2022 Preakness Stakes Betting Odds, Picks, Exotic Bets & Preview
The 2022 Preakness Stakes field is small and not overly impressive. That means finding value could be hard to come by.
Nine horses are slated to run Saturday evening at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. But of the nine participants, maybe five have a legitimate chance of winning.
We also won’t see Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike go for the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico, as his owners and trainers have elected to hold him out to prepare for the upcoming Belmont Stakes.
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So which horses should you focus your betting on in the Preakness? Let’s break down the field:
2022 Preakness Stakes
- Racetrack: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
- Post time: 7:01 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
2022 Preakness Stakes Betting Odds
| Horse | Odds |
| (8) Epicenter | 6-5 |
| (5) Early Voting | 7-2 |
| (4) Secret Oath | 9-2 |
| (1) Simplification | 6-1 |
| (2) Creative Minister | 10-1 |
| (7) Armagnac | 12-1 |
| (9) Skippylongstocking | 20-1 |
| (6) Happy Jack | 30-1 |
| (3) Fenwick | 50-1 |
Race Preview
As the betting odds suggest, there’s clearly a gap between the top four horses and the rest of the pack. While Rich Strike won’t be in Baltimore, three Preakness participants are coming off a two-week layoff after running in the Kentucky Derby: Epicenter, Simplification, and Happy Jack. Epicenter finished second to a charging Rich Strike, Simplification finished a respectable fourth, and Happy Jack finished 14th.
However, two other horses in the Preakness field raced on Derby weekend. Secret Oath won the Kentucky Oaks and will look to become the seventh filly ever to win the Preakness. Meanwhile, Creative Minister scored a victory in Race 4 of the Derby undercard.
Historically, the odds favor the horses who raced on Derby weekend. In fact, only five horses in the last 40 years have won the Preakness without running during the first weekend in May.
Early Voting is the one horse to watch that didn’t race on Derby weekend. Trainer Chad Brown elected to hold his horse out of the Derby to prepare him for the Preakness. However, Brown has a Preakness victory under his belt in this situation. In 2017, Brown helped Cloud Computing take home the Preakness despite holding it out of the Derby.
Early Voting also has some victories under his belt. The colt won his first two starts before nearly earning a wire-to-wire victory in the Wood Memorial. Unfortunately, Early Voting could fend off a charging Mo Donegal, who finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby. Early Voting has strong early speed and will likely be a pacesetter Saturday evening. The question will be whether he can fend off the talented horses stalking him.
Secret Oath is another horse that’ll draw plenty of attention at the betting window. The filly has experience racing against the boys, finishing third in the Arkansas Derby. However, Secret Oath came up short against Cyberknife, who finished 18th, and Barber Road, who finished sixth at Churchill Downs. The filly could have a hard time outrunning Epicenter and Simplification.
As for the long shots, the only horse potentially worth consideration is Skippylongstocking. The experienced horse finished third in the aforementioned Wood Memorial. He’s a long shot to win but could be an option to hit the board.
Epicenter should’ve won the Kentucky Derby, and I suspect he’ll get the job done this time around. This horse has four wins under his belt in eight starts and has experience racing on short rest. There’s certainly the risk of an off day or some sort of regression, but Epicenter might be in his own class off a short layoff.
Best exotic bet: Epicenter, Early Voting, Secret Oath and Simplification, exacta box, $12 bet
I’m playing it a little safer by boxing the top four horses in one wager. I feel strongly that two of these four horses will finish first and second, but I’m a bit more uncertain about the exact combo. If you want a straight exacta, I would choose Epicenter followed by Early Voting.
I also have no problem doing the same thing for a trifecta box, which will cost you the same amount on a .50 cent trifecta bet. And I’d even throw Skippylongstocking in there if you’re seeking a longer shot. This truly feels like a four-horse race, so I’m going to get chalky and ride these four at Pimlico.
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