Newly elected Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario will attempt to end his winless drought when he leaves the starting gate aboard Just Steel in the 2024 Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Three weeks ago, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame announced that Rosario, 39, had been elected as part of a nine-member 2024 class. Rosario has won more than 3,600 races in his career, but is 0-for-9 in the Preakness. In the Preakness Stakes 2024, Rosario will ride Just Steel, who is a 12-1 longshot in the current 2024 Preakness Stakes odds to win. Meanwhile Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is the 8-5 favorite among the 2024 Preakness Stakes horses.
Post time for the second leg of the Triple Crown is 7:01 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Santa Anita Park-based racing reporter and analyst Michelle Yu has to say before making any 2024 Preakness Stakes picks, considering the success she's had picking the Preakness the last two years.
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 two years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won the Derby.
Last year she crushed the Saudi Cup, riding 15-1 winner Panthalassa. She also smashed the Haskell Stakes for a $663 score, hitting 12-1 winner Geaux Rocket Ride as well as the exacta. Those were just two of her scores in 2023.
She enters this year's Preakness Stakes on a roll. She correctly called National Treasure to win the Pegasus World Cup. In the last two months, she predicted Stronghold's upset win in the Santa Anita Derby, en route to a $219.50 payday, and smashed the exacta in the Apple Blossom Handicap as part of a $410 score.
Most importantly, she has had a read on the Preakness the last two years. She hit the exacta in both 2022 (Early Voting over Epicenter) and last year (National Treasure over Blazing Sevens).
For the second leg of the Triple Crown, Yu has handicapped the 2024 Preakness Stakes lineup, made her picks and constructed her best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu is high on the chances of double-digit longshot Just Steel. The 12-1 longshot is one of the fastest horses in the 2024 Preakness Stakes field based on speed figures. His career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 95 is tied for the fourth best in the 2024 Preakness Stakes lineup, behind only Mystik Dan (101), Catching Freedom (97) and Imagination (96).
Yu is expecting Just Steel to stalk the pace in the Preakness and not press the pace like he did two weeks ago when he finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby. "Just Steel should get a better trip [in the Preakness]," Yu told SportsLine. "I will use him underneath [in my wagers] again." You can see all of Yu's 2024 Preakness Stakes bets here.
How to make 2024 Preakness Stakes picks
Moreover, Yu's top pick is a longshot who "should get a cozy trip." She is including this horse in her 2024 Preakness Stakes bets, and so should you. She's also sharing her shocking prediction for Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. She's sharing which 2024 Preakness Stakes horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2024 Preakness Stakes? Where does Mystik Dan finish? And how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the Santa Anita Park-based racing insider who has hit the exacta in the Preakness Stakes the last two years, and find out.
2024 Preakness Stakes odds, contenders
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mugatu | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Uncle Heavy | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Catching Freedom | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Muth | SCR | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Mystik Dan | 5-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Seize the Grey | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Just Steel | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Tuscan Gold | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Imagination | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
