The anticipation for the 2026 Preakness Stakes has lessened somewhat since Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo withdrew, dashing any dreams of a Triple Crown winner this year.
Still, there are plenty of intriguing horses in the race, which will take place on Saturday at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland.
To prepare for the 2026 Preakness Stakes, I’ll examine the field, position draw, and betting odds before diving into my Preakness predictions.
Preakness Stakes Horses, Position Draws, & Odds
Horse racing lines are current as of Friday, May 15, and courtesy of FanDuel Racing.
- Taj Mahal, 5-1
- Ocelli, 6-1
- Crupper, 30-1
- Robusta, 30-1
- Talkin, 20-1
- Chip Honcho, 5-1
- The Hell We Did, 15-1
- Bull By The Horns, 30-1
- Iron Honor, 9-2
- Napoleon Solo, 8-1
- Corona De Oro, 30-1
- Incredibolt, 5-1
- Great White, 15-1
- Pretty Boy Miah, 15-1
Scratched from the Preakness Stakes
As of Friday, May 15, no horses have been scratched from the Preakness Stakes.
When is the 2026 Preakness Stakes?
The 151st Preakness Stakes is set to begin at 6:50 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
This year’s race will be held at Laurel Park, as renovations are underway at the event’s traditional home, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Preakness Stakes Prediction to Win/Place/Show
No. 1 Taj Mahal to Win (5-1)
Post 1 is not where you want to be for the Kentucky Derby, but it’s a fine position with fewer horses running at the Preakness.
In fact, we’ve seen three horses — American Pharaoh (2015), War of Will (2019), and National Treasure (2023) — win the Preakness from the rail since 2015.
Taj Mahal is well-positioned to follow that group, as it is unbeaten in three career starts, all of which have come at Laurel Park.
That familiarity could give this offspring of the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist, an edge on Saturday.
Back one of the local favorites as your best horse racing bet today.
No. 9 Iron Honor to Place
Iron Honor, another progeny of Nyquist, is the betting favorite in the Preakness at 9/2 odds.
This Kentucky-based horse didn’t race in the Kentucky Derby, but has shown promise with two wins in three career starts.
Expect Iron Honor to be in the mix down the stretch run on Saturday.
No. 2 Ocelli to Show
Ocelli was a surprise at the Kentucky Derby, finishing third despite having 70-1 odds.
As the top finisher from that race to feature in the Preakness, it’s no surprise that Ocelli doesn’t provide as much value on the odds board this time around.
Still, Ocelli feels like a good bet to show, especially since he’ll have a good sense of where Taj Mahal is running on the inside.
🐎 Find out how to bet on the Preakness online.
Preakness Stakes Longshot Pick
No. 5 Talkin to Win (20-1)
Longshots have had some success at the Preakness in previous years, but we’ll have to see if that carries over into this one-off race at Laurel Park.
If I had to take a shot further down the board, I’m going with Talkin at 20-1 odds.
Post 5 has produced 14 Preakness winners, tied for the second-most all time, with Seize the Grey (2024) and Early Voting (2022) prevailing from this position in recent years.
Talkin hasn’t won since his debut at Saratoga in August 2025, but he finished third in his most recent run at Keeneland in April, which was won by Kentucky Derby favorite Further Ado.
Past Preakness Stakes Winners
2025: Journalism
2024: Seize the Grey
2023: National Treasure
2022: Early Voting
2021: Rombauer
2020: Swiss Skydiver
2019: War of Will
2018: Justify
2017: Cloud Computing
2016: Exaggerator
