Best way for beginners to bet $10 on the 2025 Preakness Stakes

Saturday’s 150th running of the $2 million Preakness (G1) at Pimlico is a perfect opportunity for beginning bettors to test the waters with a $10 horse racing bet.

The Preakness is the historic second leg of the Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby (G1). Nine horses have entered the 2025 Preakness, and the small field size compared to the Derby makes cashing winning tickets easier. 

Fewer horses, fewer possible outcomes.

Ideally, you would like your first bet to be a winning one. That means steering clear of complex exotic wagers like the trifecta and superfecta, which can yield big payoffs, but with a smaller likelihood of success. Exotic wagers are best pursued with careful strategizing and a large enough budget to cover many possible outcomes; they can be played on a $10 budget, but not always effectively.

Instead, we recommend spending $10 on a classic win bet or two. The strategy is simple: if your horse wins, you cash a winning ticket.

This week, TwinSpires is offering a Preakness $10 Money Back promotion. In any eligible race at Pimlico on Friday and Saturday (including the Preakness), bettors who opt in will receive up to $10 back on their first single-horse win bet if their horse finishes second or third.

This makes betting Preakness favorite #2 Journalism (8-5) an enticing proposition. The Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner exits a troubled runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby and is hands-down the horse to beat at Pimlico. If he wins at 8-5 odds, a $10 win bet will pay $26—that’s a $16 profit.

Even if Journalism is bet hard—say, down to even-money odds—you’ll still cash for $20 and double your money. And since Journalism appears almost certain to finish in the top three, the Preakness $10 Money Back promotion makes this a relatively low-risk bet.

RELATED: The best longshot to bet in the 2025 Preakness Stakes

If you want to pursue a slightly larger profit, consider splitting your $10 across two $5 win bets. Place the first on #8 Clever Again (5-1), the up-and-coming winner of the Hot Spring S. at Oaklawn Park. A speedy son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Clever Again has shown lots of talent and potential, suggesting he’s the main threat to upset Journalism. Even if Clever Again falls short of victory, he has a strong chance to finish second or third, in which case you’ll receive a refund on your $5 win bet.

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Your second $5 win bet can be placed on Journalism. If Journalism wins at 8-5, you’ll cash for $13, which is an $8 profit if Clever Again finishes in the top three and a $3 profit if Clever Again runs out of the top three. However, if Clever Again wins at 5-1, you’ll cash to the tune of $30—a $20 profit, tripling your investment. Not bad for having two chances to win.

Good luck betting the Preakness!