2025 Preakness Stakes picks: Two long shots with upside at Pimlico

New York Post

17-05-2025

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It is going to take quite the effort to defeat No. 2 Journalism at the 2025 Preakness Stakes.
Installed as the 8-5 favorite on the morning line, Journalism is coming off a second-place finish at the Kentucky Derby, where he went off with 3-1 odds.
And while it was disappointing for Journalism to come away with just a second-place finish at Churchill Downs, it was a superb showing from the best 3-year-old horse in the world.
Journalism and his team now set their sights on the Preakness, looking to take advantage of the decision by Bill Mott to have his horse, Sovereignty, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, bypass Pimlico and head straight to New York for the 2025 Belmont Stakes.
Sovereignty's absence means that anything short of a win would be a major disappointment for Journalism, especially since this field is regarded as relatively weak for a Triple Crown race.
However, there are a couple of horses in this field who are worth backing in case Journalism isn't at his best, just two weeks after a grueling race at Churchill Downs.
2025 Preakness Stakes long shots
No. 9 Gosger (20-1)
Given how the betting handle for this race will unfold, this is going to turn into a 'Favorite vs. the Field' type race.
There is a chance that Journalism goes off around even money, which should keep the prices palatable on some intriguing horses.
Gosger, a long shot named after an obscure former New York Met, is the best bang for your buck in this setup.
Two buglers sounding the call at Pimlico Race Track on Preakness weekend.
Getty Images
A lightly-raced colt out of Kentucky, Gosger has two wins and a second in three career starts and is 2-for-2 in 2025. His last win came in a Graded Stakes at Keeneland, so he's shown he can handle stiff competition.
This will be a big step up from the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, but another improvement off that effort puts him in the mix if (and it's a big if) Journalism doesn't have his best stuff.
It shouldn't take too much convincing to jump in on a 20-1 horse in this field, especially if you're a Mets fan.
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No. 8 Clever Again (5-1)
We're getting a little loose calling Clever Again a long shot given his 5-1 price on the morning line, but there's a good chance those odds drift as we get closer to post time.
Journalism is going to suck up a lot of the dollars in this pool, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Bob Baffert's entry, Goal Oriented, get plenty of support along with Sandman, who is owned by an influencer that rallied his followers to back his horse in a big way at the Derby.
If that does happen, you're going to get a great price on Clever Again, a horse with as good a chance as any outside of Journalism of winning this race.
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.