Astrology will attempt to win the Preakness Stakes from the first post position and if anyone can turn that dreaded starting post into winning horse racing picks, it is jockey Mike E. Smith. Mike Smith ran in the Kentucky Derby aboard Twinspired and after a disappointing 17th place finish, he will be making sure that he doesn’t get pinched between the rail and the field. A lot of horse racing betting sharps like this horse to run a confident race and finish his trip ahead of the pack. Astrology is a 12-1 favorite at SBGGlobal.com and their morning line odds. I expect this horse’s betting odds to drop to about 7-1 before race time and a win-place-show wager would be ideal for this horse/jockey combo.

Astrology won the Iroquois back in October and then proceeded to reel off three straight second-place finishes. His last two races saw him produce his highest Beyer Speed Figures up to this point, which shows a pattern in the right direction. Astrology has never been out of the money in seven career starts at five tracks at five distances. The Preakness will be his third start back from a layoff, and his forward-moving Beyer Speed Figure after consecutive tops in the Sunland Park Derby and Jerome make his horse racing odds that much more valuable. Considering it was his first start in four months, his Sunland Park Derby was a good effort.

Though he had sufficient earnings to make the Kentucky Derby field after those performances, his connections felt he wasn’t ready for the race and decided to use the Jerome as a bridge to the Preakness. Astrology was set back about a month because he got sick upon his arrival from California. After being favored in all five starts as a 2-year-old and going off in the 5-2 neighborhood in both of his starts this year, his price will be considerably higher in the Preakness. Even though he is one of the colts in the field that has never won at over a mile, I think the table is set for a coming out party at Pimlico Race Course.

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