The Preakness States is the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown and will take place Saturday at Pimlico in Baltimore. The race typically lacks the mystic of the Kentucky Derby, due in large part to the smaller field. With the Derby and Preakness just two weeks apart, a number of trainers aren't in any big hurry to get their horses back on the track.

Bodemeister and I'll Have Another are the two favorites heading into the race, although there are a few others who figure to have a legitimate shot, while some horses appear to be in the race for the sole reason of their owner being able to say they ran a horse in the Preakness.

We'll look at the logical contenders and more in 2012 Preakness located in the Betting on Other Sports section of the site.

Photo: Creative Cause gets in some exercise. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The National Hockey League is down to its final four teams and two of them, the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes, will be in action today, with the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers kicking in Monday.

There are plenty of great storylines in each of the four remaining teams and two series that feature squads who really don't care for one another all that much. The potential is there for a pair of memorable series, although things don't always work out that way.

Still, sports fans could do a lot worse, especially than the Devils and Rangers, which is one of the better rivalries of the league in recent years.

We'll take a look at both series in 2012 NHL Conference Finals in the Hockey Betting section of the site.

Photo: New Jersey's Zach Parise looks to lead the Devils past the New York Rangers. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

We'll stick with our customary look at each round of the NBA playoffs, this time jumping ahead to the NBA Conference Finals.

In the past we've discussed long-term trends versus short-term trends and how professional sports will typically, over time, correct itself, if we are seeing a high percentage of overs or unders, favorites or underdogs covering. The NBA Conference Finals are a perfect example of that, as there are definite long-term trends, but they haven't held up over the past five seasons and in some cases, have pronounced tendencies that go the other way.

Read NBA Conference Final Trends in the Basketball Betting section of the site.

Photo: LeBron James of the Miami Heat. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

A full field of 20 horses are expected to go off in today's Kentucky Derby, as thunderstorms are forecast several times during the day, making the Run For the Roses as unpredictable as ever.

Union Rags has become the betting favorite as of early Saturday morning, but even he is at 5-to-1 odds, giving decent prices on all of the entries.

But with so much uncertainty for today's race, your best bet may be to look for a longshot, bet small and hope for the best.

We'll take a quick look at the race in 2012 Kentucky Derby located in the Betting on Other Sports section of the site.

Photo: Dullahan takes a leisurely stroll around the Churchill Downs track in preparation for today's Kentucky Derby. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)