Talkin profile: 2026 Preakness Stakes odds, post position, history and more to know

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Back in October, trainer Danny Gargan was so high on Talkin, a $600,000 purchase with just two starts under his belt, he described the runner as a "[Kentucky] Derby-type horse." Alas, the Derby did not materialize for Talkin, who has lost his last three starts by a combined 36 lengths since Gargan made that statement. But on Saturday, Talkin can prove that Gargan's intuition was right all along when he leaves the starting gate in the 2026 Preakness Stakes. Bet Talkin and the entire Preakness Stakes at DK Horse, where new users who click through our links can win a share of $150,000 with the King of the Track promo here:

5 Talkin (20-1)

• Trainer: Danny Gargan
• **Jockey:**Irad Ortiz Jr.
• Last race: Third in the Blue Grass Stakes by 12¾ lengths
• **Career record:**5 starts: 1 win, 1 second, 1 third
• Career earnings: $288,625
• Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 87 (Blue Grass Stakes)
• **Sire:**Good Magic

Below, we'll dig further into Talkin as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16. We'll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.

1 Taj Mahal | 2 Ocelli | 3 Crupper | 4 Robusta | 5 Talkin | 6 Chip Honcho | 7 The Hell We Did | 8 Bull by the Horns | 9 Iron Honor | 10 Napoleon Solo | 11 Corona de Oro | 12 Incredibolt | 13 Great White | 14 Pretty Boy Miah

Now that you know who's in the field, you'll want to know how to bet the Preakness Stakes on the top horse racing betting apps. Win a share of $150,000 at DK Horse with our promo code. Claim it here:

What to know about Talkin

After Talkin finished second in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes last fall, Gargan said that he thought the horse would improve once he stretches out in distance, noting that this son of Good Magic out of a Tiznow mare is bred to go nine and 10 furlongs.

Perhaps Gargan placed a jinx on Talkin, who lost his next three starts by 18¼, 5 and 12¾ lengths. Even the speed figures, whether they be Beyer or Thoro-graph, said the horse has not gotten any faster despite getting a year older.

To be fair, Talkin got sick coming out of the Remsen Stakes in December. That forced him to miss some training and he was behind in his preparation for the Tampa Bay Derby, where he finished fifth. Gargan attributes Talkin's third place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes to the horse being on a dead rail.

Perhaps that's trainer talk for a horse that's just too slow to win. But Talkin fired a bullet four-furlong workout last week (out of 104 horses) so maybe he is finally fit and ready to fire in a way Gargan has thought all along. Talkin will definitely need to, given how many lengths he needs to make up on the top contenders.

Top jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is convinced. He replaces Joel Rosario aboard Talkin, and Gargan and Ortiz have won 3-of-9 races with a $1.58 ROI when joining forces recently. Ortiz taking the mount, however, may diminish the price on Talkin, who's 20-1 on the morning line at DK Horse and 1/ST BET. Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $500 sign-up bonus with the promo code 500BET:

Post draw analysis

Ortiz is a great fit for Talkin, who now is likely to lay well off the pace after leaving from the No. 5 post and come with one late run. That strategy figures to do well in this Preakness Stakes, which features several horses who have done their best running on or near the lead.