Epicenter the 6-5 choice against eight others in Preakness

Epicenter will be strongly favored to give Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his third win in the $1.65 million Preakness S. (G1), the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, on Saturday at Pimlico.

Second as the favorite in the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1) behind 80-1 outsider Rich Strike, Epicenter was installed as the 6-5 morning line favorite in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at Monday's post position draw. Epicenter breaks from post 8 in the field of nine.

Second choice on the morning line at 7-2 is Early Voting, winner of the Withers (G3) over the winter and a close second in the Wood Memorial (G2) last out. The speedy Early Voting breaks from post 5 for trainer Chad Brown, who won the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing.

Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath looks to become the third filly since 2009 to win the Preakness, following in the footsteps of Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Swiss Skydiver (2020). Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won the Preakness six times, the first in 1980 with Codex and most recently in 2013 with Oxbow.

Also in the lineup are Simplification, a solid fourth in the Kentucky Derby, and Creative Minister, whose $150,000 fee to supplement has bumped the Preakness purse from $1.5 million to $1.65 million.