Early voting bets

The ‘Early Vote’ colt won the 147th edition of the Preakness Stakes, round two of the Triple Crown, as it advanced late Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland.

The draw was open to all nine riders and nominees for the “middle jewel of the Triple Crown,” after the title-winning Rich Strike team lost the Kentucky Derby, and instead decided to focus on the Belmont Stakes starting June 11.

Early Vote and its jockey, Jose Ortiz, had 5-to-1 odds heading to the Pimlico racetrack. “Epicenter” (6-5) was the favourite, but got frustrated again when he finished second, as in Kentucky. The Creative Minister completed the platform.

“Armagnac” dominated the first three quarters of the 1900 metres, before being overtaken by the eventual winner who exited the turn. Early Vote took several steps forward before Ortiz moved past the “Epicenter” to the edge of the rails to neutralize any attempt.

This was only the fourth time in her career to vote early. Emotional after the race, the rider said the three-year-old colt was late in development, but he always knew she had something special.

The horse was trained by Chad C. Brown, who also won the Preakness Stakes in 2017, thanks to “cloud computing.”