First Mission Preakness Horse Odds, History and Predictions (Past Success Makes Him Safe Pick on Saturday)

The 2023 Kentucky Derby is in the rearview mirror, meaning horse racing fans are now looking ahead to the 2023 Preakness Stakes as it is set to take place just before 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 20.

One contender everyone has their eyes on ahead of this race is First Mission, who enters a winner in two of his three career races. Here's everything you need to know about this colt before he vies for the 2023 Preakness title.

First Mission Preakness Odds and Post Position

First Mission owns 5-2 odds to win the Preakness Stakes and drew post position No. 8 on Monday. His odds are near the top, which should come as no surprise considering he has dominated in prior races.

First Mission Horse Trainer and Jockey

First Mission is trained by Brad Cox, aiming to secure a personal Triple Crown as he has led a horse to a win at the 2021 Kentucky Derby (Mandoloun) and 2021 Belmont Stakes (Essential Quality). The two-time Eclipse-winning trainer has only been in the Preakness once before as Owendale finished third and Warriors' Charge finished fourth at the 2019 event.

First Mission's jockey for the 2023 Preakness is Luis Saez. The 30-year-old has experience excelling at Pimlico Race Course before since he finished second aboard Bravazo in 2018.

First Mission Race History

First Mission has a career record of three starts and two wins with one second-place finish all-time. He'll run in the Preakness just over a month after his most recent victory, which came at the Lexington Stakes in mid-April. The colt emerged victorious by only a half-length in that one.

First Mission Preakness Prediction and Pick

First Mission is considered one of a few horses that could get in the way of Mage's quest of winning the second leg of the American Triple Crown. His recent finishes certainly back up the hype as he bounced back from a second-place finish at Fair Grounds in February by winning back-to-back races in March & April. First Mission is the offspring of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, and posted an impressive 106 speed rating during his win at the Lexington Stakes. Trainer Brad Cox has been getting First Mission ready for nearly a month now, making the horse an enticing bet to win it all.

Check out more Preakness coverage from The Duel:

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.