Preakness Profiles: New Shooters Make Up Majority of the Field

The Preakness is the 2nd leg of the triple crown. However, in 2022 the race from Pimlico bears little resemblance to the Kentucky Derby.

The Preakness Field

The 2022 Preakness drew a field of 9 runners. Only 3 of the 20 horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby will attempt the 2nd leg of the triple crown.

Kentucky Derby Horses

Epicenter came in 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and is the morning line favorite for the Preakness. Trainer Steve Asmussen made it clear after the Derby finish that his mind is squarely on building a resume for the horse that makes him the clear Eclipse 3 year old champion by year’s end.

The other two Kentucky Derby horses to make the trek to Pimlico are Simplification who ran a closing 4th at Churchill Downs. Happy Jack was well beaten finishing 14th.

No Derby Winner

Noticeably absent is the winner of Kentucky Derby 148, Rich Strike. The connections opted out of the Preakness last week with the Belmont as a potential target.

Preakness New Shooters

In the moments following California Chrome’s failed triple crown bid, his connections fueled the debate over “new shooters.” This term refers to horses that skip legs of the triple crown in order to come in fresh.

Some argue that this is unfair for horses that run in the Kentucky Derby because they face fresh horses in the last two races. For others it adds to the lore when a horse like Justify or American Pharoah are able to accomplish the feat.

Regardless of whether you like the concept of new shooters or not the reality is that without them the Preakness would be a 3 horse race. Here’s a look at the fresh faces on the triple crown trail for Preakness 147.

#2 Creative Minister (10-1)

This horse had to be supplemented to the race meaning that the horse was not initially nominated for the triple crown. The colt has 3 races under his belt. After running 2nd on debut he broke his maiden at Keeneland before winning his first try against winners in an allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

Creative Minister is trained by Kenny McPeek who Preakness fans will remember from his training of filly Swiss Skydiver. She upset Authentic in the 2022 running of the race.

#3 Fenwick (50-1)

Fenwick was briefly on the Kentucky Derby trail. after taking 5 races to break his maiden he took a stab at the Blue Grass Stakes. That race produced Zandon who showed quite well in the Kentucky Derby. This horse however was well back finishing in 11th place.

Fenwick is trained by Kevin McKathan who is a relative newcomer to the triple crown series.

#4 Secret Oath (9-2)

Secret Oath is by no means a newcomer to the big stage, but she did not run in the Derby. Looking to channel her inner Swiss Skydiver this filly will look to beat the boys after a convincing victory in the Kentucky Oaks against females. She did try the boys in the Arkansas Derby and finished third, but encountered plenty of excuses along the way.

Her trainer D. Wayne Lukas is a legend in the game producing a very productive training tree that includes Dallas Stewart and Todd Pletcher. This is nothing new for “The Coach” as he is known. His filly Winning Colors won the 1988 Kentucky Derby.

#5 Early Voting (7-2)

This colt will look to do his best Cloud Computing impression. After a hard fought 2nd in the Wood Memorial to Mo Donegal the connections made it pretty clear that they would skip the Derby and head straight for the Preakness. Although this horse has shown a propensity for being a pace setter, there are indications that he will look to run at a target in this go.

Trainer Chad Brown will look to replicate his success with Cloud Computing. That colt also owned by Klaravich Stables and trained by Brown won the Preakness after skipping the Derby.

#7 Armagnac (12-1)

Armagnac was a bit of a surprise addition to the field. After breaking the maiden in start number 2 he quickly jumped on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In both Derby prep tries he was well beaten by Forbidden Kingdom who was in top form at the time. He ran back in the Santa Anita Derby where he finished behind Taiba, Messier, and Happy Jack. That form did not hold up terribly well in the Kentucky Derby.

He has since come back to win an allowance in front running fashion which makes him a likely pace factor in the Preakness Stakes.

Tim Yakteen has become the de facto Bob Baffert replacement for horses who were housed in the now banned barn. To this point Yakteen has not been able to sustain the success of Baffert, though the sample size on the big stage is very limited.

#9 Skippylongstocking (20-1)

This runner has quite the foundation for a 3 year old. After taking 3 races to break the maiden at Gulfstream Park he finished 4th in the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill. He then returned to Gulfstream where it took him 4 more races to find his next win in an allowance optional claiming race.

His one attempt at the Derby came in the Wood Memorial where he finished behind Mo Donegal and Early Voting to take third.

Saffie Joseph Jr. trains this colt and is a must include when playing Gulfstream Park. Joseph has struggled to replicate that dominance outside of Florida to this point in his career, but also has seen an increase in the quality of his stock in recent years.

Continued Preakness Coverage

Betting News will have greater coverage of the Preakness Stakes throughout the week.

• Black Eyed Susan Full Card Analysis (Wednesday 2 pm Eastern)
• Preakness Stakes Full Card Analysis (Thursday 9 am Eastern)
• Preakness Stakes Betting Strategies for Every Bankroll (Thursday 2 pm Eastern)