Preakness Stakes 2026 Predictions: Expert Jody Demling

Preakness Stake 2026 odds, posts, date: Iron Honor, Taj Mahal, Incredibolt predictions per horse racing 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 14, 2026 at 10:00 pm ET • 3 min read

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The Preakness Stakes 2026 heads to Laurel Park this Saturday, May 16, as Pimlico Race Course continues its extensive renovation project. With Kentucky Derby champion Golden Tempo opting to skip the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, a deep and talented group of runners has assembled, headlined by Gotham Stakes victor Iron Honor, who sits atop the Preakness Stakes odds as the 9-2 morning-line favorite.

Several other contenders are drawing strong support as well, including Incredibolt, Chip Honcho, Taj Mahal, and Ocelli, all listed at 6-1 or better in the latest Preakness Stakes odds. Post time is set for 6:50 p.m. ET for the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes. 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 also has his predictions for the favorite, Iron Honor (9-2). The horse is in good company, trained by Chad Brown and jockeyed by Flavien Prat, a change from his last race and Brown's original top choice. Brown pulled Iron Honor from Kentucky Derby consideration to focus on the Preakness after a lackluster seventh-place outing at the Wood Memorial.

Still, that is the only loss in the three-race career of Iron Honor. He started from the outside at the Wood which proved problematic, and will be at post No. 9 out of 14 at the Preakness. Brown believes Prat is the best-possible rider for Iron Honor. Time will tell.

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Demling has also evaluated the chances of Incredibolt, who is 5-1 on the morning line. The Steve Asmussen-trained entrant was sixth at the Kentucky Derby at 20-1 odds to qualify for the next leg of the Triple Crown. In the last four races, Incredibolt finished sixth in two of them, but won the other two. He got stuck in Derby traffic in the massive field but still battled from 14th to sixth. A cleaner race could be expected here with four fewer horses in the projected field.  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-per-horse-racing-expert/)._