2022 Preakness Predictions and Betting Odds | May 21
2022 Preakness Stakes Betting Preview
No, there won’t be a Triple Crown this year, but that should open up the Preakness Stakes odds board to some longer possibilities. Rombauer captured last year’s Triple Crown jewel at 12-to-1. Will we see a similar longshot in this year’s race? WagerTalk horse racing expert Marco D’Angelo shares his thoughts on the 2022 Preakness field.
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| 2022 Preakness Stakes | 147th Preakness Stakes Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| When: | Saturday, May 21 at 7:01pm ET / 4:01pm PT |
| Where: | Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland |
| Last Year’s Winner: | Rombauer (Went off at 12-to-1) |
| Morning Line Favorite: | Epicenter (6-5 Morning Line) |
| TV: | NBC |
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Preakness Stakes Field
The letter behind the morning line odds is Marco’s personal grade for each horse: 1) Simplification – 6-1 Morning Line (B): Simplification made a big move in the stretch drive of the Kentucky Derby after sitting well off the fast pace. It looked like he had a lot of run in stretch but was passing mostly tired horses. It was a good race for him but the result looked better than it was. His speed figures have improved in each of his last three races. I don’t think he can win, but you have to use him on exactas and trifectas. Simplification is a contender to hit the ticket. 2) Creative Minister – 10-1 Morning Line (B): Intriguing horse that is on the improve but is making a big class jump. Creative Minister has only three lifetime starts but is just a neck away from being undefeated as he has rolled off two impressive wins since finishing second by a neck in his debut. His racing style is to sit off the pace in a stalking position and making his move in the stretch. His speed figures have improved in every start. With only three starts this horse has a big chance to make another big jump on Saturday at a nice price. Creative Minister is a live longshot. 3) Fenwick – 50-1 Morning Line (D): Fenwick is coming off his worst start of his career and yet the owners have decided to enter him in this field. Fenwick has one win in six career starts and off that win they entered him in the Blue Grass at Keeneland where he finished last beaten by 36 lengths. Even his best speed figure has him nowhere near what he will need to win this race. Fenwick is a toss. 4) Secret Oath – 9-2 Morning Line (A): I have never been a fan of racing fillies against the colts but Secret Oath didn’t embarrass herself when she tried the boys in the Arkansas Derby. She got a horrible trip and still finished third. To be honest, it was the replay of that race that had me betting her in the Kentucky Oaks and she didn’t disappoint. Luis Saez rode her for the first time and it resulted in a career best speed figure. Her racing style will have her just behind the leaders waiting to make her move in the final turn. She had a much easier race in the Oaks than the horses that chased those suicide fractions in the Derby. Trainer D Wayne Lucas has had a lot of success in the Preakness winning it six times. Secret Oath has a legitimate shot at winning the Preakness. Secret Oath is a major contender to win. 5) Early Voting – 7-2 Morning Line (A): Early Voting is a lightly-raced colt that is improving with each start. He broke his maiden at first asking back on December 18. Off of that maiden victory, trainer Chad Brown entered him in the Withers Stakes and he ran off in wire-to-wire fashion winning by 4.5 lengths. He ran the same style in the Wood Memorial and looked to be clear in the deep stretch but Mo Donegal ran him down in the final strides to beat him by a neck. His speed figures have gone up in each of his races with the last putting him right there with the top contenders. Chad Brown pointed him to Preakness and this new shooter is fresh and could be sitting on a monster effort, especially if they leave him alone on the lead. Early Voting is a win contender. 6) Happy Jack – 30-1 Morning Line (D): Congratulations to the connections of Happy Jack as they can tell their grandkids that they ran in the 148th Kentucky Derby and they beat six horses that day. Just don’t tell them they got beat by 13 other horses. I didn’t understand putting this horse in the Derby and surely don’t understand putting him in the Preakness. His speed figures say he has no shot and I agree. Happy Jack is a toss. 7) Armagnac – 12-1 Morning Line (C): Armagnac is one of the speed horses in the field who was formerly trained by Bob Baffert and is now trained by Tim Yakteen. In the Kentucky Derby, Yakteen’s two horses both finished up the track and they tried to chase those fast early fractions then backed thru the field. In his last race a optional claiming race, he ran away from the 3/5 favorite in the stretch to win by more than four lengths. But in the race before that, he ran a disappointing fourth beaten by 12+ lengths. More importantly, Happy Jack ran third in that race and you know what I think of Happy Jack. Armagnac is on the bottom end of trifecta and superfecta tickets at best. Armagnac is a toss for win bets. 8) Epicenter – 6-5 Morning Line (A): Why can I say about Epicenter and his performance in the Kentucky Derby? I’ve been riding this horse since January and he did everything but win the Derby. When turned for home, Epicenter looked like he had the race locked up as Joel Rosario gave him a perfect ride. Epicenter has tactical speed and can rocket out of the gate for position but Rosario was astute even to see how fast they were going and he dropped back and was sitting eighth in the early going not to get caught up in those suicide fractions. When it was time to push the “go” button, Epicenter responded with a big sweeping move that had him in front turning for home. He put away the challenge of Zandon but was caught in the final strides by the fast closing Rich Strike. To be honest, Rosario may not of even seen him coming. History has shown that Derby horses usually run back with big efforts in the Preakness and there is no Rich Strike or Zandon in the field so this is Epicenter’s race to lose. Expect Epicenter to be on or just behind the lead and when they turn for home he will be the one they are chasing. Epicenter is the horse to beat. 9) Skippylongstocking – 20-1 Morning Line (C): This will be Skippylongstocking’s tenth career start and I have said it many times that horses with this many starts in their career are what they are and a Triple Crown horse he isn’t. He doesn’t have great tactical speed so from Post 9 he most likely will be caught on the outside going into that first turn. He did finish third in the Wood Memorial, but to be honest, I don’t think that Wood Memorial field was very strong. Trainer Saffie Joesph is force to be reckoned with at Gulfstream but outside of Florida he’s just another trainer. The best I see him finishing here is the bottom end of the exotics. Skippylongstocking is a toss for win bets.The Pony Pundits
And they’re off! In this week’s episode of The Pony Pundits: Joe, Marco and Sig share their thoughts on the 2022 Preakness field. Six fillies have won the Preakness, including Swiss Skydiver in 2020 and Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Can Secret Oath join them in the elusive club? Marco and Sig share their thoughts on all of the contenders with recommended ticket construction and some potential longshots to hit the board.
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