The Run for the Roses and Triple Crown began May 6 at Churchill Downs for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. The 149th running of the Derby and “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” will surely finish as the biggest betting event for the month of May.
But the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes is the most watched and wagered horse racing event in Maryland, as fans across the state tuned in for the second leg of the Triple Crown from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday, May 20.
Up next is the Belmont Stakes, which is Saturday, June 10, at Belmont Park in New York.
How to Bet on Horse Racing Online in Maryland
Betting on horse racing in Maryland is available through three different avenues: at the tracks themselves, off-track betting locations such as casinos, and online.
Maryland horse betting apps, which offer parimutuel odds betting, are different than the nine legal online sports betting apps in the state.
Among those horse betting apps is TVG Maryland and FanDuel Racing, which connects to your FanDuel Sportsbook MD wallet.
When is the Belmont Stakes?
The Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY. It is the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Belmont Stakes Odds
Here are the odds and post positions for the Belmont as of Friday afternoon.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tapit Shoes | Brad Cox | Jose Ortiz | 15-1 |
| 2. | Tapit Trice | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 6-1 |
| 3. | Arcangelo | Jena Antonucci | Javier Castellano | 9-1 |
| 4. | National Treasure | Bob Baffert | John Velazquez | 9-2 |
| 5. | Il Miracolo | Antonio Sano | Marcos Meneses | 21-1 |
| 6. | Forte | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 5-2 |
| 7. | Hit Show | Brad Cox | Manuel Franco | 10-1 |
| 8. | Angel of Empire | Brad Cox | Flavien Pratt | 3-1 |
| 9. | Red Route One | Steven Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 11-1 |
How to Bet $20 on the Belmont
While Win, Place and Show betting is most popular and has the largest betting pools, many fans will shoot for a bigger payoff and score by betting an exacta or trifecta.
So, keying two horses on top to win and adding more horses underneath to finish second and third provides a bigger payoff on a trifecta. A $0.50 cent trifecta bet that costs $20 looks something like this:
Forte and Tapit Trice to win with five horses to place: Forte, Tapit Trice, Practical Move, Verifying and Derma Sotogake; with seven horses to show: Forte, Tapit Trice, Practical Move, Veryifying, Derma Sotogake, Kingsbarns and Two Phils = $20.
Preakness Stakes Results
The 148th running of the Preakness Stakes took place on May 20. Here are the results:
| Position | Horse | Win Payout | Place Payout | Show Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | National Treasure | $7.80 | $4 | $2.60 |
| 2. | Blazing Sevens | $5 | $2.60 | |
| 3. | Mage | $2.40 | ||
| 4. | Red Route One | |||
| 5. | Chase the Chaos | |||
| 6. | Perform | |||
| 7. | Coffeewithchris | |||
| Scratch |
Kentucky Derby Results
Mage was the surprise winner of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. It went off at 15-1 odds, and a $2 parimutuel wager on the horse earned bettors $32.42.
Here are the full derby results.
| Horse | Win (based on $2 bet) | Place | Show | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mage | $32.42 | $14.58 | $9.08 |
| 2. | Two Phil's | $10.44 | $6.52 | |
| 3. | Angel of Empire | $4.70 | ||
| 4. | Disarm | |||
| 5. | Hit Show | |||
| 6. | Derma Sotogake | |||
| 7. | Tapit Trice | |||
| 8. | Raise Cain | |||
| 9. | Rocket Can | |||
| 10. | Confidence Game | |||
| 11. | Sun Thunder | |||
| 12. | Mandarin Hero | |||
| 13. | Reincarnate | |||
| 14. | Kingsbarns | |||
| 15. | King Russell | |||
| 16. | Verifying | |||
| 17. | Jace's Road | |||
| 18. | Cyclone Mischief |
Preakness Stakes History
Five of the last 12 winners of the Preakness closed with parimutuel odds of 10/1 or greater.
The Preakness has been dominated in more recent years by horses who set or press/stalk the pace. But most of the time those were simply the best horses – like Justify, American Pharoah, California Chrome, Big Brown, Curlin and the filly Rachel Alexandra. Exaggerator was able to come from well off a hotly-contested pace to win the 2016 Preakness.
An improving 3-year-old, or fresher and talented runner like the filly and 2020 Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver can emerge. She came from off the pace and out-dueled 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic to win the Preakness at 11/1 odds.
In 2022, longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike bypassed the Preakness to prepare for the grueling Belmont Stakes.
Early Voting won the race after going off with 7/2 odds. Epicenter finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and was the post-time favorite in each race.
Places to Watch the Preakness Stakes in Maryland
Fans across the Old Line State have many options to watch the Preakness Stakes.
MGM National Harbor
In partnership with the Maryland Jockey Club, the second floor of the MGM National Harbor casino features the Race Book, which boasts 24 screens and 21 carrels to both watch and bet.
Fans in D.C. can also go to the TAP Sports Bar to watch on one the of 70 TVs throughout the restaurant. And if the weather is good, patio seating may also be available.
Horseshoe Casino Baltimore
For those further north, the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore is also ready for a watch party. Located next to Caesar’s Sportsbook, Brew Brothers opened last year and features dozens of craft beers and wall-to-wall TVs.
The Horseshoe also has an Off-Track Betting area. There, you can watch on one of its 30 TVs or one of its 44 more private carrels.
Live! Casino and Hotel
In Anne Arundel County, you can watch the Derby at Sports & Social at Live! Casino and Hotel.
Ocean Downs Casino
If you are on the Eastern Shore, Ocean Downs is a place to consider for watching and wagering on the Kentucky Derby with 26 TVS and on-site TwinSpires Sportsbook.
Northeastern Marylanders can go to Hollywood Casino in Perryville to watch the race.
There are many more options for watching the Kentucky Derby in Maryland. Regardless of where you watch and wager on the Derby and Preakness, Maryland’s sports betting handle will get another boost in May from the Triple Crown races.
