Early Vote Wins Preakness Stakes Amid Record Temperatures – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP/WJZ) — The early vote kept hard-nosed favorites Epicenter from winning Saturday’s Preakness Stakes and confirmed the decision to skip the Kentucky Derby and aim for the Triple Crown second leg.

Early Voting trudged behind the leaders for most of the race before taking the lead at the final corner. He finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Epicenter who finished second as in the Derby.

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Oddsmakers had Early Voting, a colt by Klaravich Stables, and started 7-2. Its owner is Seth Klarman, a billionaire hedge fund investor who grew up three blocks from Pimlico Race Course.

Jockey Jose Ortiz led Early Voting before the finish line well ahead of Epicenter, who also finished second in the derby.

“I never worried,” said early voting coach Chad Brown. “As soon as we had a good goal, I actually preferred that. We were fine going to the front but I figured at the back it would take a good horse to beat us. And a good horse ran towards us near the wire and it was about the only one that could run with us.”

The preakness was conducted without Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike after its owner prioritized the extra recovery over a chance to win the Triple Crown. Early voting could have worked in the derby, but Brown and Klaravich Stables owner Seth Klarman also opted for an extra break.

“It’s very hard to get an owner to pass the Derby on and they made the right choice,” said Ortiz, who won the Preakness for the first time. “The horse, I don’t think it had enough experience to run in a field of 20 horses and they proved today that they were right.”

Early voting, which ended 5-1, gave Brown his second Preakness win. Cloud Computing, the 2017 champion, is also owned by Klaravich Stables.

winning coach of @PreaknessStakes Chad Brown gets a photo of the early voting colors being painted on the winning circle at Pimlico 🐎 @wjz @WJZ13sports pic.twitter.com/ubPNGIx59L

— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) May 22, 2022

“Cloud computing was once in a lifetime and now I have it twice in a lifetime,” said Klarman, who grew up three blocks from Pimlico Race Course and celebrated his 65th birthday. “Really hard to believe that could have happened.”

Early Voting won the race in 1:54.54 and paid $13.40, $4.60 and $3.60. Epicenter paid $2.80 and $2.40, and Creative Minister came third, paying $4.20.

“Disappointed,” said Epicenter coach Steve Asmussen. “He just had to overcome too much.”

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Early voting took first place in a field of nine horses, including filly Secret Oath and three who came back after running in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Early Voting, a son of Gun Runner, won for the third time in four career races and took the winner’s share of $900,000 of the $1.65 million prize pool.

“He’s off,” assistant coach Baldo Hernandez said this week. “He’s in good shape.”

He was in good enough shape to deal with some adverse weather conditions. The 147th edition of the Preakness took place in record-breaking heat, with the temperature rising to 90 by the time the horses entered the starting gate.

Klarman said an early vote in the 1 1/2 mile Belmont stakes on June 11 is unlikely to be conducted because of questions about whether the colt can cover the distance.

Early voting had no problem with 1 3/16 miles in the preakness.

“It’s just nice when a plan works out,” Brown said.

People returned to the Pimlico circuit to watch the race for the first time since the pandemic began. They defied record temperatures and high humidity.

People WJZ spoke to said they made sure to stay hydrated and avoided the sun while enjoying all the fun of Preakness.

“I was drinking before I got here,” said one man. “I take a sip of water between every drink of alcohol.”

Very hot day for the Preakness. The temperature finally dropped below 90 degrees just before the start @wjz pic.twitter.com/94wnrrPhOH

— Stetson Miller (@stetsonmreports) May 21, 2022

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Stetson Miller contributed to this report.