
The 2026 Preakness Stakes will feature Iron Honor as the 9-2 favorite, with Incredibolt and Taj Mahal both at 5-1 odds. The race takes place at Laurel Park in Maryland on Saturday.
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The Preakness Stakes 2026 will be the 151st running of the race, and it's essentially a flip of the coin in terms of favorites prevailing at the race. The favorite has prevailed 49% of the time, including last year with Journalism. Iron Honor is the 9-2 favorite for Preakness Stakes 151 as he aims to make amends for his seventh-place finish in his last start. Horses looking to keep Iron Honor from the winner's circle include Incredibolt (5-1) and Taj Mahal (5-1), while Robusta is a 30-1 longshot in the Preakness Stakes odds. Laurel Park in Maryland will host the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday. With so much to consider while making your 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
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Of the 150 Preakness Stakes winners, 144 of them were male horses, while six were fillies. The first was Flocarline in 1903, and the last was Swiss Skydiver in 2020. Only two fillies have prevailed at The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown over the last 100 years, with Swiss Skydiver being joined by Rachel Alexandra (2009). With six overall female horse champions, that equals the total of the number of fillies that have won the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes. Each of the other Triple Crown legs have seen three female horses triumph.
Given all the history of the race, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Preakness Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2026 Preakness Stakes picks possible.
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 could be way up.
The top contenders include Iron Honor as the favorite at 9-2, followed by Incredibolt and Taj Mahal, both at 5-1.
Favorites have won 49% of the time in the Preakness Stakes, including last year's winner, Journalism.
The 2026 Preakness Stakes will be held on Saturday at Laurel Park in Maryland.
Only six female horses have won the Preakness Stakes, with the last being Swiss Skydiver in 2020.



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Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Here's a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine's Jody Demling:
Preakness Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $33.80 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism and Gosger.
Preakness Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $73.50 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism, Gosger and Sandman.
Preakness Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $303.40 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism, Gosger, Sandman and Goal Oriented.
While Iron Honor is the 9-2 favorite, Demling is high on Napoleon Solo (8-1), despite the colt not being among the top five favorites. "The son of Liam's Map will likely be near the front of the pack; he finished fifth in the Wood Memorial and is not without a shot to hit the board," Demling told SportsLine. He is also building his tickets around an epic double-digit longshot "with a chance" to win it all", spicing up his 2026 Preakness Stakes exotics. You can see his picks here.
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Preakness Stakes 2026. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take, and in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2026 Preakness Stakes.
| 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 |