2017 Preakness Stakes Recap

Those who like EZ Horse Betting and hope for a Triple Crown horseracing champion will have to wait for another year. The winner of the 2017 Kentucky Derby, Always Dreaming, failed to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown series. Longshot runner Cloud Computing surprised bettors by defeating a 10-horse field in the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

The race shaped up as many expected in its early stages. Always Dreaming led early while Classic Empire applied pressure, with Cloud Computing tracking the pair. As these horses squared off in the stretch run, Always Dreaming began to fade. Some had questioned the ability of the Todd Pletcher trained Derby winner heading into the Preakness. With the colt fading out of contention, it appeared that Classic Empire would live up to the expectations many had for the horse in the Kentucky Derby.

It seemed that Classic Empire had a clear path to the wire and a Preakness Stakes victory. This was not to be, however, as Cloud Computing took over the tiring leader in deep stretch to notch the win. Cloud Computing was largely unheralded coming into the Preakness Stakes and mostly ignored by bettors at the windows. This provided a nice payout for those who chose to back the horse for the win.

Coming into the Preakness Stakes, the major story was Always Dreaming. Many people had hopes that the colt would duplicate the feat of American Pharoah in 2015. American Pharoah became the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed won all three races in 1978. Jockey John Velazquez again piloted Always Dreaming in the Preakness Stakes. It has been suggested that the horse did not manage the shorter distance at Pimlico. The Preakness Stakes is the shortest of the Triple Crown series at 1 3/16 miles. The distance of the race also involves a fairly short run to the first turn in which horses must struggle for position.

The contemporary question was how the first two results would affect the Belmont. The completed series ended with Tapwrit winning that race. There is always more attention on the Belmont Stakes when the race features a horse with a chance at the Triple Crown. American Pharoah’s 2015 Triple Crown attempt drew wider attention, but this article does not establish a ranking against every televised sporting event. With no Triple Crown at stake, it is likely that the ratings for the Belmont this year will drop significantly.

Die hard horseracing fans will still attend the race and tune in on television. What will be lacking are those who typically only watch horseracing when a Triple Crown is at stake. Still, the Belmont shapes up to be an interesting race. It is expected that the race will feature horses that have competed in the previous two races as well as a variety of new shooters who are entering the series for the first time.

In today’s racing world, many trainers opt to skip the first two legs of the Triple Crown series in order to enter a fresh horse in the Belmont against tired runners who will be competing in their third race in five weeks. The travel also comes into play. Horses that compete in all three races must ship from Kentucky to Maryland and then on to New York. This kind of schedule, in addition to the grueling nature of the races themselves, can wear a horse down.

When California Chrome lost his bid at the Triple Crown to a new shooter at the Belmont, the loss prompted a tirade from one of Chrome’s owners on live television. The owner claimed that horses should not be allowed to compete in the Belmont Stakes unless they had raced in the previous two events. It is the presence of the new horses, however, that makes the Belmont Stakes a good betting race for handicappers.

If you like the thrill of EZ Horse Betting, why not register an account with Twin Spires today. You’ll be able to access a vast library of race replays and free past performances. You can also receive generous sign up bonuses when you create an account and make your first deposit.

• Betting Guide for 2021 Preakness Stakes

Betting Lessons from the 2017 Preakness

The 2017 Preakness Stakes, won by Cloud Computing at generous odds over Classic Empire, provided a textbook example of how the fresh horse angle can produce substantial betting value in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Cloud Computing, trained by Chad Brown, had skipped the Kentucky Derby entirely and was pointed directly to the Preakness — arriving fresh while Always Dreaming, the Derby winner, had the cumulative demands of both prep races and the Derby itself in his legs.

The market made Always Dreaming a strong favorite, but the result alone does not prove that it failed to account for a fitness or freshness difference that Cloud Computing’s lighter preparation provided. Bettors who applied the fresh horse framework systematically — noting that Cloud Computing was meeting the field on equal or better terms from a preparation standpoint despite the perception that Derby winners deserve favouritism — found the value that the race ultimately provided. Skipping the Derby can be relevant to preparation, but one result does not establish a consistent profitable angle. Compare the full sample, prices and race conditions, including cases where a Derby runner succeeds. For more on Preakness betting strategy, our articles on Preakness betting guide and the key to winning Triple Crown bets cover the key patterns. And our 2022 Preakness Stakes recap provides more recent context.

The finish and the later series

Cloud Computing’s preparation differs from Always Dreaming’s, but a fresher schedule is a hypothesis to examine rather than a guarantee. A winning selection at a generous price can still be difficult to identify beforehand. Keep pre-race reasoning separate from explanations developed after the finish, and compare both winners and losers when testing an angle.