ESPN Picks for Preakness 2022 | Preakness Expert Picks

how to bet on Preakness 2022 in North Carolina

The 2022 Preakness Stakes is set for Saturday, May 21. ESPN Preakness picks, best bets and predictions for 2022 are available below.


Hank Goldberg Preakness Picks: Bet Simplification (+10000) at BetOnline
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The 147th running of the Preakness Stakes is taking place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday. This race is the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Also, the track distance is 9.5 furlongs (1 3/16 miles). This race was first inaugurated on May 27, 1873 and no more than 14 horses are allowed to compete. This year, the field consists of nine horses.

Let’s go over all the ESPN Preakness picks for 2022 along with where to find the best Preakness odds for each horse at Pimlico Race Course.


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Preakness Horses, Post Positions, Trainers, and Jockeys

The 2022 Preakness Stakes will feature nine of the best three-year-old race horses at Pimlico Race Course.

Horses that are exiting the Kentucky Derby have dominated the Preakness over the last two decades. In the last 20 years, 15 Preakness winners have raced at Churchill Downs in the first leg of the Triple Crown prior to winning at Pimlico.

That should make Simplification one of the best Preakness bets this weekend. After drawing the rail at Pimlico Race Course, Simplification comes into the 2022 Preakness with +1000 odds to trot into in the winner’s circle.

Simplification is trained by Antonio Sano but will have a new jockey for Preakness 2022. John Velázquez will be called upon to ride in the Preakness. Velazquez started 11 times in the Preakness and has come close to winning three times with runners-up Animal Kingdom in 2011; Itsmyluckyday in 2013; and Authentic in 2020.

Coming out of post 8, Epicenter will be well-positioned to win his first G1 race. Trained by the legendary Steve Ausmussen, Epicenter was the odds-on favorite to win the Kentucky Derby but finished as the runner-up at Churchill Downs. A two-time Grade 2 winner, Epicenter will be ridden by Joel Rosario, making him the overwhelming favorite to win Preakness 2022.

In the middle of the group, Secret Oath and Early Voting will be jockeying for position from post 4 and post 5.

Only six fillies have ever won the Preakness Stakes but the odds indicate that Secret Oath has a chance to make history in 2022. Trained by six-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath won the Kentucky Oaks and has +550 odds to win the 2022 Preakness out of post 4.

This will be Early Voting’s first start away from Aqueduct but the horse is expected to attract a lot of attention from horseplayers this weekend.

The Gun Runner colt had the points necessary to qualify for the Kentucky Derby but trainer Chad Brown elected to give him six weeks between starts instead. Jockey José Ortiz has ridden all three of Early Voting’s races and should be familiar with the horse on Saturday.

At +550 odds to win the Preakness, Early Voting will be a popular pick out of post 5 for bettors that don’t want to back the favorite.

Another popular longshot bet will be Creative Minister, who will be racing out of post 2 this weekend.

After an impressive showing at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks and Derby cards, Creative Minister enters Pimlico with +1200 odds to win Preakness 2022. The 108 Equibase Speed Figure that Creative Minister earned at Churchill is the highest among Saturday’s field.

The Creative Cause colt is trained by Kevin McPeek, who won the Preakness two years ago when his filly Swiss Skydiver left Kentucky Derby-winner Authentic in the dust.

For a complete breakdown of the Preakness 2022 horses, trainers, jockeys, and sires, check out the chart below.

Post Position Horse Trainer Jockey Sire
1 Simplification Antonio Sano John Velazquez Gun Runner
2 Creative Minister Kevin McPeek Brian Hernandez Jr. Creative Cause
3 Fenwick Kevin McKathan Florent Geroux Curlin
4 Secret Oath D. Wayne Lukas Luis Saez Arrogate
5 Early Voting Chad Brown Jose Ortiz Gun Runner
6 Happy Jack Doug O’Neil Tyler Gaffalione Oxbow
7 Armagnac Tim Yakteen Irad Ortiz Jr. Quality Road
8 Epicenter Steve Ausmussen Joel Rosario Not This Time
9 Skippylongstocking Saffie Joseph Jr. Junior Alvarado Exaggerator

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Preakness Odds | Preakness 2022 Odds

The second leg of the Triple Crown, Preakness 2022 will take place on Saturday, May 21 at Pimlico Race Course.

Rich Strike, the 80-1 longshot that won the Kentucky Derby, will not be running in the Preakness, which means there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2022.

Still, there is plenty of value for horseplayers that want to bet on the horse races at Pimlico Race Course this weekend.

The 2022 Kentucky Derby featured 20 horses but with just nine Preakness horses in the field at Pimlico, this should be a much friendlier horse race for bettors.

In fact, a double-digit longshot has finished first or second in nine of the last 10 Preakness Stakes. Favorites have also performed particularly well historically at the Preakness Stakes and 15 of the last 20 Preakness winners have run in the Kentucky Derby.

This year, Simplification, Happy Jack, and Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter are the only horses that raced in the 147th Run for the Roses earlier this month.

Following a second-place finish at Churchill Downs, Epicenter has emerged as the betting favorite with the best Preakness odds. At +145, BetUS is offering the best Epicenter odds for Preakness 2022 while BetOnline has Epicenter odds at +100 ahead of the Triple Crown race.

After Epicenter, Secret Oath (+550) and Early Voting (+550) are next on the Preakness odds board while Simplification (+1000) and Creative Minister (+1200) are among the longshots with a legitimate shot to win.

Meanwhile, Kentucky Oaks-winner Secret Oath is trying to become just the seventh filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 2022.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas will also be running with a chance to make history. If Secret Oath finishes as the 2022 Preakness winner, Lukas will tie legends Bob Baffert and Robert Wyndham Walden for the most Preakness wins all-time (seven).

Check out the table below for the best Preakness odds from BetOnline, one of the best horse racing betting sites in the US.

Preakness Odds BetOnline Sportsbook MyBookie Racebook BetUS logo
Epicenter +100 +100 +145
Early Voting +550 +350 +500
Secret Oath +550 +450 +550
Simplification +1000 +800 +850
Creative Minister +1200 +1400 +1250
Armagnac +2500 +2800 +1650
Skippylongstocking +2500 +2800 +2550
Happy Jack +3300 +4000 +3300
Fenwick +5000 +8000 +5850

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Preakness Betting Trends | 2022 Preakness Stakes Betting Trends

Before you make your Preakness picks, there are a few trends that have earned horse bettors a substantial profit at Pimlico Race Course.

Let’s go over some of the best Preakness betting trends below.

  • Four of the last 15 Preakness winners have won in gate-to-wire fashion, including Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.
  • Only three horses in the last 15 years have rallied from the back half of the Preakness field to reach the winner’s circle.
  • Horses exiting the Kentucky Derby have dominated the Preakness, visiting the Winner’s Circle 15 times in the last 20 years.
  • 22 of the last 25 Preakness Winners had previously won a Graded Stakes Race.
  • 17 of the last 25 Preakness Winners had previously won a Grade 1 Race.

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What is the Biggest Longshot to Ever Win the Preakness Stakes?

Throughout its storied history, the Preakness has been kind to favorites and short-priced runners.

The Preakness has been raced 146 times but the second leg of the Triple Crown has only crowned four winners at higher than 15-1 odds. At 23-1, Master Derby won the 1975 Preakness Stakes and is the current record-holder for the Preakness winner with the longest odds.

However, double-digit odds have performed well at the Preakness in recent history. Six of the last 16 Preakness winners have been priced at 10-1 odds or higher.


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ESPN Preakness Picks | ESPN Preakness Picks for 2022

Below are ESPN Preakness picks for this weekend’s race.

Creative Minister (+1000) at BetOnline

In every race, it’s important to have some perceived value. At +1000 odds, Creative Minister offers some upside. Creative Minister’s trainer, Ken McPeek has won the Preakness before. With the field going from 20 to nine horses for this race, experience and speed are big factors, and Creative Minister provides both.

Epicenter (+100) at BetOnline

Epicenter is the clear-cut favorite to win the Preakness Stakes, and it’s for good reason. The favorite probably should have won the Kentucky Derby, but allowed Rich Strike to get inside and win the race in dramatic fashion. With revenge on the line, ESPN Preakness experts say to watch for epicenter to at least finish in the top three if not win.

Early Voting (+550) at BetOnline

Early Voting’s trainer, Chad Brown, bypassed the Kentucky Derby to prep his horse for the Preakness. He did the same thing in 2017 with Cloud Computing, who won the race. ESPN Preakness experts like this horses speed, and the trainers focus on this race specifically.

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