Preakness All Stakes Pick 5 Provides Bang for Your Half-Buck

There are a pair of longshots worth playing in the sequence, which could result in a big payday. Here’s a modest $12 ticket with singles in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the Preakness. If the weather scares you off, a Black-Eyed Susan-Preakness Double could be the way to go.

The Pick 5 Sequence

Friday, Race 11, The Very One Stakes

(5 furlongs, turf), 4:38 p.m. ET (FanDuel TV)

We’ll go four deep in the highly competitive Very One Stakes, and it just so happens that the quartet are the betting favorites. Kaufymaker (4) is the 2-1 choice, but is far from a sure thing coming off a six month-plus layoff. However, trainer Wesley Ward is excellent at bringing back horses fresh. Queen of the Mud (1) comes off a similar layoff to make her fourth career start and could trip out from the rail at 3-1. All That Magic (8) also hasn’t raced since October. If those three need a race, the speedy Future is Now (10) could take them all the way.

Friday, Race 13, The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

(1⅛ miles), 5:44 p.m. ET (FanDuel TV)

Every horse in the Black-Eyed Susan is flawed, including our choice. Whocouldaskformo (6), though, has improved her Beyer speed figure in each career start, and a bump from her last-race 75 could get the job done. There is enough speed in here to set it up for Whocouldaskformo, trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Luis Saez.

Saturday, Race 11, Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes

(5 furlongs), 4:53 p.m. ET (CNBC)

One of our longshots that shows up in the Jim McKay is Carotari (2), who is 12-1. Carotari is 2-for-2 at Pimlico, including a victory in the 2022 Jim McKay, and should sit the trip behind the outside speed for jockey Luis Saez. Witty (11) may relish any off going the most, winning over good footing at Pimlico in September. Expect Witty to be flying late under Tyler Gaffalione. Beer Can Man (12) is the classiest horse in the field and won this race last year. Flaven Prat is among the top jockeys in the world, but will have his hands full mapping out a trip from Post 12.

Saturday, Race 12, Dinner Party Stakes

(1⅛ miles, turf), 5:52 p.m. ET (NBC)

Emmanuel (10), ridden by Ortiz and trained by Todd Pletcher, is a strong choice in the Dinner Party Stakes. Emmanuel has enough speed to overcome the post position and the class to defeat this modest group. Funtastic Again (12) – our other longshot – also has speed for John Velazquez and Wesley Ward, and can pull the upset if Emmanuel doesn’t fire. Emmanuel finished off the board in two starts on less than firm turf, but those were in Grade 1 races.

Saturday, Race 13, Preakness Stakes

(1 3/16 miles), 7:01 p.m. ET (NBC)

Chad Brown knows a thing or two about skipping the Kentucky Derby and pointing toward the Preakness, winning with Cloud Computing (2017) and Early Voting (2022). He also lost by a head with Blazing Sevens in 2023. Tuscan Gold (8-1 morning line) tries to make it three in eight years for one of America’s top trainers in his fourth career start. Cloud Computing and Early Voting also made their fourth starts in the Preakness.

Tuscan Gold can sit behind the pace and complete a big ticket with Tyler Gaffalione aboard. Gaffalione may have cost Brown his first Derby victory with a rough ride on Sierra Leone, but can make some amends. Gaffalione won the 2019 Preakness with War of Will, who appeared poised for a big run down the Derby stretch that year before being wiped out by the subsequently disqualified Maximum Security.

Tuscan Gold has never raced on an off track but his father, Medaglia d’Oro, loved the mud.

The Bet

Play 1,4,8,10 with 6 with 2,11,12 with 10,12 with 8 at the BetUS racebook.

Questions Of The Day