2021 Preakness Stakes odds, Medina Spirit predictions: Expert who nailed 9 winners unveils picks

The 2021 Preakness Stakes lost two prominent contenders within the span of hours earlier this week, as presumptive favorite Essential Quality and King Fury pulled out of the May 15 race. Essential Quality ran a disappointing fourth at the Kentucky Derby despite going off as the 5-2 favorite, while King Fury missed the Run for the Roses due to a high fever that hasn’t fully cleared. Those two withdrawals from the Preakness Stakes 2021 field potentially means a clearer road for Kentucky Derby champ Medina Spirit to claim the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

Does Medina Spirit have enough gas in the tank to defeat the other 2021 Preakness Stakes horses? Or will one of the top 2021 Preakness Stakes contenders like Concert Tour at 9-1 take down the Kentucky Derby winner? With so much to consider, you’ll want to see what SportsLine’s Jody Demling has to say before entering any 2021 Preakness Stakes picks or predictions of your own.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2021 Preakness Stakes after a major heater in 2020: At one point last year, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.

This is the same handicapper who has called the Preakness winner nine times in the last 16 years. In last year’s Preakness Stakes, Demling nailed the Swiss Skydiver-Authentic exacta. He also correctly faded 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic in the Preakness a year ago, saying “it’s a lot to ask to come back after that performance in the Derby less than a month ago.”

He opened last season’s Triple Crown schedule on a heater too. At last year’s Belmont, Demling said Tiz the Law was clearly the class of the field, and Barclay Tagg’s horse pulled away for a convincing 3 3/4-length victory. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the 2021 Preakness Stakes lineup taking shape, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2021 Preakness Stakes predictions

One shocker: Demling isn’t picking Medina Spirit to win the Preakness Stakes 2021, even though the colt just won the Kentucky Derby. Even though legendary trainer Bob Baffert guided Medina Spirit to the Run for the Roses, Demling says the two-week turnaround is too big of an ask for this three-year-old thoroughbred. The Pimlico Race Course dirt oval is where plenty of Triple Crown dreams have faded over the years, and 2021 could be no different.

Even though the Preakness is 1/16th of mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, the 1 3/16th-mile race offers virtually the same tests. Although Demling believes the Derby champ “is a tough son of a gun,” he also feels the colt isn’t like the Baffert-trained Justify in 2018 and won’t have what it takes to claim the 2021 Preakness Stakes. 

How to make 2021 Preakness States picks, bets

Instead, Demling is especially high on an underrated horse who has history on his side ahead of the Preakness. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2021? And which huge underdog is a must-back? Check out the latest 2021 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Preakness Stakes.

2021 Preakness Stakes odds (from SportsLine experts)