the Derby) caught him in the Florida Derby, but he may not be exposed as badly at Pimlico, which is shorter and faster than Churchill Downs. He should be the play in your sports bookie software.

King Congie (+2000): King Congie has a very strong stable that has motivation; jockey Robby Albarado was taken off Animal Kingdom in favor of John Velazquez after breaking his nose, even though Albarado says he could have raced. He has also won the Preakness before, claiming the black-eyed Susans with Curlin’ in 2007, and his trainer Tom Albertrani won in 2006 with Bernardini. King Congie finished third in the Grade-1 Blue Grass Stakes, and even though he hasn’t raced on dirt in four races, it shouldn’t bother him too much. King Congie is definitely the darkhorse to watch in your online sports book.

Diamondbacks 4-1 Win against Dodgers

The Dodgers dropped a 4-1 decision at Dodger Stadium on Sunday as Diamondbacks legged out a betting win behind winning pitcher Ian Kennedy.

The Diamondbacks were a -115 favorite in the win in the baseball lines . The combined score dipped UNDER the total, which closed at 7.5.

Ian Kennedy earned the victory for the Diamondbacks, throwing 6 innings of work, striking out 8, walking 1, and allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run. That effort was supported by 2 RBIs from Xavier Nady in the win.

Los Angeles' starting pitcher Ted Lilly worked 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 5 in the loss. They got 3 hits from Aaron Miles in a losing cause.

The battle of the bats favored Arizona as they had 8 hits, while Los Angeles only had 6.

The game was closed out by J.J. Putz who got the final outs in the victory. He allowed 1 hit, 1 walk and fanned 1 batter to earn the save.

Next game, Arizona takes its act home to face San Diego looking for another win. For Los Angeles, they head home to face Milwaukee.

NBA Betting, Heat, Mavs Could Be Headed For 2006 Rematch

Online Preakness betting players could be in line for a rematch of sorts as Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom may have to go through a few of the same horses in order to come away with a victory in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. If you’re trying to look ahead to the NBA Finals, you may foresee a rematch of a hotly contested matchup from five years ago.

In the East, Miami has looked very impressive as they stand on the brink of putting away the defending conference champions from Boston. Simply put, the Heat are a younger, more athletic version of Boston’s Big Three, and the injury to Rajon Rondo can’t be helping the Celtics at all. Chicago hasn’t looked impressive in this postseason run, and the more you watch them, the more you wonder: how far can Derrick Rose take them? They’re having a lot of trouble with Atlanta, and while they should make it past the Hawks, those watching NBA scores know the Bulls won’t make it past Miami if they continue to play like this.

As for the West, Dallas has been, by far, the best team in the playoffs, and their four-game destruction of the two-time defending champions from Los Angeles was mind-boggling. Dirk Nowitzki looks toughened by past playoff failures, and he’s really been aided by the pickup of Tyson Chandler, who gives the Mavericks a defensive presence that they haven’t had inside in, well, ever. Memphis and Oklahoma City are staging a war in the Midwest, while the Mavericks are at home, resting up and watching out for who they will meet in the West final. The Thunder and Grizzlies may not have anything left in the tank for Dallas, especially after Monday’s triple-overtime marathon.

Even those making NFL betting picks will remember the 2006 NBA Finals, which was won by Miami, but it came with some controversy as many feel the officiating was biased towards the Heat and specifically, Dwyane Wade, who was in the process of turning himself into a superstar. The Heat also had a still-productive Shaquille O’Neal, and everyone knows about the tension between NBA commissioner David Stern and Dallas owner Mark Cuban, which added another layer to the series. The two could be on a collision course as the Mavericks would love to avenge their six-game loss, and a title for the likes of Nowitzki and Kidd would validate their greatness, although they don’t need it. On Miami’s side, the team that everyone loves to hate would quiet a lot of critics, especially LeBron James, whose “Decision” may be the single biggest story of the past year in any sport. If these two meet, it’s going to be a very hot ticket in your sports betting book.