The 2022 Preakness Stakes will mark the second leg of the Triple Crown. Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. will be the center of attention on Saturday, May 21, when the 147th Run for the Black-Eyed Susans is held. The Preakness Stakes 2022 distance is 1 3/16 miles, so length may not to be a factor for horses returning after running the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles. However, pace will be an issue after blistering early fractions kept frontrunners like Epicenter and Zandon from being able to hold off a late charge from Rich Strike, who became the second-biggest underdog winner in Kentucky Derby history.
Epicenter is the 3-1 favorite in the 2022 Preakness Stakes odds. Rich Strike shocked the world with his win at 80-1 odds, but he has considerably shorter Preakness 2022 odds at 7-1. With so much to consider, you’ll want to see what SportsLine’s Jody Demling has to say before entering any 2022 Preakness Stakes picks or horse racing predictions of your own.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling has been on-point with his horse racing bets. In fact, this is the same handicapper who has called the Preakness winner nine times in the last 17 years. In the 2020 Preakness Stakes, Demling nailed the Swiss Skydiver-Authentic exacta.
He hit the exacta in the Wood Memorial in April. Last year, he hit the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in the Belmont Stakes. He’s also hit the Derby-Oaks double at Churchill Downs 10 times in the last 14 years, including this year’s massive upset with Rich Strike. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby all but four times in his last 14 tries.
In addition, at one point in 2020, he picked the winners of six straight races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes. Anyone who has followed him on these races is way up.
Now, with the 2022 Preakness Stakes coming up, Demling is sharing his picks and predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2022 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2022 Preakness Stakes picks: He is fading Secret Oath, saying one of the top favorites barely even cracks the top three. Now billed as the top three-year-old filly after her win in the Kentucky Oaks, trainer D. Wayne Lukas has confirmed she’ll get another crack at running with the colts at Pimlico. However, after dominating her Oaklawn Park work against other fillies, she didn’t get a good trip against the boys at the Arkansas Derby.
She took a bump at the start of the race that set her back and then had to make a monster move on the second turn before finishing third behind Kentucky Derby runners Cyberknife and Barber Road. Secret Oath was the 7-5 favorite when that race went off, and while she likely won’t have the pressure of being the frontrunner in the Preakness Stakes, only six fillies have ever managed to win the race. In addition, only one of D. Wayne Lukas’ 14 wins in Triple Crown races has come since 2000.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Jack Christopher, even though he’s a 16-1 long shot in the Preakness Stakes 2022. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Purchased at auction for $135,000 in 2020, owner Jim Bakke thought he was getting a potential Kentucky Derby contender when he acquired the son of Munnings by Rushin No Blushin, and the talented colt opened his two-year-old season in style.
Jack Christopher won his maiden race at Saratoga in August and won the Champagne Stakes at Belmont in October. However, an injury cost him his chance of earning enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby, so he was registered for the Pat Day Mile on Derby Day instead. He decisively won by 3 3/4 lengths, so Demling says this could be the horse to watch this summer now that he’s recovered from shin surgery.
