Preakness Profile: Epicenter * The Racing Biz

Preakness Profile: Epicenter

Gary Quill
May 21, 2022

Preakness morning line favorite Epicenter nearly snapped Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen’s Kentucky Derby drought. But after making the lead and fending off a bid from Zandon, the son of Not This Time could not contain the late run of Rich Strike.

The good news for Asmussen is that his charge looks poised to give the trainer his third Preakness victory, albeit at a short price.

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GQ SAYS…

Trainer / Jockey (Preakness Mounts W-P-S): Steven Asmussen / Joel Rosario (7:0-3-1)

Last Race (Finish): Kentucky Derby (2^nd)

Morning Line Odds: 12-1

On paper everything points to this decorated colt being the victor in the 147^th running of the Preakness Stakes, but the race isn’t run on paper. We discovered that in the Derby when seemingly from nowhere Rich Strike snatched victory away from Epicenter, which would have given his trainer his first Derby win.

That is not the case here. Trainer Steve Asmussen won with Curlin (2007) and super filly Rachel Alexandra (2009). Last year his trainee Midnight Bourbon was runner-up.

How does this juggernaut named Epicenter get beat? It might be a stretch, but he has had a long campaign by today’s racing standards. This will be his seventh race in a 6-month span. He has only raced at two venues, Fairgrounds in NOLA and his home track Churchill Downs. Will he “take” to the Pimlico oval? Just when you think there’s a FREE SQUARE in your horizontal wagers, you get kicked in the face with a dose of reality that these thoroughbreds are not machines, they can be vulnerable. Maybe this is the day Epicenter doesn’t rise to the occasion. Is 6-5 (probably closer to 4-5) worth that risk? Willing to try to beat him instead of being a Chalk-Eating weasel.