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We’re still roughly 12 hours away from the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes. However, we already know that there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2022.
The shocking winner of the Kentucky Derby, 80-1 long shot Rich Strike, won’t run at Pimlico, as owner Rick Dawson will rest the horse for next month’s Belmont Stakes. With Rich Strike out, Derby runner-up Epicenter is the favorite heading into race day.
Epicenter is far from the only horse with a legitimate chance to win, though. The nine-horse field is loaded with speed, and positioning will be critical. It’s highly unlikely that any of the entrants runs away from the pack.
While a Triple Crown title won’t be at stake on Saturday, a large chunk of the $1.5 million prize pool will be. There will be plenty on the line for the race teams involved and plenty of excitement for bettors and casual thoroughbred racing fans alike.
Below, you’ll find the latest on the 2022 Preakness Stakes, including post positions, prize information, predictions and the latest odds.
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Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore
When: Saturday, May 21
Post Time: 7:01 p.m. ET
TV Coverage Start Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV and Live Stream: NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App and Peacock (pre-race coverage on CNBC from 2-4 p.m. ET)
Prize Pool: $1.5 million
- Winner: $900,000
- 2nd Place: $300,000
- 3rd Place: $165,000
- 4th Place: $90,000
- 5th Place: $45,000
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1. Simplification 6-1
2. Creative Minister 10-1
3. Fenwick 50-1
4. Secret Oath 9-2
5. Early Voting 7-2
6. Happy Jack 30-1
7. Armagnac 12-1
8. Epicenter 6-5
9. Skippylongstocking 20-1
*Odds via preakness.com
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Epicenter is the favorite for a reason. He was within seconds of winning the Derby before Rich Strike came from the shadows to claim victory. If he can get out in front late, there might not be a horse who can catch him on the just-over 1⅛-mile course.
Getting out in front will be the trick, and jockey Joel Rosario might have to stalk from his slot near the outside and make a move late—as he did at Churchill Downs. Trying to push inside to get the rail and an early lead may prove difficult through the traffic, though not impossible.
The big question is whether Epicenter has enough stamina after running seven races in eight months and pushing it at the slightly longer 1¼-mile track in the Derby. Trainer Steve Asmussen, though, believes we’ll see the same horse we saw earlier this month.
“That’s the thing about Epicenter,” Asmussen said, per Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. “What’d you see? More of the same. He’s been beautifully consistent in his training.”
If Epicenter fails to make a move inside or push late, Simplification can be a legitimate threat from the No. 1 post. Veteran jockey John Velazquez should be able to keep positioning along the rail, provided he doesn’t fall back at the start.
As Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post recently pointed out, Simplification ran faster—in feet-per-second after accounting for distance—than Epicenter at the Derby.
Early Voting is another horse with the speed to get out in front of Epicenter early. The Chad Brown-trained colt has won two of three races and should be well-rested after skipping the Derby entirely.
If there is a horse that can catch Epicenter late, it may be Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath. We have only seen seven fillies win the Preakness, but the D. Wayne Lukas-trained horse is blazing fast and a tremendous chaser.
“When she gets to a horse, if you ask her, she gets past them quick,” Lukas said of Secret Oath, per Shawn Stepner of WMAR Baltimore. “She accelerates. That makes her very, very tough to beat.”
We could always see one of the longer shots claim victory, too. Last year, Rombauer won at 12-1 odds. In the smaller nine-horse field, though, it would take a virtually flawless race and some mistakes by the favorites for the likes of Fenwick or Happy Jack to pull off the upset.
Prediction
1. Secret Oath ($900,000 prize)
2. Epicenter ($300,000)
3. Simplification ($165,000)
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