2022 Preakness Stakes Recap

After one of the biggest longshots in recent memory won the Kentucky Derby, bettors were excited to find out which horses would be making the trip to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes. This race was also an exciting affair in its own right. Here’s a 2022 Preakness Stakes recap.

The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown

The 147^th running of the Preakness Stakes was held at Pimlico Racecourse, the legendary home of the event. This recap describes the 2022 race at Pimlico, rather than the venue arrangements for a later running. The day was a hot one, perfect for the boisterous crowd that always gathers in the Pimlico infield.

The race was conducted on Saturday, May 21, 2022. This was just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. The official chart records an off time of 7:05 p.m. local time and a fast track. Hot weather is not a separate official track-condition designation. A field of nine horses were led into the paddock. A surprising absentee was the Kentucky Derby winner, Rich Strike.

The initial word from Rich Strike’s trainer, Eric Reed, was that the horse would make the trip to Baltimore. Things changed in the days that followed, and Rich Strike skipped the Preakness, ending the possibility of a 2022 Triple Crown sweep.

Returning for the Preakness was Kentucky Derby favorite Epicenter. After a disappointing defeat in the Derby, trainer Steve Asmussen was looking to help the horse redeem itself. To do so, Epicenter would need to outrun another Triple Crown series hopeful in Early Voting.

Creative Minister and an assortment of other horses rounded out the field. Most were expecting a more predictable finish, and the odds of each horse reflected that.

Horses and Post Positions for the 2022 Preakness Stakes

• 1 – Simplification
• 2 – Creative Minister
• 3 – Fenwick
• 4 – Secret Oath
• 5 – Early Voting
• 6 – Happy Jack
• 7 – Armagnac
• 8 – Epicenter
• 9 – Skippylongstocking

Epicenter Once More Installed As the Preakness Favorite

Despite the horse’s poor performance in the Kentucky Derby, Epicenter was once more installed as the favorite in the Preakness Stakes. Bettors were quick to buy the hype once more, making the horse 6/5 at post time. The chart’s final odds were 5.70-1 for Early Voting and 5.00-1 for Secret Oath; final odds must not be mixed with morning-line quotations.

There were plenty of handicappers willing to look elsewhere for a betting choice. Fenwick, at final odds of 13.20-1, was the darling of those who were looking for another Rich Strike. Some handicappers felt that there were no excuses for Epicenter in the Kentucky Derby, and that the horse was simply beaten by a better horse that day.

How the 2022 Preakness Stakes Unfolded

The race began at 7:05 p.m. local daylight time, as recorded in the chart. As many expected, the horse Armagnac was away fast from the gate and established a good lead for the first quarter mile. The Preakness is a shorter race than the others in the Triple Crown series, and the other horses had started making their move long before the half-mile pole.

By the time the race had reached the top of the stretch, Early Voting and Epicenter were squaring off for the final furlong. Despite a gallant attempt, Epicenter rallied from behind but could not catch Early Voting, who crossed the wire first in the 2022 Preakness.

Rounding out the top four of the race were Creative Minister and Secret Oath. The betting public pretty much got things right in this event. As a result, the corresponding payoffs were lower than they were in the Kentucky Derby with the presence of a longshot winner.

What the 2022 Preakness Taught Bettors About Triple Crown Handicapping

The 2022 Preakness Stakes offered several instructive lessons for bettors who approach Triple Crown races analytically rather than emotionally. The race demonstrated once again that connections who skip the Derby and point directly to the Preakness often arrive with fresher, more advantageously prepared horses than those coming off the gruelling Churchill Downs experience two weeks earlier. The time between starts is worth recording, but freshness alone does not demonstrate a profitable angle. Compare a larger sample, the quality of the runners and the odds before treating it as a betting rule.

The pace scenario was also pivotal in 2022, as it so often is at Pimlico’s relatively two-turn mile-and-three-sixteenths configuration. Horses that can settle comfortably in the early stages and produce a sustained run through the stretch have a structural advantage at this track, and identifying which horses in the field are best suited to that profile — regardless of their reputation or odds — is the key analytical task. For bettors interested in developing a systematic approach to Triple Crown wagering, our article on the key to winning Triple Crown horse racing bets covers the recurring patterns across all three races. Our guide on the importance of Preakness participation also provides useful context on how the race fits into the broader Triple Crown picture.

Takeaways From the 2022 Preakness Stakes

When history looks back at the 2022 Preakness Stakes it will obviously land upon the story of Epicenter. Coming in second once more, the horse that many people had thought to be unbeatable in the Triple Crown series was a disappointment to bettors.

Trainer Steve Asmussen did little to make excuses for Epicenter’s performance in the Preakness Stakes. He had expressed his disappointment over Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby by calling the horse a claimer. There was no such comments in the wake of the Preakness defeat.

What the 2022 Triple Crown series may have taught us more than any other thing is that horse racing is an unpredictable affair. The very best horses do not always win the races. Some will look back and say that Early Voting was a better horse than many bettors thought, and that the true class of the three-year-old crop in 2022 was revealed.

How did you fare in the 2022 Preakness Stakes? We are always interested in hearing about your betting successes. You are also welcome to contribute your thoughts to this 2022 Preakness Stakes recap below. Comments are appreciated.

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