Preakness Stake 2026 odds, post positions: Incredibolt, Iron Honor, Taj Mahal picks from horse racing expert

The 2026 Preakness Stakes brings the sport's biggest stars to Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, for the 151st running of the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. It is the first time in the race's history that it will not be run at Pimlico Race Course, with ongoing construction sending the field 30 miles south to Laurel Park. The $2 million race goes 1 3/16 miles, the shortest of the three Triple Crown events, with post time set for 7:01 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 16. A full field of 14 3-year-olds will break from the gate, the largest Preakness Stakes field since 2011.

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is absent from the 2026 Preakness Stakes field, leaving a wide-open race with no dominant standout. The 2026 Preakness Stakes odds list Iron Honor at 9-2. Taj Mahal, Chip Honcho, and Incredibolt are all listed at 5-1, with Ocelli at 6-1 and Napoleon Solo at 8-1 also drawing attention. 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. 

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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 has also locked in his picks for Iron Honor, the 9-2 morning-line favorite. Iron Honor enters the 2026 Preakness Stakes as the 9-2 morning-line favorite, and his early career record makes it easy to see why. The Nyquist colt, trained by Chad Brown, won his first two starts with smooth pace-pressing efforts, including a victory in the Gotham Stakes (G3) in February. Brown is a two-time Preakness winner and will have his top jockey, Flavien Prat, a 2021 Preakness winner, in the saddle after a rider change. On paper, the connections alone make Iron Honor a horse worth serious consideration in 2026 Preakness Stakes picks.

The concerning side comes from when Iron Honor drew the far outside post in the Wood Memorial (G2) in April and endured a troubled trip throughout, eventually finishing seventh. While trainer Chad Brown pointed directly to the Preakness after that race, a seventh-place finish in a major Triple Crown prep is difficult to dismiss entirely. He is also making his first start since that April race. 

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Demling has evaluated Incredibolt's chances. Incredibolt is coming off a sixth-place finish at the May 2 Kentucky Derby. The Riley Mott-trained colt has posted three wins in his career, but has also finished fourth once and sixth twice. He is the son of Bolt d'Oro, who finished 12th at the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

Incredibolt opened his career with a fourth-place finish last August at the MSW at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. He followed that up with back-to-back wins. He took first at the MSW race at Churchill Downs, and was first at the 2025 Street Sense in October. After a sixth-place finish at the 2026 Holy Bull, he registered his last win at the 2026 Virginia Derby in March. 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