The 151st running of the 2026 Preakness Stakes is nearly here, slated for Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., while long-overdue renovations reshape the historic Pimlico Race Course. Kentucky Derby champion Golden Tempo has opted out of the second jewel, meaning Justify’s 2018 sweep remains the sport’s last Triple Crown achievement, and it will stay that way for at least another season.

Despite the Derby winner’s absence, Gotham Stakes victor Iron Honor leads a compelling 14-horse field as the favorite. He has 9-2 horse racing odds, with Incredibolt, Chip Honcho, Taj Mahal, and Ocelli all sitting at 6-1 or shorter. 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. 

Claim the latest DK Horse promo code to win a share of $151,000 if you wager $5 on the winning horse:

Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes horses finalized, 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 picks for Taj Mahal, Incredibolt, Iron Honor

One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He has Taj Mahal outside the top 5 on his projected leaderboard despite him being tied with Chip Honcho and Incredibolt for the second-lowest odds at 5-1. He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in his career, with all his wins coming at Laurel Park. That comfort level around this track is a big factor in why he’s among the favorites. Level of competition, however, is a question mark since he hasn’t faced the caliber of horses that many who were on the Derby trail have, so Demling does not have him as a top-3 pick in his early Preakness predictions.

Demling also has his predictions for the favorite, Iron Honor (9-2). Demling knows Iron Honor has a solid bloodline but has questions following his most recent race. The son of Nyquist, the 2016 Kentucky Derby champion, Iron Honor will look to improve upon his seventh-place finish at the dirt-fast 2026 Wood Memorial. Albus won that 1 1/8-mile event, followed by Right to Party and Ocelli, who is also set to run at the 2026 Preakness Stakes.

The Chad C. Brown-trained colt had won his first two races. He took first at the dirt-fast MSW at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, N.Y. Iron Honor followed that up with a first-place finish at the 2026 Gotham Stakes. Two of Brown’s horses have won the Preakness as Cloud Computing won it in 2017 and Early Voting in 2022.

Bet the Preakness Stakes at 1/ST BET, where you can get up to $500 in wagering credits ($20 per $100 wagered):

Demling has also evaluated the chances of Incredibolt, who is 5-1 on the morning line. Incredibolt brings genuine intrigue as a late addition to the field following his sixth-place effort at the Kentucky Derby, where he had to alter course while rallying from 14th. The Bolt d’Oro colt carries legitimate credentials, including a pair of stakes wins in the Street Sense and the Virginia Derby, but his resume has inconsistencies. He slotted sixth at the Holy Bull Stakes sandwiched between those victories, reflecting the boom-or-bust tendencies that will give bettors pause at this price. With a pace-heavy field projected to load the front end, however, his closing style could be well-suited to Saturday’s setup at Laurel. See what horses Demling is backing at SportsLine. 

How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions, bets

Demling is also especially high on an epic double-digit longshot “with a chance” to win it all. 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