Preakness Stakes (Grade 1)

IF the early pace determined the outcome of the Kentucky Derby, it also, in a different way, had a bearing on the result of the Preakness Stakes.

Steve Asmussen’s Epicenter was sent off favourite for both races. In the Derby, he had to contend with a record-breaking early pace. He sat just off that, along the rail, and made a move into contention at the three-quarter mile mark, hitting the front entering the straight and looking all over the winner until outsider Rich Strike pounced late.

Last Saturday on a hot afternoon at Pimlico, jumping from stall eight of nine, he met interference in the first furlong and, this time, jockey Joel Rosario took him back in the field to race on the rail and did not make his effort until later. The difference was the early pace was slow, and what turned out to be his main danger, Early Voting, was sitting just off that pace, ready to take control.

The 17/1 shot Armagnac rushed to lead under Irad Ortiz Jr. and led to a half-mile in 47.44secs, with Early Voting a clear second.

After six furlongs in 1m 11.50secs, (the Derby had been 1m10.2secs) Early Voting put away the leader and surged to the front for Jose Ortiz.

The Kentucky Oaks-winning filly Secret Oath was also back in the field and her challenge before the bend never looked like taking her to the front.

Progress

Epicenter made progress along the rail but, off that slow pace, Early Voting had too much in hand. Early Voting crossed the wire in 1m 54.54secs on a fast track.

“When I took a look back at the three-eighths pole, I couldn’t believe it,” Jose Ortiz said. “I was just travelling nicely. I knew I was in the right position and I knew the pace was moderate. I wanted to see where Epicenter was at and I wanted to see where Secret Oath was because I thought she had a shot.”

Ortiz was collecting his second Triple Crown win after taking the 2017 Belmont Stakes with Tapwrit and was very emotional in the immediate post-race interviews.

Chad Brown had elected to miss the Kentucky Derby with the just thrice raced colt, a son of Asmussen’s former star Gun Runner.

Early Voting had finished second by a neck in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes to the Derby fifth Mo Donegal.

Brown said. “It can cost you a good part of the three-year-old year if you swing and miss ... This horse just didn’t have the experience,” Brown said of missing the Derby. Klaravich’s Seth Klarman was celebrating his birthday. “To win this race on Seth’s birthday, in Baltimore where he grew up, and to be able to deliver a gift like that is hard to explain,” Brown added.

“It was a brilliantly executed plan by Chad and Jose. It’s hard to think of a better birthday. It’s such a wonderful feeling. This sport has a lot of ups and downs but the ups are incredibly sweet,” Klarman said.

It was a second Preakness win for Brown and Klarman following the 2017 success of Cloud Computing, a horse who also ran in the Wood but not the Kentucky Derby.

Brown said he would not run Early Voting against the Derby winner Rich Strike three weeks from now in the Belmont Stakes but may head for the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga, with the the Jim Dandy July 30th at Saratoga) and the Haskell also “in play”.

“I don’t think he will have any trouble getting the mile-and-a-quarter. Growing up just 20 minutes from Saratoga, what this race is for Seth, the Travers would be for me. That’s at the top of the list,” he said.

Bred by Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, Early Voting provided Horse of the Year Gun Runner with a classic winner in his first crop of three-year-olds, following similar feats by Keen Ice and Arrogate in the Kentucky Derby and Oaks.

He was bought for $200,000 by Triphammer Farm from the Hill ‘n Dale Sales Agency consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale

There were many who questioned the ride by Joel Rosario on Epicenter. Comments on social media included “Why would you take the most talented horse the field and seek out traffic? There was no pace and he was still nearly dead last at the first call.”

Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form tweeted: The rider of the winner put his horse in position to win. The rider of the second horse didn’t. That was the race folks.

His trainer Steve Asmussen also seemed a bit annoyed. “When you leave the gate and don’t have any position whatsoever and then they throw up a (24.32) quarter-mile and you are that far behind with a horse who has some pace you are obviously leaving him with too much to do,” he said.

Rosario said: “They cut me off right away and I couldn’t get my position. I was unlucky. It was not the trip we wanted. He was moving, moving, but the other horse had the jump on us.”

Secret Oath, trying to become the seventh filly to win the Preakness, was last after the opening half-mile and made a brief challenge before finding no more for fourth behind Creative Minister.

“The fractions being slow like that, it was hard to run down,” 86-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “She flattened out a little bit in the last eighth.” Lukas did enjoy success on the card in the Sir Barton Stakes when his talented colt Ethereal Road was an impressive winner over the mile and a 16th which could set up a Belmont Stakes run.

ON the Friday card at Pimlico, the big fillies’ race, the Grade 2 George E Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, was won by Interstatedaydream for Brad Cox and Florent Geroux. She beat the favourite Adare Manor by a length and a quarter. The Canadian-bred daughter of Classic Empire had been third to Nest in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.