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Sports Betting Futures Odds: Justify Aiming for Second Leg of Triple Crown


by - 5/15/2018

Mike Smith gets the chance to ride Mine That Bird in the Preakness.

It's another busy week in sports, with conference finals action in the NHL and NBA plus the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday night. Horse racing will also share the spotlight for the second time in 2018 as Justify looks to build on his Kentucky Derby triumph two weeks ago by adding the second jewel of the Triple Crown to his resume at this weekend's Preakness.

All odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook .

The Preakness Stakes

Justify (-250) - As is often the case, most of the other contenders appear to be resting up in order to take a shot at the Kentucky Derby winner at the Belmont instead of the Preakness. As such, Justify is an even heavier favorite this weekend than he was at Churchill Downs-where he had little trouble improving to 4-0 in 2018.

Good Magic (+300) - Good Magic was the sixth favorite in Kentucky and finished second behind Justify, 2.5 lengths back. He won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and this year's Blue Grass Stakes, so it is obvious that Good Magic is the real deal. It could be a two-horse race in an otherwise lackluster Preakness field.

Diamond King (+1600) - If a monumental upset is to take place, Diamond King could be the one to engineer it. He has won four times in six career starts and has finished in the money on five occasions. Diamond King is trained by John Servis, who helped Smarty Jones win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2004.

Quip (+1600) - Quip has won three times in five appearances, and his 2018 results include a victory at the Tampa Bay Derby and a runner-up performance at the Arkansas Derby. His jockey is Frenchman Florent Geroux, who rode Gun Runner to third at the 2016 Kentucky Derby and to a title at the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Series prices

Cleveland Cavaliers (-125) over Boston Celtics - Cleveland is still a slight favorite despite getting mauled 108-83 in Game 1 on Sunday. Boston's Marcus Morris backed up his talk with a sterling defensive showing against LeBron James, who went 5-for-16 (0-for-5 from three-point range) for a mere 15 points while committing 15 turnovers.

Golden State Warriors (-550) over Houston Rockets - The regular season rarely means much for the Cavaliers or Warriors, who either have played and/or are playing much better in the playoffs. Golden State didn't seem to worry much about home-court advantage, which makes sense given how good it looked on the road in Game 1.

Washington Capitals (-380) over Tampa Bay Lightning - It appears to be full steam ahead for the Capitals after they got over the massive hump that was previously their nemesis-the Pittsburgh Penguins. After ousting Pittsburgh in six games, Washington took the first two of the Eastern Conference Finals in convincing fashion at Tampa Bay.

Vegas Golden Knights (-120) over Winnipeg Jets - Those bettors who took a chance on the expansion Golden Knights before they had ever played a game took one more step to a big payday when the visitors evened the West finals with a 3-1 win at Winnipeg on Monday. Vegas is 9-3 overall in these playoffs, including 4-1 at home.

AT&T Byron Nelson

Jordan Spieth (+500) - According to the odds, there is Spieth and then there is everyone else at this week's Byron Nelson. He made his PGA Tour debut at what is his hometown event back in 2010 but is still looking for his first victory in front of the home crowd. Spieth is coming off an up-and-down, T41 performance at THE PLAYERS.

Matt Kuchar (+1400) - Kuchar was solo third at the Byron Nelson in 2016, and he turned in another top-10 result in 2017 (T9). The 39-year-old American almost always plays well (he has made 14 of 14 cuts this season) and often contends, but the knock on him is a relative lack of wins. Could that change this week in Dallas?

Sergio Garcia (+1800) - Sergio has been in disastrous form over his last four tournaments dating back to the start of April, but a return to the Byron Nelson may be just what the doctor ordered. He is the only active PGA Tour player who has won this tournament multiple times (2004, 2016) and he finished a decent T20 last year.

Jimmy Walker (+2000) - The 2016 PGA Championship winner has struggled with physical problems in recent seasons, but he is finally heating up. Walker placed fourth last month in San Antonio and is coming off a T2 finish at THE PLAYERS. He lost in a playoff at this event in 2015. Hideki Matsuyama is also a +2000 fourth choice.

French Open

Simona Halep (+450) - Amazingly, Halep is still searching for her first major title. But two of her three runner-up finishes have come at Roland Garros, where she is currently the favorite for the festivities that begin in two weeks. The top-ranked Romanian had the title in her sights last spring before collapsing against Jelena Ostapenko.

Serena Williams (+600) - The real question is if Serena plays. She has withdrawn from recent clay-court events in Madrid and Rome, so her status is up in the air. If the three-time French Open champion does suit up, her odds will undoubtedly soar from +600. Serena has not taken the court since suffering early losses in Indian Wells and Miami.

Garbine Muguruza (+700) - Muguruza has advanced past the quarterfinals of a major only three times in her career, but when she's good…she's really good. The third-ranked Spaniard is a two-time slam champion (including the 2016 French Open) and a one-time runner-up. She has not done much this year aside from a title in Mexico.

Elina Svitolina (+800) - Svitolina has cooled off following a hot January, February, and March stretch. Still, the fourth-ranked Ukrainian cannot be discounted. She has reached at least the fourth round of four consecutive Grand Slams and has been to the Roland Garros quarters twice in the last three years. Maria Sharapova is a +900 fifth choice.


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