2024 Preakness Stakes horses, futures, odds, date: Expert who hit last year's superfecta enters picks

Mystik Dan won the 2024 Kentucky Derby by a nose in a photo finish and, on Saturday, he'll look to capture the middle jewel to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive at the 2024 Preakness Stakes. Mystik Dan drew the No. 5 gate in Monday's 2024 Preakness Stakes post draw. He's 5-2 in the 2024 Preakness Stakes odds and he'll run alongside the favorite, with the Bob Baffert-trained Muth (8-5) drawing the No. 4 post. Baffert is an eight-time Preakness Stakes winner and he'll have two shots at his ninth win in the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans with Imagination (6-1) breaking from the far outside in the No. 9 post.

Catching Freedom (6-1) and Just Steel (15-1) will be the only other two 2024 Preakness Stakes horses in the 2024 Preakness Stakes field returning after running in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. The 2024 Preakness Stakes post time is 7:01 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Preakness Stakes picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline's win at the Breeders' Cup Classic in November of that year. 

Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Preakness Stakes 2024. In fact, he has hit 11 of the last 16 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. He's also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta picks in 2023. He keenly understands when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.

Now, with the 2024 Preakness Stakes quickly approaching, Demling is sharing his picks and 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.

Top 2024 Preakness Stakes predictions

One of Demling's surprising 2024 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Tuscan Gold, even though he's an 8-1 longshot that didn't run in the Kentucky Derby. Sired by Medaglia d'Oro out of Curlin mare Valadorna, Tuscan Gold is lightly run, but what he doesn't have in experience he makes up for in potential and his connections have him trending in the right direction. He finished fourth in his debut at a maiden race that included Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone and broke his maiden in January at Gulfstream Park.

He followed that up by running third at the Louisiana Derby behind Catching Freedom and Honor Marie, who both finished top eight at Churchill Downs. Tuscan Gold's HRN speed figure has improved in every run and trainer Chad Brown is a two-time Preakness winner. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione won the Preakness in 2019 on War of Will. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.

How to make 2024 Preakness Stakes picks, bets

Demling is especially high a dark-horse who could have a leg-up on the competition because of extra rest. Demling is sharing which horse it is, and also has a surprising prediction for Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan along with his entire projected 2024 Preakness Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2024, and which dark-horse is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who nailed 11 Derby-Oaks doubles and hit last year's Preakness Stakes superfecta.

2024 Preakness Stakes odds, futures, horses