Extra rest pays off for Early Voting during Preakness win
BALTIMORE — Maybe there is something to the idea that two weeks’ rest isn’t enough time to run two of the most important races of your life.
Early Voting, coming off six weeks’ rest, upset heavily favored Epicenter to win the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes. It was Chad Brown’s second Preakness victory, having taken the second leg of the Triple Crown in 2017 with Cloud Computing. Seth Klarman, who grew up three blocks from Pimlico Race Course, also was the winning owner that day.
It was the first Preakness win for jockey Jose Ortiz.
“We had a similar game plan to come in here, and Jose executed it beautifully,” Brown said. “I just want to say how happy I am for another Classic victory for one of my best friends Seth Klarman. It’s really memorable for me.”
Early Voting broke sharply but let Armagnac go to the lead, setting up slightly on the outside of him. The pace was very reasonable in the 1 3/16-mile race. Going down the backstretch, it was clear that Early Voting was moving well.
Around the far turn, he started to make his move on the outside and took an easy lead at the top of the stretch. However, he appeared to be tiring in the deep stretch and even veered to the inside in front of a late-charging Epicenter. But there was enough clearance that no foul was called and the winning margin was 1¼ lengths.
Surprise! Preakness bettors believe in 50-1 long shot Fenwick
BALTIMORE — Post time is almost here and the big story is the odds on Fenwick are for real. It seems inconceivable that a 50-1 long shot would be bet down to 8-1. While he may drift a little higher as the time clicks down, it makes you wonder, “What do people know that others don’t?”
No doubt the 80-1 upset win by Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby had some bettors believing that another upset is in making. That would seem to be the most plausible explanation to his odds.
Epicenter is going to go off as the favorite. He is currently at 9-5, with Secret Oath at 9-2.
Here are the odds with less than an hour to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1) 9-1
- Fenwick (50-1) 8-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 6-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 9-5
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 9-1
Ethereal Road, which helped Rich Strike win Kentucky Derby, earns a win of its own
BALTIMORE — The horse that was instrumental in helping Rich Strike win the Kentucky Derby came back and won the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.
An explanation is in order.
Ethereal Road was the horse that scratched the day before the Kentucky Derby that allowed Rich Strike to get in the race. If he doesn’t scratch, or scratches two hours later, Rich Strike would not have been in the Derby.
The horse is owned by Aaron Sones, a former emergency room doctor. He paid $90,000 for the horse and put him in the care of trainer Wayne Lukas.
Ethereal Road, in the one hole, broke sharply and then eased toward the back of the pack on a ground saving trip. On the backstretch he circled to the outside and far turn started to make his move. Coming off the turn he was five wide and was never contested from there to win by 4 ¾ length. Couldn’t have been any easier for jockey Luis Saez.
Ethereal Road paid $5.00 to win as the favorite. B Dawk was second and Mr Jefferson finished third.
“That’s what we expected,” said Lukas. “That’s his style. It was a picture-prefect ride from Luis. We probably should have left him in the Derby, but that’s hindsight. He got a good trip. The fractions are realistic. We can definitely build off this.”
And how the racing landscape would be different this week if Lukas had kept Ethereal Road in the Kentucky Derby.
Rich Strike works out at Churchill Downs instead of running in Preakness
BALTIMORE — The Preakness certainly lost some luster when Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike was not entered in the second leg of the Triple Crown. But the colt did run on Saturday, just not as far or as hard.
Rich Strike had a timed workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, going 22.80 seconds for the quarter mile and 47.20 for the half-mile. He then galloped out another furlong in 1:00.60.
He is scheduled to van to New York on May 31 after a workout on May 30.
“He does so well here I just didn’t want to change anything yet,” trainer Eric Reed told Churchill Downs publicity. “He’ll get eight or nine days at Belmont to gallop and get used to the surface.”
Reed stood next to owner Rick Dawson during the early morning workout.
“Skipping the Preakness was still one of the toughest decisions I had to make as a trainer,” Reed said. “I just don’t think he would’ve been mentally ready to run against those horses again.”
The Belmont Stakes will be held on June 11.
Epicenter remains locked in as Preakness betting favorite
BALTIMORE — It remained mostly status quo as we creep toward the projected 7:01 p.m. EDT post time in this year’s Preakness. Epicenter was locked in as the 9-5 favorite followed by Secret Oath at 9-2, Early Voting at 6-1 and Fenwick at 7-1.
There were only two moves in the past hour. Early Voting went from 7-1 to 6-1 and Skippylongstocking went from 9-1 to 8-1.
Armagnac remained the only horse with double-digit odds at 18-1.
Here are the odds with less than two hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1) 9-1
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 6-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 9-5
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 8-1
What happens after a horse wins a major race?
BALTIMORE — Do you ever wonder what happens long term to a horse after winning a big race such as the Preakness?
Most, of course, go on to be a stallion. And then after your stallion career is over, you may get pensioned, meaning you are sent to live out your days on a farm with no particular job.
There are three horses in Saturday’s race who are from one of the past winners. Fenwick is by Curlin, Happy Jack is by Oxbow and Skippylongstocking is by Exaggerator.
Courtesy of the Preakness program and additional research, here is a look at where the Preakness winners are since 2000.
2021: Rombauer — at stud
2020: Swiss Skydiver — broodmare
2019: War of Will — at stud
2018: Justify — at stud
2017: Cloud Computing — at stud
2016: Exaggerator — at stud
2015: American Pharoah — at stud
2014: California Chrome — at stud in Japan
2013: Oxbow — at stud
2012: I’ll Have Another — at stud
2011: Shackleford — at stud in Korea
2010: Lookin at Luck — at stud
2009: Rachel Alexandra — pensioned
2008: Big Brown — at stud
2007: Curlin — at stud
2006: Bernardini — at stud
2005: Afleet Alex — at stud
2004: Smarty Jones — at stud
2003: Funny Cide — gelding, retired
2002: War Emblem — died
2001: Point Given — pensioned
2000: Red Bullet — pensioned
Know your Preakness horses: Skippylongstocking (Post 9)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Owner: Daniel Alonso
Purchase price: $37,000
Lifetime record: 9-2-1-2
Winnings: $165,100
Last race: Third in the Wood Memorial
Morning line: 20-1
Comment: This horse will probably go off at lower odds just because of his name. Some people bet names. He’s the most experienced horse in the race with nine starts with both wins coming at Gulfstream Park and neither in a stakes race. Last out he was third in the Wood Memorial. He seems to have some tactical speed, but this field may have him overmatched. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. seems most comfortable at Gulfstream Park and a win in a Triple Crown race would seriously vault him on a national stage. It took the colt three times to break his maiden.
Betting odds remain steady less than three hours ahead of Preakness
BALTIMORE — Nothing new as far as changing odds for the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes. Epicenter keeps the role as 9-5 favorite as he has shortly after wagering started. Secret Oath is second at 9-2 with Fenwick and Early Voting at 7-1.
You may see some moves the closer we get to post time. The “will pays” hooking up the Black-Eyed Susan and the Preakness paint a slightly different picture, at least as far as Fenwick goes. If Epicenter wins and you have the double, it pays $47.20, Early Voting is $101, Secret Oath is $107 and Fenwick is $1,214.40.
Here are the odds with less than three hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1) 9-1
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 7-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 9-5
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 9-1
Know your Preakness horses: Epicenter (Post 8)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Owners: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Purchase price: $260,000
Lifetime record: 7-4-2-0
Winnings: $1,610,639
Last race: Second in the Kentucky Derby
Morning line: 6-5
Comment: Epicenter was the best horse in the Kentucky Derby, he just didn’t win the race. And, again, he’s probably the most likely winner on Saturday. Trainer Steve Asmussen has won this race twice, but jockey Joel Rosario is 0 for 7. The colt has done very little wrong since his second race when he broke his maiden at Churchill Downs. Going into the Derby he had won four of his five races and finished second in the other one. He has shown he can win from the lead or also from a stalking position. Providing the early speed is not so fast that it destroys everyone, he should be in a good spot with all the speed to his inside. Secret Oath might be the only one who could challenge him, but that would only happen if he’s not running his “A” race.
Wayne Lukas knows how to spice up the Preakness — by running a filly against the colts
BALTIMORE — If anyone can recognize a good story, it’s Wayne Lukas, the 86-year-old Hall of Fame horse trainer.
All week at Pimlico Race Course, Lukas has sat for hours in his usual folding chair at the end of the stakes barn answering the same questions as wave after wave of reporters comes to pay homage to someone who is always a good quote.
Most of the questions this year are about Secret Oath, the only filly in the nine-horse Preakness Stakes on Saturday. It’s not as crazy as it might sound to run a filly against colts. Six times a filly has won the Preakness. Lukas has won the Preakness six times, but only with males. He did win the Kentucky Derby with a filly, Winning Colors in 1988.
When the owner of Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike decided to bypass the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness needed an angle. And Lukas had one by bringing the Kentucky Oaks winner to Baltimore.
Epicenter and Secret Oath remain Preakness favorites four hours ahead of race
BALTIMORE — The toteboard for the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes remained about the same with Epicenter as the 9-5 favorite, followed by Secret Oath at 9-2. Inexplicably, Fenwick, the 50-1 morning line longshot, is still at 7-1 as the co-third favorite with Early Voting.
The Preakness does not provide totals on how much money has been wagered, so it’s unclear how robust the betting has been.
The only move in the past hour was Early Voting going from 6-1 to 7-1.
Here are the odds with less than four hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1) 9-1
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 7-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 9-5
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 9-1
Know your Preakness horses: Armagnac (Post 7)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Goloconda Stable and Siena Farm.
Purchase price: $210,000
Lifetime record: 5-2-0-1
Winnings: $135,140
Last race: Won an allowance at Santa Anita
Morning line: 12-1
Comment: He has the shortest turnaround time, having raced at Santa Anita 13 days ago. He has most of the same ownership group as Messier and came to the Tim Yakteen barn when Bob Baffert was not eligible to get Kentucky Derby qualifying points. He was fourth in Santa Anita Derby behind Taiba, Messier and Happy Jack. He will be running without Lasix, which has not been his best work. He is two-for-two with Lasix and zero for three without it. The Preakness, as with all graded stakes, is a Lasix free race. He gets a jockey switch from Drayden Van Dyke to Irad Ortiz Jr. It’s going to be a big ask for him to run like he did in his allowance win against this caliber of horses. He is likely to be on or near the lead.
Know your Preakness horses: Happy Jack (Post 6)
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Owner: Calumet Farm
Purchase price: Homebred
Lifetime record: 5-1-0-2
Winnings: $182,200
Last race: Fourteenth in the Kentucky Derby
Morning line: 30-1
Comment: This horse had a difficult start to the Kentucky Derby when his tail got caught in the gate. He was not happy, so they had to back him out and reload him. Trainer Doug O’Neill is still trying to figure out the sweet spot with this horse and will add back blinkers after running without them in the Kentucky Derby. Previous to that he wore blinkers in the Santa Anita Derby, where he finished third behind Taiba and Messier. He hasn’t won since his first race. O’Neill has won the Preakness before when he had I’ll Have Another in 2012. He’s one of two Southern California horses in the Preakness.
This is why horses can run safely at Preakness despite Baltimore heat advisory
BALTIMORE — The surest bet of the day at Pimlico Race Course is it will be hot, really hot. In fact, Baltimore is under a heat advisory.
According to the Weather Channel, the heat will peak around 3 p.m. EDT at 94 degrees. At race time, about 7 p.m. EDT, it is expected to be 89 degrees with a humidity of 44%.
Although it’s certainly not comfortable, the weather should not pose any danger to the horses although they prefer to run when it’s much cooler.
In California, there are protocols as to when racing becomes dangerous. As a general rule, things get serious when you add the temperature and the humidity and come up with a number around 160. In Baltimore, the addition gets you to 133.
Dr. Rick Arthur, former equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, once explained it to The Times when he was still on the job.
“Even when the temperature is 90 to 100 at Santa Anita, the heat index is higher at Del Mar when it’s in the 80s,” Arthur said. “That has to do with the humidity.
“Unlike dogs, horses are like humans and they lose heat by sweating,” Arthur said. “If you put water on them it takes the heat off. That’s why horses are sponged sometimes before or in the paddock and certainly after the races.”
Signs that state and track veterinarians look for when a horse may be distressed because of the heat include them being more anxious, throwing their head back and pawing the ground.
Perhaps the biggest heat problem at the aging Pimlico facility will be if the increased use of electricity to cool things will cause a brownout.
Will Happy Jack run with blinkers in the Preakness?
BALTIMORE — There are two Southern California horses in the Preakness and neither one is considered a favorite to do much. There is Armagnac, who was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, and is listed at 12-1 for trainer Tim Yakteen. And there is Happy Jack, coming off a 14th in the Kentucky Derby, for trainer Doug O’Neill.
O’Neill did not get in until Thursday and talked with reporters on Friday about Happy Jack’s chances.
Among the issues is if to keep blinkers on or off the 3-year-old colt. Blinkers are generally used to restrict the horse’s vision on the side and keep them focused on the race and what is in front of them. Happy Jack is adding blinkers for the Preakness.
Happy Jack ran his first two races with blinkers, winning his first race. Then in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita he finished third without blinkers. Then in the Santa Anita Derby he put them back on, where he finished third. In the Kentucky Derby they came off again.
Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter is the 6-5 favorite in the Preakness Stakes. Filly Secret Oath could offer tough competition with temperatures in the 90s.
“We had them on in his debut where he won,” O’Neill said. “I purposely put him on there thinking he was a two-turn horse and it worked out well. When we started going longer, I thought he was in the bridle too early and we took them off. It’s not an exact science.
“He’s mature enough where he won’t have any accelerator being stuck and have trouble navigating this or the distance in the race. I’ll know more, for sure, [Saturday] night if it’s a good move.”
The other change for the Oxbow colt was a change from Rafael Bejarano in the Derby to Tyler Gaffalione in the Preakness.
“It was just Rafael wasn’t here,” O’Neill said. “I love Rafael. If this race were back at Churchill, Rafael would be back on him in a heartbeat if he were open.
“The old Mel Stute used to say, ‘Bad riders can’t follow instructions and good riders don’t need them.’ I’m going with a good rider in Tyler and he doesn’t need any instructions. We’re going to leg him up and think good thoughts.”
Epicenter tightens grip on Preakness favorite status
BALTIMORE — Epicenter’s grip on being the favorite in today’s Preakness Stakes got ever so slightly tighter when he dropped from 2-1 to 9-5 during the last hour. There is head scratching over the odds of Fenwick, the 50-1 morning line longshot, as to why the horse is remaining at 7-1.
The only move in the past hour was Skippylongstocking going back to 9-1 from 8-1.
Interestingly, there is only one horse with double-digit odds, the Santa Anita-based Armagnac, who is 18-1 and the longest shot on the board.
Here are the odds with less than five hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1) 9-1
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 6-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 9-5
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 9-1
Know your Preakness horses: Early Voting (Post 5)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Owner: Klaravich Stables
Purchase price: $200,000
Lifetime record: 3-2-1-0
Winnings: $321,500
Last race: Second in the Wood Memorial
Morning line: 7-2
Comment: This colt is lightly raced having run only three times, and only at Aqueduct. But, he does have early speed and is fresh after last running six weeks ago with a second-place finish in the Wood Memorial. He had enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby but trainer Chad Brown decided to save him for the Preakness. After all, a nine-horse field is less intimidating than a 20-horse field. Brown has won this race in the past, taking the trophy in 2017 with Cloud Computing. Likely to be up or on the lead against Fenwick and Armagnac with Secret Oath and Epicenter in more of a stalking position.
Know your Preakness horses: Secret Oath (Post 4)
Trainer: Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Luis Saez
Owner: Briland Farm
Purchase price: Homebred
Lifetime record: 8-5-0-2
Winnings: $1,295,417
Last race: Won the Kentucky Oaks
Morning line: 9-2
Comment: This is going to be the sentimental pick of many bettors because she is a filly going against colts. A filly has won the Preakness six times and Secret Oath is trained by Wayne Lukas, who has won the race six times. The last win for Lukas was in 2013 with Oxbow. Because she is a filly she will get a five-pound weight advantage, carrying 121 pounds instead of 126 as all the colts will. She ran against the boys when she finished third in the Arkansas Derby, but in there she had a terrible trip. Lukas replaced jockey Luis Contreras with the more experienced Luis Saez, who was aboard when she won the Kentucky Oaks two weeks ago. The Oaks win was impressive against a lot of good fillies. She drew off at the end of the race. She is the second most experienced horse in the race, with eight starts, five of them wins. She will certainly get some play and may be the toughest competition for favored Epicenter.
Former Bob Baffert horse Adare Manor finishes second in Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
BALTIMORE — There aren’t a lot of Southern California-based horses at Pimlico Race Course this week, but perhaps the one with the best chance for a win was Adare Manor in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday. It didn’t happen. Even though she went off as the favorite, Adare Manor was passed heading into the stretch and finished second to Interstatedaydream.
Adare Manor was originally in the barn of Bob Baffert, but was moved to Sean McCarthy when Baffert started his 90-day suspension for the medication positive last year with Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby. Some of Baffert’s horses were moved to Tim Yakteen, including Armagnac, who is running in the Preakness. But most of the barn was moved to McCarthy.
Most of Baffert’s stable personnel were also transferred to McCarthy, including Baffert’s longtime top assistant Jimmy Barnes, who was in Maryland for Friday’s race. The transfer of people and horses made sense in that McCarthy’s wife, Kim, is Baffert’s office manager. It makes it a lot easier when you know all the players.
As for Adare Manor’s second-place finish by 1¼ lengths, McCarthy was not disappointed with the filly’s effort.
“She broke well and got in super position going into the first turn,” McCarthy said. “We were really pleased with it. Down the backside she just kind of dropped the bridle a little bit. [Jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] asked her. She responded. Coming around the turn there was a little bit of the same.
“He asked her again and she responded. By that time, I think the leader had a pretty good jump on us, so it was harder for our filly to run her down. Our filly didn’t stop, but the winner ran a great race, and we just couldn’t catch up to her.”
Adare Manor will likely return to Santa Anita.
Wayne Lukas showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to riding and training horses
BALTIMORE — If you arrive at the track well before the sun comes up there’s a real good chance you’ll see 86-year-old Wayne Lukas in full training mode with his horses. In particular, Secret Oath, the lone filly in the Preakness Stakes.
While sitting on a bench next to stakes barn this week while talking to a reporter, Craig Fravel, the chief executive of 1/st Racing, formerly the Stronach Group, marveled at Lukas and what he has meant to the sport of horse racing.
“I don’t know if Cinderella can be 86 years old,” said the 65-year-old Fravel. “You’ve got to give Wayne an enormous amount of credit. He’s been at the very top of the game. He’s gone through a long period where he’s had some successes, but the last 10 to 12 years were certainly not as successful compared to what he’s had earlier in his career.
Wayne Lukas is hoping that Secret Oath will be the seventh filly to win the Preakness Stakes. It would also be his seventh win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
“So, to have him come back with a filly of this magnitude [is amazing]. The thing I love about Wayne is he takes a shot. I say that in a good way. Obviously, the horse is in great shape. People make a big deal about rolling back in two weeks. One of the greatest trainers in the world is a friend of mine, Aidan O’Brien. I’ve seen him ship horses from the U.S. back to Europe a week and a half later and run again.”
The amazing thing about Lukas is that he can found on his horse every day. In fact, he looks younger with his riding helmet and reins in his hands than he does when he’s on the ground. Sometimes, he uses a cane to navigate his way.
“I think it’s great that he’s still out there on a horse,” Fravel said. “I was thinking this morning while I was getting out of bed, I saw a Twitter feed of him ponying Secret Oath out to the track. I’m thinking how can he even get up on that horse and I can hardly get out of bed. I’m just hoping when I’m 86 I can do something like that.”
Know your Preakness horses: Fenwick (Post 3)
Trainer: Kevin McKathan
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Owners: Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Stable
Purchase price: $52,000
Lifetime record: 6-1-1-0
Winnings: $53,840
Last race: Finished 11th in the Blue Grass Stakes
Morning line: 50-1
Comment: It seems inconceivable that the longest shot on the board could win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. But, there is little doubt he will be the longest shot, though probably at less than the 50-1 morning-line odds. He has finished last three times and first once. He was initially trained by Steve Asmussen, then moved to David Fisher and now with Kevin McKathan. If you haven’t heard of McKathan, it’s because he hasn’t been training for 33 years. He has a farm in Ocala, Fla., where he breaks horses and among those was American Pharoah. This is the only horse McKathan currently is training. Could play a role in the outcome with his early speed but very unlikely to be there at the end.
Epicenter is favorite to win Preakness, but latest oddsboard includes a surprise
BALTIMORE — The mystery of Fenwick’s odds continues to be the most amazing story that the Preakness oddsboard is telling. The 50-1 longshot remains at 7-1 as we get another hour closer to post time. There is an explanation, but no one seems to know what it actually is.
There is no doubt that there isn’t a lot of money in the mutuel pool. None of the ADWs (advance deposit wagering) are listing current odds on the Preakness, the 13th race on the card.
Epicenter remains the 2-1 favorite, followed by Secret Oath at 9-2. The only line move in the previous hour was Skippylongstocking going from 9-1 to 8-1.
Here are the odds with less than six hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1)
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 6-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 2-1
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 8-1
Know your Preakness horses: Creative Minister (Post 2)
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Owners: Fern Creek Stables, Back Racing and Magdalena Racing
Purchase price: $180,000
Lifetime record: 3-2-1-0
Winnings: $140,595
Last race: Won an allowance at Churchill Downs
Morning line: 10-1
Comment: The owners, of which trainer Kenny McPeek is one, had to pay $150,000 to supplement the horse into the race. That means the horse has to finish at least third for the owners to get their money back. He is one of six fresh shooters that didn’t participate in the Kentucky Derby, although he did race on Derby Day. He has won his last two races but neither were stakes. Saturday will be his fourth lifetime race all in less than four months. He is coming off Lasix in this race, so that’s an unknown factor. He has never run farther than 1 1/8 miles. It’s a tall task, but the horse is improving.
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is the talk of Preakness, even if he isn’t racing
BALTIMORE — This year’s Preakness Stakes has a different vibe about it. Gone is the excitement of the possibility of a Triple Crown winner. The talk is mostly about the only filly in the nine-horse field, trained by an 86-year-old racing legend ... and, of course, the horse that didn’t win the Kentucky Derby but most still think is the best.
Rich Strike’s improbable win in the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby will surely come up in the discussion for the biggest sports surprises in recent memory. Not as surprising, but still eyebrow raising, is the Derby winner skipping the Preakness.
It has happened 11 times since the current Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes order was established in 1932. The last time a Derby winner skipped the Preakness was 2019 when Country House was sick, and never raced again. This time it was the decision of the owner to save the horse for the Belmont.
Know your Preakness horses: Simplification (Post 1)
Trainer: Antonio Sano
Jockey: John Velazquez
Owners: Tami Bobo and Trista De Meric
Purchase price: $50,000
Lifetime record: 8-3-1-2
Winnings: $665,350
Last race: Fourth in the Kentucky Derby
Morning line: 6-1
Comment: He finished a nice fourth in the Kentucky Derby after being as far back as 15th. He was third in the Florida Derby and also won the Fountain of Youth and Mucho Macho Man, all at Gulfstream. Seven of his races have been at the South Florida track. This will be John Velazquez’s first ride on the colt, replacing Jose Ortiz, who is 0 for 4 in the Preakness. As for Velazquez, he is 0 for 11. Because he’s on the rail, he will probably be forwardly placed or at least in a stalking position out of the gate. Quite a different race set up than in the Kentucky Derby. Might be overbet because of his fourth at Churchill Downs.
Preakness odds: Some bet on longshot winning big during second major race of year
BALTIMORE — The oddsboard on today’s Preakness Stakes paints a very strange picture of one horse but everything else seems to be in order. As expected Epicenter is the favorite at 2-1, but the longest shot on the board according to the morning line (50-1), Fenwick, is at a staggeringly low 7-1.
What does that mean?
Although there is no official explanation from the track, the belief is that the off-track money from ADWs (advance deposit wagering) is not co-mingling with the on-track Pimlico betting pool. In other words, there is very little money in the pool and some of the locals are just betting Fenwick in the hope that lightning can strike twice with a super longshot winning. It likely won’t.
Once the money spigot is turned on, you can expect to see the odds go more in line with what people expect.
Here are the odds with less than seven hours to go before post time.
Post, horse, (morning line), actual odds
- Simplification (6-1) 8-1
- Creative Minister (10-1)
- Fenwick (50-1) 7-1
- Secret Oath (9-2) 9-2
- Early Voting (7-2) 6-1
- Happy Jack (30-1) 8-1
- Armagnac (12-1) 18-1
- Epicenter (6-5) 2-1
- Skippylongstocking (20-1) 9-1
A look at Preakness ‘will pays’
BALTIMORE — One of the more reliable predictors of which horses will be favored come post time is to look at what are called the “will pays” when they have a double bet that goes over two days. As with all the Triple Crown races, bettors are allowed to connect the winner of a Friday race, usually for 3-year-old fillies, with the main event on Saturday.
At the Preakness, it’s known as the Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness double. The 3-year-old filly race on Friday was won by Interstatedaydream for trainer Brad Cox. She paid $14.20 to win. In the double, it’s clear that the Preakness favorite will be Epicenter.
So, what will Interstatedaydream pay with Saturday’s Preakness runners?
(Post, horse, payoff)
- Simplification $171
- Creative Minister $209.40
- Fenwick $1,214.40
- Secret Oath $107
- Early Voting $101
- Happy Jack $982
- Armagnac $742.20
- Epicenter $47.20
- Skippylongstocking $482
Preakness Stakes: Epicenter is favorite again, but what about that No. 8 spot?
The draw for Saturday’s 147th Preakness Stakes lacked the drama of a Kentucky Derby draw because the field is half its size.
The draw was held at a lakeside restaurant in Baltimore on Monday if for no other reason than Pimlico Race Course is very old and shows every bit of its age. In fact, there were more mentions of the post-draw private event concert by the rock band Chicago than any individual horse. The track opened in 1870, and the band started under its current name in 1969. Both have undergone many renovations.
Epicenter was the first name drawn and assigned the No. 8 post in the nine-horse field and made the 6-5 morning-line favorite. The field dropped one Monday morning when Un Ojo pulled out because of a foot bruise.
Wayne Lukas knows how to entertain the Pimlico breakfast crowd
BALTIMORE — A Preakness tradition is a Thursday morning breakfast of fried chicken and waffles in which owners, trainers and jockeys gather to swap stories and, well, tell lies. It’s called the Alibi Breakfast.
It returned to the Pimlico clubhouse this week after a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic.
It’s not like it used to be when it was almost mandatory for everyone to show up. But those who did this year saw why the 86-year-old Wayne Lukas was the star of the show with his stand-up routine performed sitting down.
Here is a sampling of his alibis:
- “Coming back here ages me a little bit. There are three signs of old age, the first one is loss of memory. (long pause) I can’t remember the other two.”
- “I’d like to introduce my wife, Laurie, here. She’s a great horseman in her own right. And I asked her the other day, ‘Laurie, did you in your wildest, wildest dreams ever think you’d be married to a man who has won six Preaknesses?’ She looked at me and said, ‘Wayne, you’re not in my wildest dreams.’”
- “[Trainer] Kenny [McPeek], tell your wife you love her every day, or somebody else will. If you really want to know if she loves you, here’s what you do, You take [wife] Sherri, your dog, put your dog in the trunk, put Sherri in the trunk, close the lid, drive around for an hour. And when you open the trunk, you’ll find out who loves you the most.”
Lukas is saddling the filly Secret Oath and McPeek is the trainer for Creative Minister.