The second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown will take place on Saturday, but the Triple Crown itself is no longer up for grabs.
Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will not participate in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Rich Strike pulled off one of the Derby’s biggest ever upsets, but owner Rich Dawson and trainer Eric Reed decided a two-week turnaround was too quick.
This is the second time in four years that the Preakness will go on without the Derby winner present.
With Rich Strike out of the mix, all eyes will turn to a set of favorites. Epicenter, Early Voting, Secret Oath and Simplification have the best odds of the nine-horse field. Epicenter was the runner-up to Rich Strike at Churchill Downs, while Simplification came in fourth.
The 2022 Preakness Stakes will air on NBC with a post time of 7:01 p.m. ET. The event can also be streamed on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.