“Obviously, with our tremendous effort and win in the Derby it’s very, very tempting to alter our course and run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group,” Rich Strike owner Rick Dawson said in a statement. “However, after much discussion and consideration with my trainer, Eric Reed, and a few others, we are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for [Rich Strike] is what’s best for our group.”
Zandon, the third-place finisher in the Derby, is pointed toward the Travers Stakes at Saratoga this summer, leaving just two of the top four Kentucky Derby finishers in the Preakness field. Derby runner-up Epicenter (the Preakness morning line favorite) and fourth-place finisher Simplification will get much of the attention, along with Early Voting, who qualified for the Kentucky Derby but skipped the race.
The middle jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown will feature six new shooters, a group not known for success in the Preakness. Since 2000 (and not including the 2020 Preakness because of the timing of the race), just four horses that skipped the Derby won the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Nevertheless, there should be a lot of buzz around one of those horses, Secret Oath. Fresh off her win in the Kentucky Oaks, she will look to join the six fillies that have won the Preakness, most recently Swiss Skydiver in 2020. The others were Rachel Alexandra (2009), Nellie Morse (1924), Rhine Maiden (1915), Whimsical (1906) and Flocarline (1903).
See also my advice for building the best Preakness trifectas and superfectas.
Simplification (6-1)
Trainer: Antonio Sano
Jockey: John Velazquez
His fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby masks how good that effort was. After accounting for distance traveled, only eventual winner Rich Strike had a higher rate of feet per second during the Run for the Roses.
Creative Minister (10-1)
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
A winner of a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the Kentucky Derby undercard, Creative Minister was not nominated for the Triple Crown and will be supplemented — entered at a late stage at a cost — for $150,000 for the Preakness.
Fenwick (50-1)
Trainer: Kevin McKathan
Jockey: Florent Geroux
It took five tries at four tracks to break his maiden, and he followed that by finishing last in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
Secret Oath (9-2)
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Luis Saez
The Kentucky Oaks winner finished third against the boys in the Grade I Arkansas Derby, and she won’t be outmatched here, either. Her speed in the Oaks win — 55.2 feet per second after accounting for distance traveled — is slightly faster than the speed produced by Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby (55.1), showing she has what it takes to be competitive this weekend.
Early Voting (7-2)
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Early Voting bypassed the Kentucky Derby after finishing second by a neck in April’s Wood Memorial. His sire, Gun Runner — a six-time Grade I winner and horse of the year in 2017 — is solid, as is the bottom of Early Voting’s pedigree. His great grandsire on the dam side, Storm Cat, includes Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes winner Tabasco Cat, Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Cat Thief and six-time Group 1 winner Giant’s Causeway.
Happy Jack (30-1)
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
His only win came in a maiden sprint at six furlongs, but this horse outruns his odds, which can make a profitable wagering strategy possible. The lone win was at 24-1, and then he hit the board with a pair of third-place finishes at around 26-1 odds, both in graded stakes races. He probably will not win Saturday, but he could help boost the price of the trifecta or superfecta.
Armagnac (12-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Raced exclusively at Santa Anita, this colt, formerly trained by Bob Baffert, has won only a maiden and an optional allowance race, finishing fourth and sixth in his graded stakes races. He’s being asked to take a big step up in class.
Epicenter (6-5)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
His second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby illustrates his potential, and the morning line favorite should be considered one of the top horses in Saturday’s field.
“He’s a legitimate favorite,” rival trainer D. Wayne Lukas told the Baltimore Sun before the post position draw. “He’s a very good horse. Nobody can go over there and think they’ll just run by him. He is going to be awfully tough to beat. You are taking a shot if you take him on.”
Skippylongstocking (20-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Watch this horse’s third-place finish in the Grade II Wood Memorial and you will see that Skippylongstocking had a terrible trip. He was pushed four-wide on the far turn and five-wide into the stretch, covering 41 feet more than winner Mo Donegal. He was the fastest horse in the field after taking into account distance traveled (55.6 feet per second). Had he taken the same path as Mo Donegal with that speed, Skippylongstocking would have won.
