The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans returns Saturday, as the 147th Preakness Stakes takes center stage in the horse racing world.
At Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, nine horses will line the starting gate in hopes of having its colors and number painted on the weathervane at the facility.
The middle jewel of the Triple Crown will go off without Rich Strike, the 80-1 long shot who claimed the Kentucky Derby in thrilling fashion two weeks ago. As a result, 2022 will go on without the potential of a Triple Crown winner.
But that doesn’t mean there is no excitement surrounding the Preakness, headlined by heavy favorite Epicenter, who held the lead at the Derby before getting outkicked by Rich Strike at the finish.
What’s more, you don’t have to be anywhere near Pimlico in order to bet on the race. With the TVG betting app, customers using the promo code can place their first win-type bet up to $200 on any horse to win the race and get that money back if that pick doesn’t claim victory.
Looking at the field for 2022 Preakness Stakes
Epicenter enters the Preakness with odds so heavily favored, it’s tough to overlook the 3-year-old. Then again, he also stood as a favorite for the Derby. We all saw how that ended. Then again, still, the Preakness is built for sprinters, such as Epicenter. After all, if the 1¼-mile Derby was any shorter, as the 13⁄16-mile Preakness is, he would have won.
Perhaps he will on Saturday. Post time for the Preakness is 7:01 p.m. ET with coverage airing on NBC.
| Post Position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Treasure | John Velazquez | Bob Baffert | 4-1 |
| 2 | Chase The Chaos | Sheldon Russell | Ed Moger Jr. | 50-1 |
| 3 | Mage | Javier Castellano | Gustavo Delgado | 8-5 |
| 4 | Coffee With Chris | Jaime Rodriguez | John Salzman Jr. | 20-1 |
| 5 | Red Route One | Joel Rosario | Steve Asmussen | 10-1 |
| 6 | Perform | Feargal Lynch | Shug McCaughey | 15-1 |
| 7 | Blazing Sevens | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad Brown | 6-1 |
| 8 | First Mission | Luis Saez | Brad Cox | 5-2 |
Users of the TVG betting app can make a deposit and place a win-type bet up to $200 on a single horse and receive their money back if that horse doesn’t win. When it comes to Preakness Stakes betting, only the win portion of a win/place, win/show or win/place/show wager will count toward the promotion.
Preakness Stakes betting facts heading into Saturday
All time, only six fillies have won the Preakness Stakes. This year, a seventh has the chance to emerge. Secret Oath enters in post four after winning the Kentucky Oaks, which occurred the Friday before the Derby. Just two years ago, another female, Swiss Skydiver, claimed the Preakness crown. Also out of the No. 4 starting gate.
That starting position has produced the second-most Preakness Stakes winners in history, tied with post seven and two behind post six.
About those post positions, the No. 1 spot has seen three winners since 2015. It makes sense, of course, as the Preakness favors strong sprinters, and that inside position allows for a straighter shot along the rail. Simplification has the pleasure of starting in post one — at 6-1 odds.
By the way, Epicenter, again as a heavy favorite, will start out of No. 8, which has not produced a Preakness champion since 2006. Of the first nine posts, that is the longest drought.
Can another long shot win at Pimlico?
After Rich Strike, again not running the in Preakness, struck it big with an 80-1 victory at the Kentucky Derby, folks across America have caught a mild case of longshot fever.
While the No. 1 post has had the most recent success at the Preakness, post six has sent off the most winners in the race’s history. Starting there: Happy Jack at 30-1 — the second-longest odds in the field.
Crazy things have happened. In 1975, for example, Master Derby pulled off the incredible with a victory at 23-1, which stands as the longest odds of a Preakness champion.
Preakness Stakes actually has New York roots
Undoubtedly, the actual race will rightfully garner the spotlight Saturday. As will Baltimore and Pimlico Race Course.
But just 130 years ago, New York was the home of the Preakness Stakes.
Indeed, in 1890, Morris Park Racecourse, in the Bronx, took the reins of the Preakness from Pimlico.
After 5-year old Montague won that year, the Preakness Stakes took a three-year hiatus. Upon the race’s return, Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island hosted the Preakness for 15 years from 1894 through 1908 — known colloquially as the “lost” Preaknesses.
By 1909, the Preakness returned to Pimlico, where it has remained as the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
