Based on the early Preakness Stakes odds, Rich Strike’s Kentucky Derby victory was a fluke. The 80-to-1 Derby winning longshot offers +700 odds to win the Triple Crown’s second jewel. Does Rich Strike offer overlay odds? Does race favorite Epicenter offer underlay odds? Check out Preakness Stakes Odds for the top 10 choices to win the 2022 Preakness Stakes along with an odds analysis.
Early Odds to Win the 2022 Preakness Stakes | Horse Racing Betting
2022 Preakness Stakes
- When: Friday, May 20
- Where: Pimlico Race Course
- TV/Streaming: NBC / Peacock
Preakness Stakes Top 10 Choices Odds to Win
- Epicenter +250
- Creative Minister +400
- Secret Oath +400
- Zandon +400
- Early Voting +600
- Simplification +600
- Morello +700
- Rich Strike +700
- Taiba +700
- Smile Happy +1200
Does Epicenter offer overlay, underlay, or fair odds to win the Preakness Stakes?
In Louisville, Epicenter ran a remarkable race. The fractions were blistering. Any horse other than Epicenter that was close to the front runners had no chance after the first half mile.
Only Epicenter ran on to challenge for the win. Not only that, but the horse and jockey were concentrating on Zandon to the right. So if Epicenter had felt Rich Strike to his left, he may have kicked it into another gear.
The odds are low, but the chalk often performs well at Pimlico in the second leg. Epicenter, no doubt, should go off the favorite. At 5-to-2 odds, The Steve Asmussen trainee is more than playable.
Among the +400 choices, which equine deserves the longest look to win the Preakness?
Kenny McPeek trained Creative Minister has won 2 straight. But making the jump from the allowance ranks to a Grade 1 won’t be easy. At +400, it’s tough to back a horse that didn’t face the best of the best in the Derby.
Zandon ran his eyeballs out. It feels like the Chad Brown trainee will take a step back in the second leg. Also, he may not be able to run much better than he did in the Derby.
One more thing about Zandon, Brown also has Early Voting, the horse Chad pointed to the Preakness before the Derby. Don’t be surprised if Zandon doesn’t run in the Preakness.
The Coach, D. Wayne Lukas, will saddle Secret Oath in the Preakness. The filly romped in the Kentucky Oaks, dominating excellent fillies like Todd Pletcher trained Nest and Steve Asmussen trained Echo Zulu.
Secret Oath might be rounding into the best 3-year-old runner in North America. She deserves a long look to win the second jewel and is an overlay at 4-to-1.
Which new shooter between Early Voting and Morello has the better chance of winning the Preakness?
Mo Donegal beat Early Voting in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, but Early Voting made all of the pace. Trainer Chad Brown has pointed Early Voting to this race pretty much since the Wood.
Morello won his first three races, but then bounced in the wood. Both horses should be near the lead in this.
Morello figures to go off at much better odds. So he’s worth a look for sure. But Brown has pulled this move before, skipping the Derby, running a contender in the Preakness and winning. So Early Voting gets the slight nod over Morello.
Which horse among Simplification, Rich Strike, Taiba, and Smile Happy offers overlay odds to win the Preakness Stakes?
Taiba should offer much lower odds than +700. The Santa Anita Derby winner had no idea what jockey Mike Smith expected. So all he did was run one-paced throughout the race.
With the Derby experience, Taiba should be very difficult to beat in the Preakness. The horse still has more overall talent than any of his competitors.
Smile Happy is an underlay at the odds. The McPeek trainee ran in the Derby like he required a vacation.
Rich Strike has the ability to lie much closer to the pace than many give him credit. The Kentucky Derby winner is legit. So at his early odds, Rich Strike is the best overlay on the board. The horses turn of foot is rivaled only by Secret Oath’s. Don’t be surprised if Rich Strike makes it 2 in a row.