Last Updated on May 20, 2022 12:14 pm by Gambyl Nation Editorial Team
The Preakness Stakes is the third horse race in the race for the Triple Crown and happens on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
This is a Grade I race, in which the horses cover a distance of 9.5 furlongs. It’s the second jewel (race) of the 2022 Triple Crown. So, it takes place two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes.
The first race in history was in 1873. The Preakness Stakes got its name from a former Governor of Maryland after the colt that won the first Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico.
The Triple Crown is an extremely tough test for horses and their riders. Not only because of the short time between the three competitions; but also because the participating horses are not used to running such long distances in a race.
As we have become accustomed to in recent years, apart from the winner of the Kentucky Derby, not many horses that participate in the Race of the Roses are in the second race of the North American Triple Crown.
2022 will be no exception, and just a few days after the pleasant surprise of Rich Strike’s victory in the Derby, we’re starting to see the final roster of horses in the Preakness Stakes next Saturday, May 21 in Pimlico.
Rich Strike is not running the Preakness Stakes – No Triple Crown Winner This Year
Now that Rich Strike is out and there’s no chance for a Triple Crown Champion, the Preakness the favorites are the filly Secret Oath, the current winner of the Kentucky Oaks G1. Her trainer, D. Wayne Lukas had mentioned the possibility of facing the males for the second time. However, he was waiting for the result of the last race to discuss it with the owners.
Early Voting will be another of the probable entries in the Preakness Stakes, according to the work plan of his trainer Chad Brown, who preferred that this colt be prepared for this competition.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will enter Skippylongstocking, third in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.
The Preakness Stakes, even with the absence of Rich Strike, will not cease to be a test full of great expectations, where we will have 9 3-year-old horses, including the Secret Oath filly, who will meet on Saturday in Pimlico to be part of an interesting day that promises a lot of fun for the attendees, with a billboard of artistic and gastronomic events that will be offered during the day.
Epicenter right now is selected as the favorite to win. The second place in the Kentucky Derby, Steve Asmussen’s pupil is looking to establish himself as the leader of the generation born in 2019, ridden by Joel Rosario.
Perhaps the underdog in the lottery was Simplification, another of the three Kentucky Derby entrants who were entered in the Preakness. He finished in fourth place in the Carrera de las Rosas, Antonio Sano’s pupil justified this attempt after that excellent performance.
The surprise of the competition is Fenwick, whose owners decided to include it in the important competition on Monday morning. It will be in a ratio of 50 to 1 and will start from position #3.
Then we have Creative Minister, Armagnac, and Happy Jack who will start from positions 2, 6, and 7, respectively, looking to cause an upset just like Rich Strike did in the Kentucky Derby.
Controversies in the Triple Crown
Much has been said throughout the history of the American Triple Crown of horse racing regarding the different controversies that exist with different trainers who prefer that their horses not participate in any of the 3 races, no matter that in the end, they do not can choose this title.
The main reason why the trainers prefer this is that this Triple Crown is a very complicated and extremely hard test for the riders and the participating horses, not only because of the short time between the races, which makes it more complicated to rest and preparation for the next one, nor that the races are held in 3 different states, but rather, the horses are not used to running such long distances in races, so their preparation must be much more demanding.
Different trainers have their favorite races when it comes to horse preparation. Some prefer to save their horses for this Preakness Stakes and then enter the Belmont Stakes, while others prefer to enter the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, which allows them to dose their colts much more.
The main reason for these preferences among trainers is that the Kentucky Derby is a race in which the participating horses have to have extra luck to win. In the Preakness Stake, it is emphasized that the horses must have a spectacular resistance, due to the distance that is covered. While the Belmont Stakes, which is billed as the Champion’s Test, requires a perfect combination of speed, endurance, and determination.
Another the key point that creates disagreement on the part of the different horse trainers is that, due to the high demand for these races and the technological advances of the pharmaceutical industries, there is an increasing possibility that different drugs are injected into horses to improve their performance and thus be able to have a better career.
Expert picks for 2022 Preakness Stakes
The Preakness is the shortest of the triple crown race at 1 3/16 miles, so this race favors horses that get off to a good start more than others. Stamina is still important, as is closing speed, but there’s simply less time to make up for a poor start in this race.
According to NY Times horse racing experts Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert, these are the horses to watch in this race:
- Joe Drape (win-place-show) picks: Secret Oath, Epicenter, and Early Voting.
- Melissa Hoppert picks: Early Voting, Epicenter, Secret Oath.
Confirmed horses for Preakness Stakes and their betting odds.
| Post position | Horse | Odds |
| 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 |
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