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Early Voting is the winner of the 2022 Preakness, outrunning the rest of the nine-horse field in the 147th iteration of the race from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Long shot Armagnac set the pace early with Early Voting trailing just off the pace. Favorite Epicenter made a late push to pass Early Voting but it proved to be too much ground for the Derby and Preakness favorite. Just like the Derby he finished as the runner-up.
Creative Minister rounded out the board finishing a respectable third with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.
Secret Oath finished fourth after starting off the race trailing the entire field. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee was looking to become the second filly in three years to win the Preakness after Swiss Skydiver won the race in 2020.
It was a strong trip for jockey Jose Ortiz. He claimed his first victory in the Preakness and did well to set up the final run for the Woodlawn Vase.
The field not only had to contend with a talented crop of horses but sweltering heat as temperatures swelled to over 90 in Baltimore.
Final Preakness 2022 Results and Prize Money
1. Early Voting $900,000
2. Epicenter $300,000
3. Creative Minister $165,000
4. Secret Oath $90,000
5. Skippylongstocking $45,000
6. Simplification
7. Armagnac
8. Happy Jack
9. Fenwick
2022 Preakness Payouts
1. Early Voting $13.40 $4.60 $3.60
2. Epicenter $2.80 $2.40
3. Creative Minister $4.20
Some of the hype surrounding the second jewel in the Triple Crown was deflated due to Rich Strike’s absence. The long-shot Kentucky Derby winner sat out the Preakness. His connections have their eyes set on the 1-1/2-mile Belmont which is set to be run on June 11.
“We are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for Ritchie is what’s best for our group, and pass on running in the Preakness, and point toward the Belmont in approximately five weeks,” Rich Strike’s connections said in a statement.
The challenge of making the quick two-week turnaround between races is part of what makes winning the Triple Crown so difficult.
While the decision was disappointing for those who root for a horse to join the Triple Crown club every year, the team behind Rich Strike can’t be blamed for making a decision that’s in the best interest of the horse’s health.
As an added benefit we now get a Belmont field that is likely to feature the history-making Derby winner and the newly crowned Preakness winner who is just four races into his career.
How the two will fare in the Test of Champions in three weeks is now the central storyline for this year’s iteration of the American Classics.
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