Expert Picks for 2026 Preakness Stakes: Iron Honor, Taj Mahal, and Incredibolt

Preakness Stake 2026 odds, posts, date: Iron Honor, Taj Mahal, Incredibolt predictions by elite expert

Jody Demling, who has called 11 Preakness winners, reveals his picks for 2026 Preakness Stakes horses such as Iron Honor, Taj Mahal and Incredibolt

By Daniel Lewis

May 13, 2026 at 8:54 am ET • 4 min read

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The victor of the 2026 Preakness Stakes will get more than just the lifetime honor of being a Triple Crown race winner. He will also be awarded what's considered the most valuable trophy in sports in the Woodlawn Vase. It was assessed to be valued at $1 million in 1983, and when adjusted for inflation, will be worth considerably more when presented at the Preakness Stakes 2026. The original Woodlawn Vase is presented only ceremoniously, but the connections of the winning horse all get smaller replicas to permanently keep.

Iron Honor is favored to receive the Woodlawn Vase in Saturday's race at Laurel Park. The Chad Brown-trained colt is the 9-2 favorite according to the Preakness Stakes 2026 odds. Other top contenders for the trophy include Chip Honcho (5-1), Taj Mahal (5-1) and Incredibolt (5-1). 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. Sired by 2016 Kentucky Derby champion Nyquist, Iron Honor won his first two starts which put him on the radar. However, he faltered in his last race in a major way, placing seventh at the Wood Memorial. That led to his connections bypassing the Kentucky Derby, despite qualifying for it, as Iron Honor will make his first start outside of Aqueduct this Saturday.

The horse is trained by two-time Preakness winner, Chad Brown, and will be ridden by one-time Preakness champion, Flavien Prat. The 2026 Preakness will be the first time that Brown and Flat team together at this race as neither finished in the money in their last respective Preakness stars. Iron Honor is hoping for a better finish than Nyquist had at the 2016 Preakness as the latter finished third despite being the favorite.

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Demling has also evaluated the chances of Incredibolt, who is 5-1 on the morning line. Incredibolt finished 11th in Kentucky Derby qualifying points after winning the Virginia Derby and the Street Sense Stakes. He went on to finish a respectable sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Against a weaker field at the Preakness Stakes, he's certainly a win contender. He also finished sixth at the Holy Bull Stakes, however, so there are some red flags that come up at this price.  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

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

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/preakness-stake-2026-odds-posts-date-iron-honor-taj-mahal-incredibolt-predictions-by-elite-expert/)._