Horse Racing

Is It Too Early To Back Early Voting In The Preakness?

As of this writing, the 2022 Preakness field has not yet fully taken shape, but there are some things we know about it. We know that Messier and Taiba are headed back to California.

We know that the horses who earned automatic berths into the Preakness- El Camino Real Derby winner Blackadder and Federico Tesio Stakes winner Joe- are turning down the invitation to Baltimore.

We know that Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is headed to Pimlico, along with fourth-place finisher Simplification and Grade II Rebel Stakes winner Un Ojo. And we know they’ll be met by the speedy and talented Early Voting, who aims to be among the Preakness Stakes winners. You can check the complete list of past winners here: https://www.twinspires.com/preakness-stakes/winners 

Early Voting had earned enough points to make the Kentucky Derby field, but trainer Chad Brown elected to save him specifically for the Preakness. It turned out, most likely, to have been a good move in that Early Voting would have been in the freakishly fast first flight of horses and would have therefore been cooked by the pace. 

Does Early Voting stand a chance in the Preakness? Let’s take a look at his bloodlines and a few of his past performances.

The Bloodlines

Early Voting is a son of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who is also a leading second-crop sire. Apart from Early Voting, Gun Runner has sired champion two-year-old filly Echo Zulu, Grade I Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife, Grade I Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba, and Grade II Best Pal Stakes winner Pappacap.

Cyberknife, Echo Zulu, and Taiba have all won Grade I stakes races at 1 1/16th miles or longer, and both Pappacap and Early Voting have placed in Grade I races at distances over a mile. This, combined with Gun Runner’s Breeder’s Cup Classic win at 1 ¼ miles, suggest that Early Voting likely has the Preakness distance of 1 3/16th miles within his scope. 

Early Voting’s dam is Amour d’Ete, an unraced daughter of 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow. Tiznow was best known for his gritty back-to-back victories in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, adding further credence to the idea that Early Voting should be able to go classic distances. 

The Career

Early Voting’s career began in a maiden special weight on December 18th, 2021, at Aqueduct. Favored in the field of seven, he dueled briefly with Sul Pharoah before putting him away in the stretch, and he proceeded to win the one-mile race by 1 ½ length. 

Seven weeks later, he returned in Aqueduct’s Grade III Withers Stakes. In spite of having only one previous start, Early Voting was again favored. This time, Early Voting sprang to the lead immediately and did not surrender it. He won easily over Un Ojo, galloping ahead by more than four lengths. 

In the Grade I Wood Memorial, Early Voting was, for the first time in his career, not the favorite. Instead, he started as the third choice behind Grade III Gotham Stakes winner Morello and Grade II Remsen Stakes winner Mo Donegal. As he had in the Withers, Early Voting leaped to an early lead and held it. Early Voting looked like a winner until the final few strides before the wire, when he was nosed out by a flying Mo Donegal.

In the weeks following the Wood, Brown considered entering Early Voting in the Kentucky Derby. Ultimately, though, he bypassed the race, believing that the Preakness was a better fit for his gifted yet inexperienced horse.

Is it too early to back Early Voting? In the absence of sharp early speed from the likes of Messier and other contenders, this well-bred graded stakes winner is a real threat to take the Black-Eyed Susans.

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