The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the Triple Crown, but we won't be seeing Rich Strike -- the Kentucky Derby winner -- make an attempt to grab the second leg. However, we do have a few familar faces in Epicenter and Simplification making an appearance in Maryland.

This is a nine-horse race, which makes the tension among this small group automatically high. Will we see another big upset or will one of the favorites handle business this week? Let's dive into the odds.

I’m taking Simplification Happy Jack and Epicenter to win, place and show, respectively. First up, I’ll take Simplification. He’s on the most-inside post. In the last few years, running from inside the top 5 has proved to be advantageous. War of Will won from No. 1 in 2019 and American Pharoah won in 2015. Simplification finished just outside the top 3 at the Derby, which sets him up for a big jump tomorrow. 

Epicenter should’ve won at the Derby and choked it away. However, with a little time off, I’m back on the bandwagon for a solid finish. Happy Jack is going to be my dark horse (no pun intended) in this one. He has the longest odds and the Derby already showed us that anything is possible. 

You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.

This article first appeared on Betsided and was syndicated with permission.

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