Even though the Preakness Stakes 2022 covers 1 3/16 miles, a shorter distance than the Kentucky Derby, it is still a grueling test for the three-year old horses who ran at Churchill Downs. The turnaround is just two weeks, much shorter than what horses have experienced for most of the spring. Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike isn’t in the 2022 Preakness Stakes field, but the 2022 Preakness Stakes lineup features two horses, Epicenter and Simplification, who will take on that challenge. A third, Secret Oath, won the Kentucky Oaks a day earlier. Handicappers are still high on Epicenter’s chances, listing the Kentucky Derby runner-up as the 6-5 favorite in the latest 2022 Preakness Stakes odds. Simplification and Secret Oath are among the 2022 Preakness Stakes contenders at 6-1 and 9-2, respectively. Post time for the Preakness 2022 is 7:01 p.m. ET. 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, even though she is one of the top favorites and just won the Kentucky Oaks. Secret Oath is drawing plenty of betting attention as she attempts to become the seventh filly to win the Preakness. In addition to her Oaks win, she has four other career victories, most notably winning the Honeybee Stakes in February.
This will be her second run against the colts, and the first one was mediocre. She settled for third in the Arkansas Derby with Cyberknife and Barber Road, both of whom finished outside the top five at the Kentucky Derby, placing in front of her. With speed figures that don’t stack up well to some of the other 2022 Preakness Stakes favorites, Demling sees better values on the board than Secret Oath.
