Following Wednesday's post position draw, betting odds were released for the 2011 Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom remains a 2-1 favorite to win at Pimlico. The horse-racing world has not had a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed pulled it off in 1978. Naturally, a victory at the Kentucky Derby gets folks talking about whether that horse has a chance to pull off the rare Triple Crown feat.
As it currently stands at Bodog, Animal Kingdom is sitting at +550 to complete the Triple Crown and -900 to not take the final two legs. A triple crown would certainly bring some level of exposure for non-horse racing fans and win some folks a lot of money. However, interest would be generated simply by Animal Kingdom winning the Preakness. A win at Pimlico would move the hype machine into overdrive.
Only 11 horses over the last 33 years have entered Belmont with a chance to win it all. Generally Derby winners over the last 25 years have had some level of success at the Preakness. Nine have won the race while nine others have placed or shown in the race. Of course, for the purposes of the Triple Crown, close doesn't count. It's win or go home time. Given that four of the heavy favorites are stacked right next to each other could make for some exciting racing. Expert picks are coming in for the race and it's a mixed bag of those heavy favorites at this point. All eyes should be intently focused on what should be an exciting race this weekend.
The 2011 Preakness Stakes gets underway on May 21 at Pimlico racetrack. Stay with our 2011 Preakness Stakes StoryStream for odds, contender profiles, post positions and more. To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby and Preakness fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.