2026 Preakness Stakes horses, odds, predictions, post draw: Expert who nailed 11 winners shares picks
Jody Demling, who has called 11 Preakness winners, reveals his 2026 Preakness Stakes picks for Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park with Golden Tempo not in the field following Monday's Preakness post draw
Preakness Stakes 2026 week has arrived as the 151st running of the Grade-I stakes race is set for Saturday, May 16, at 6:50 p.m. ET. The first 150 runs were at Pimlico Race Course, but construction at that track moves the Preakness Stakes 2026 to Laurel Park, in Laurel, Md. Golden Tempo's connections announced last week that he will skip the Preakness, making him the third Kentucky Derby winner in the past five years to follow that path. With the 2026 Preakness Stakes post draw now complete, the Preakness Stakes 2026 field is set.
The morning-line 2026 Preakness Stakes odds list Iron Honor as the 9-2 favorite, with Taj Mahal, Incredibolt and Chip Honcho all at 5-1. Before making any 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, be sure to see the 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions and best bets from SportsLine's elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling hit the top three finishers in the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the correct order. He also called 11 of the last 21 Preakness winners, including 2023, when he hit the winner, exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He hit the trifecta in the 2024 Preakness Stakes and nailed Journalism as the 2025 Preakness winner. Anyone who has followed him on horse racing betting sites could be way up.
Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes field now set, Demling is sharing his 2026 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling's surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Ocelli, even though he is not one of the top-four favorites. Ocelli is still winless in his career and only has one runner-up finish in seven races, but he has undeniable momentum entering the Preakness Stakes 2026.
He was a giant 70-1 longshot at the Kentucky Derby, but surged to third place and was charging hard at the end, posting a speed figure just one point below the top-two horses. In a lighter field at the Preakness, Demling expects Ocelli to be very much in the mix on Saturday.
"He's still a maiden, but was third in the Wood Memorial and ran third in the Derby," Demling told SportsLine. "For a split second, I thought he might win the Derby. Will be running in the end." See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Demling is also especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who "will run better than his odds." Anyone who backs this sleeper pick could hit it big. Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Preakness Stakes leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Preakness Stakes 2026, and which stunning longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who has nailed the last three winners.
2026 Preakness Stakes odds
| Post | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taj Mahal | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Ocelli | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Crupper | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Robusta | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Talkin | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Chip Honcho | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | The Hell We Did | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Bull By The Horns | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 9 | Iron Honor | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 10 | Napoleon Solo | 8-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 11 | Corono De Oro | 30-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 12 | Incredibolt | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 13 | Great White | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 14 | Pretty Boy Miah | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
