The Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the famous Triple Crown in North America. At the time of writing, the first leg has been completed, as the Kentucky Derby was wrapped up a few weeks ago. The exact Preakness Stakes draw has yet to be made, but the ante-post markets are already open for punters in the USA.
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Preakness Stakes – A Quick Rundown
But firstly, in the interest of giving you some background information, let us discuss the Preakness Stakes race in a bit more detail. This event is scheduled to be held at the Pimlico Race Course, located in Maryland. With it being part of the Triple Crown, it goes without saying that it is a Grade One event. And in terms of distance, this one is approximately 1.9km in length, so the race itself only lasts a few minutes – but it is two minutes of awesome excitement.
As for the number of horses, the Preakness Stakes has a stipulated maximum of 14 horses. This keeps the race pretty open, and as stated earlier, the Preakness Stakes event already has a range of horses in the ante-post markets. And before we continue, let us address two of the main FAQs for this event:
Where is Preakness Stakes this year?
The Preakness Stakes will be held in Baltimore, Maryland.
Who won the 2021 Preakness Stakes?
The 2021 Preakness Stakes winner was Rombauer.
What time is the Preakness Stakes?
The race will begin at approximately 6:45 PM, EST.
Bet on Belmont Stakes >Preakness Stakes race history
The Preakness Stakes is one that is steeped in tradition, much like all of the Triple Crown horse racing events. In fact, the Preakness Stakes race has a history that dates back almost 150 years. The race was established in 1873, and believe it or not, the prize purse back then was just $1000. Of course, this doesn’t take into account the rate of inflation, so that was still a fair bit of money back then. But these days, the prize purse for the Preakness Stakes has jumped up to $1.5 million – putting it on a par with other Triple Crown events.
As for notable achievements, the Preakness Stakes has seen some pretty astonishing triumphs over the years. The fastest ever finish from any Preakness Stakes horses in the past came from Secretariat, with a time of 1:53 minutes. This might have occurred back in 1973, but it is a record that still holds firm today. As for the most successful jockey in the Preakness Stakes, this award goes to Eddie Arcaro. This man won the Preakness Stakes a record-breaking six times between 1941 and 1957.
And finally, due to the typical schedule of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes is usually held on the third Saturday in May. So this means that the Preakness Stakes will be held on Saturday, May 21st.
Horses running in the Preakness Stakes in
As we have touched upon previously, the Preakness Stakes draw hasn’t been officially made at the time of writing. So this means that we don’t officially know which horses will be running yet, and we also don’t know which starting gate they will be taking. However, we can hazard a pretty good guess regarding a few horses that will almost certainly be running since they are such heavy favorites. The best indicator of this is to take a look at the ante-post markets at the leading sportsbooks in the USA.
And after browsing through various sportsbooks, we can provide you with a bit of information and Preakness Stakes odds that seems to overlap with all bookmakers:
Epicenter
The first horse that we are fairly confident in regarding its participation in Epicenter. This horse was one of the red hot favorites to win the Kentucky Derby. However, he managed to secure a 2nd place finish only, losing out to the surprise winner – Rich Strike. Looking at the early ante-post odds, the Preakness Stakes 2022 payout would be the lowest for this horse, with odds around +125 at top sportsbooks.
Simplification
Simplification was another horse that competed in the Kentucky Derby this year. And unlike most of the Kentucky Derby pack, Simplification will indeed be heading to Maryland for the Preakness Stakes 2022. Interestingly, Simplification is fairly high up there concerning the odds for this one. With odds around the +700 mark, this puts Simplification within the top five favorites to win the race. He also managed to secure 4th in the Kentucky Derby, which bodes well.
Happy Jack
The final horse that we are almost certain will be competing with is Happy Jack. Like the previous two horses, Happy Jack ran in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, securing a 14th-place finish. Of course, this isn’t overly impressive, and for that reason, the odds on this horse are down at the +3300 mark – the lowest odds of all horses in the ante-post markets.
Bet on Belmont Stakes >Preakness Stakes lineup – possible outcomes and tips
And now for the final installment of your education regarding the Preakness Stakes draw, the Preakness Stakes horses, and what you can expect on the day. As stated previously, this race is capped at 14 horses maximum. However, looking at the current ante-post options, it looks like there will be fewer than 10 horses competing. We’ve already mentioned the most likely horses to be running above, but as for the rest, we’ve mentioned them right here:
- Secret Oath
- Early Voting
- Skippylongstocking
- Creative Minister
- Un Ojo
- Armagnac
However, to stress once again, this is not the confirmed horse racing Preakness Stakes participant list. These are simply the options that online sportsbooks are currently listing as ‘possible competitors’, hence they are listed in the ante-post markets only!
See also our predictions for Preakness Stakes