Despite qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Chad Brown opted to hold early voting out of the Triple Crown’s first leg with designs to keep it fresh for a run in the 2022 Preakness Stakes. A strategy that paid off for Brown in 2017, when he did the same with Cloud Computing, which went on to beat Classic Empire by a head. Sired by the legendary Gun Runner, Early Voting is 7-2 in the 2022 Preakness Stakes odds. The 147th race for the Black Eyed Susans will be held at Pimlico Racecourse on Saturday. Epicenter is the 6-5 favorite, while Secret Oath is 9-2 and Simplification is 6-1. The 2022 Preakness Stakes post time is 7:01 PM ET. Before you make any picks in the Preakness Stakes, you need to see what picks legendary handicapper Hammerin’ Hank Goldberg just locked in.
A former horse racing analyst for ESPN and NBC, Goldberg became a legendary handicapper by going straight to the source. In 2004, he dined before the Belmont Stakes with trainer Nick Zito at a pizzeria in Queens. The dinner led to Goldberg playing Zito’s monster 36-1 long shot Birdstone to win and on top of his exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets. When Birdstone shocked the world, Goldberg took home $24,000.
His success continued at SportsLine. In the San Felipe Stakes in March 2020, Hammer dealt a $20 exacta that paid 9-1. In the 2020 Belmont Stakes, Goldberg was all over Tiz the Law, who took a convincing victory in the first Triple Crown race of the year. Hammer also won the exacta in the Blue Grass Stakes, Haskell Stakes and Pacific Classic that year.
Last year he hit the exacta Essential Quality-Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont Stakes. Anyone who followed him in those races is top.
Now he has turned his attention to the 2022 Preakness Stakes field and has just released his picks and predictions. You can only see them here.
Best Preakness Stakes 2022 Predictions
A surprise: Goldberg completely throws out Secret Oath, even though she is a top favorite in the 2022 Preakness Stakes and has just won the Kentucky Oaks. Secret Oath earned its fifth win at the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, fending off a late charge from race favorite Nest to win by two lengths and give coach D. Wayne Lukas his fifth win at Oaks. However, she didn’t get a good trip in her only other race against the boys at the Arkansas Derby.
She took a bump early and decided to go wide, sitting at the back of the pack before pushing forward at the top of turn two. However, that kick proved too early and she ran out of steam in the final furlong, beaten rather hard by Cyberknife and Barber Road. Both horses were largely non-factors in the Kentucky Derby.
How to make picks for Preakness Stakes 2022
Instead, Hammer is high on a long shot who is an “all-around runner” and is the “best value in the run.” Goldberg includes this horse in his 2022 Preakness Stakes bets, and so should you. He only shares the horses to support and fade at SportsLine.
So who wins the Preakness 2022? Which long shot is a must-back? And how did Hammer build his bets? Check out the latest Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Hammer’s picks for the Preakness Stakes, and find out.