The second leg of the horse racing Triple Crown will take place Saturday when Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore hosts the 2024 Preakness Stakes. Mystik Dan continues his quest to become the 14th horse to capture the Triple Crown after winning the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. His road to glory was made clearer on Wednesday, when 8-5 morning-line favorite Muth was scratched due to a fever. Mystik Dan is now 8-5 in the current 2024 Preakness Stakes odds. Catching Freedom is 7-2, Imagination is 3-1, and Tuscan Gold rounds out the top four in the eight-horse 2024 Preakness Stakes field at 9-2.
Post time for the second leg of the Triple Crown is 7:01 p.m. ET. With an accomplished field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what SportsLine writer Gene Menez has to say before making any Preakness Stakes picks or horse racing predictions, given the success he had in last year's race.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet.
In a span of seven races last year for SportsLine, he cashed the winner of the Lecomte Stakes, the exacta in the Southwest Stakes, the winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, the winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley Stakes. Most importantly, he correctly called National Treasure to win last year's Preakness.
For Saturday, Menez has handicapped the 2024 Preakness Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions
One surprise: Menez is completely tossing Mystik Dan, even though he is the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness 2024 favorite. The colt helped trainer Ken McPeek complete his personal Triple Crown when he edged Sierra Leone by a nose at Churchill Downs earlier this month. McPeek won the Belmont Stakes in 2002 with Sarava and prepared Swiss Skydiver for his victory in the Preakness four years ago.
McPeek has been faced with the difficult task of getting Mystik Dan ready for his start in the 149th running of the Preakness on short rest. Mystik Dan did not fare well when he previously had only two weeks in between races, finishing eight lengths behind winner Who Dey at Churchill Downs last November. "To me, this is a red flag," Menez told SportsLine. Menez will not be using Mystik Dan in any of his wagers. You can see all of Menez's 2024 Preakness Stakes bets here.
How to make 2024 Preakness Stakes picks
Moreover, Menez's top pick is a horse who is "set up to run a career-best race." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who should "come running late." He is including these horses in his wagers, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins Preakness Stakes 149? What double-digit longshot has a big chance, and how has Menez constructed his wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who nailed last year's winner, and find out.
2024 Preakness Stakes odds, contenders, post positions
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
| 1 | Mugatu | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Uncle Heavy | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Catching Freedom | 7-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Muth | SCR | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Mystik Dan | 8-5 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Seize the Grey | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Just Steel | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Tuscan Gold | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Imagination | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
