2026 Preakness Stakes: Expert Picks, Odds, and Post Time for May 16 Race

2026 Preakness Stakes predictions, odds, field, location, post time: Top picks from proven horse racing expert

Gene Menez revealed his Preakness Stakes 2026 picks for the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland

By Daniel Kohn

May 15, 2026 at 8:30 pm ET • 3 min read

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Horse racing's Triple Crown continues on Saturday with the 2026 Preakness Stakes, which will go to post at approximately 6:50 p.m. ET. Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., will host the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes because Pimlico Race Course is under construction. There will not be a Triple Crown winner again in 2026 after Golden Tempo's connections decided to hold him out of this race following his Kentucky Derby win.

Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor is the 9-2 favorite in the 2026 Preakness Stakes odds. However, it's a slim lead on the odds board, with four other horses at 6-1 or lower, including third-place Kentucky Derby finisher Ocelli. 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 Gene Menez .

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A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In last year's Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. Anyone who has followed his horse racing betting  advice could be way up.

Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Preakness Stakes field and revealed his picks.  Go here to see them .

Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions

One of Menez's surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: Menez is opting to fade Iron Honor, the morning line favorite, ahead of the Preakness Stakes. Iron Honor has emerged victorious in two of his three career races, but he did finish just seventh his last time out, which was in the Wood Memorial where he faded down the stretch.

Iron Honor's two wins came at 3/4 of a mile and 1 mile, and the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial proved to be too much for this Chad Brown trainee. With so many favorites bunched up at the top, Menez thinks there's no reason to back one of the top favorites, especially after we saw Golden Tempo steal the show at the Kentucky Derby just two weeks ago.  See who to back at SportsLine .

Another stunner: Menez is high on The Hell We Did, a longshot at 15-1. He's finished first or second in all four career races. He had not gone longer than six furlongs until the Lexington Stakes on April 11. However, he handled that 1 1/16-mile run well, finishing second ahead of fellow Preakness entry Corona de Oro. The Hell We Did drew post no. 7, which has the second-highest winning percentage of all time in the Preakness Stakes, and has produced three winners since 2000.

"He will be making his third start off the layoff, which is normally a horse's best," Menez said. "He has been training at Laurel for two weeks and has impressed trackside observers with how he has looked in the mornings. One even called him a 'monster.'"  See which other horses to back at SportsLine .

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How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, bets

Menez's top pick is a horse who was "brilliantly fast." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is "finally fit."  Menez 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 longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who had a $1,045 payout at last year's race .

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 Corona 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

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/2026-preakness-stakes-predictions-odds-field-location-post-time-top-picks-from-proven-horse-racing-expert/)._