A barometer for where the smart money is going in Preakness 2025 underscores how heavy a favorite that Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism will be to win Saturday at Pimlico.
Betting for the $1 double that pairs the Black-Eyed Susan with the Preakness showed Journalism will pay $7.50 to bettors who paired him with Friday’s winning filly Margie’s Intention.
Clever Again, who won the Hot Springs Stakes in March, is the clear second choice in the double at $27.50. Bob Baffert-trained Goal Oriented and Todd Pletcher’s River Thames is next at $35.60.
The Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness double is considered a bellwether for sharp players, because casual bettors who come to play just the big classics do not gravitate to both races.
The double attracted $1,044,338 in bets subject to a 21% takeout.
The Preakness is scheduled to be run Saturday at 7:01 p.m. EDT. A day after the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) was run on a sloppy, sealed track, the National Weather Service a clearing sky with the high temperature soaring to 90 degrees.
| BES-Preakness double | |
|---|---|
| Margie’s Intention with | $1 will pay |
| 1. Goal Oriented | $35.60 |
| 2. Journalism | $7.50 |
| 3. American Promise | $122.80 |
| 4. Heart of Honor | $160.00 |
| 5. Pay Billy | $352.70 |
| 6. River Thames | $35.60 |
| 7. Sandman | $63.20 |
| 8. Clever Again | $27.50 |
| 9. Gosger | $146.30 |
| Pool $1,044,338 |
