BALTIMORE – Maybe extra rest is not such a bad thing for a racehorse.
In Preakness Stakes, which took place without the winner of the Kentucky Derby, as the owner thought Rich Strike needed more time after his 80-1 upset, Early Voting confirmed the bold decision to skip the derby and seek a rematch from Triple Crown.
An early vote stopped the stubborn favorite Epicenter from winning Preakness on Saturday, rewarding coach Chad Brown and owner Seth Clarman for their patience. An early vote chased the leaders for most of the race before it took first place around the last turn and finished 1 1/4 in length ahead of Epicenter, who was second just like in the Derby.
“It’s very difficult to get the owner to go to the Derby and they made the right choice,” said jockey Jose Ortiz, who won Preakness for the first time. “The horse, I don’t think he was experienced enough to run in a field with 20 horses, and they proved they were right today.”
The original plan was for Early Voting to take the lead on a day when the black track of the Pimlico racetrack favored speed and made it difficult for horses to come from behind down the section. But when Armagnac burst into the lead, Ortiz arranged for Early Voting, who had many left in the tank before the finish line with Epicenter threatening inside the track.
“I never worried,” Brown said. “Once we had a good target, I actually preferred that. We were good to lead, but I thought it would take a good horse in the back to beat us. And a good horse really came across us near the wire and was the only one who could run with us. “
Clarman and Brown question the possibility of a clash between the Derby and Preakness champions on June 11 in Belmont, as an early vote may not be appropriate for Belmont by a mile and a half.
But Early Voting had no problem with 1 3/16 miles in Preakness, which didn’t have an incredibly fast pace like the Derby.
“It’s just beautiful when the plan comes together,” Brown said.
Early Voting, who finished 5-1, gave Brown his second victory in Preakness. Cloud Computing, the 2017 winner, is also owned by Clarman’s Clarman Stables.
“Cloud computing was once in my life, and now I have twice in my life,” said Clarman, who grew up three blocks from Pimlico and celebrated his 65th birthday. “It’s really hard to believe it could happen.
Early voting won the race by 1: 54.54 and paid $ 13.40, $ 4.60 and $ 3.60. Epicenter paid $ 2.80 and $ 2.40, while Creative Minister was third and paid $ 4.20.
Although Epicenter was overtaken by Rich Strike in the derby and could not make that move in Preakness, it was a familiar feeling for coach Steve Asmussen and jockey Joel Rosario.
“Disappointed,” Asmussen said. “There was just too much to overcome.”
The early vote ended in first place in a field of nine horses, including a Secret Oath mare and three who returned after taking part in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Secret Oath finished fourth.
Early Voting, son of Gun Runner, won for the third time in four career races to take the winner’s $ 900,000 share of the $ 1.65 million bag. Asmussen said: “Early voting is the winner of Preakness and it deserves all the credit for that – and nothing but.”
The 147th edition of Preakness took place in near-record heat with temperatures rising to 90 as the horses entered the starting door.
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