Preakness Stakes 2026 lineup (Opinion)

The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes will take place today at 7 PM EST at Laurel Park in Maryland. Normally, this prestigious race is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, but the track is currently being remodeled. The rebuild at Pimlico is scheduled to be done in time for next year's race to be back in Baltimore.

Although the Preakness is the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby winner will not race today. The handlers of Golden Tempo decided to give their horse rest instead of choosing to go after greatness.

However, more owners of horses are deciding to skip the Preakness because the race is only two weeks after the Kentucky Derby. If there was a three-week interval just like there is a three-week break between the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, then more horses that were in the Kentucky Derby would also race in the Preakness as well.

The real reason these owners select to skip the Preakness at this time takes us down a slippery slope. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has been mayor of the city since 2020. As a result, three of the past five Kentucky Derby winners have skipped Baltimore.

Despite of this backward thinking by some owners and trainers, fourteen horses will be racing tonight. Here is a look at the lineup for this year's Preakness Stakes.

1 - Taj Mahal - 5-1 odds. Taj Mahal is undefeated so far this year. Plus, he is the only horse that has raced on this track in Laurel. However, Taj Mahal will have to start along the rail, which explains why the odds are lower than usual. If this horse is able to maneuver and not get trapped along the rail after the first turn, then Taj Mahal could wrap this race up.

2 - Ocelli - 6-1 odds. Ocelli was a 70-1 longshot in the Kentucky Derby. Bettors on Ocelli were happy that the horse then defied those odds by ending up in third place a couple of weeks ago. Oddsmakers are not making that same mistake about Ocelli this time around at the Preakness.

3 - Crupper - 30-1 odds. Crupper has only run at Oaklawn in Arkansas, which explains why the odds are so high. If Crupper responds to the big-time, then he could be a longshot.

4 - Robusta - 30-1 odds. Robusta finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby. The horse will be looking to turn things around for the Preakness.

5 - Talkin - 20-1 odds. This horse skipped the Kentucky Derby, but finished third at the Blue Grass Stakes earlier this year.

6 - Chip Honcho - 5-1 odds. Chip Honcho finished 4th in the Lecomte Stakes that was won earlier this year by Golden Tempo.

7 - The Hell We Did - 15-1 odds. This horse will be looking to raise hell after tearing up the regional scene this year. This horse will also have an advantage starting right in the middle of the track this evening.

8 - Bull By The Horns - 30-1 odds. This horse is coming off of a win at the Rushaway Stakes in Kentucky. The odds are still high because the win was a regional one, but he starts in the middle as well.

9 - Iron Honor - 9-2 odds. Iron Honor is the dark horse in this race. In its two races so far this year, Iron Honor has finished first and seventh. For the odds being this low, consistency is a question mark for this horse.

10 - Napoleon Solo - 10-1 odds. In both races this year, Napoleon Solo has finished in fifth place. However, consistency is sort of an anomaly in horse racing, which means this horse will race well tonight.

11 - Corona de Oro - 30-1 odds. Corona de Oro has the best name of any horse in this race. The goal is to wear a crown of gold at the end of the day. Bettors will take a longshot on him solely because of the name.

12 - Incredibolt - 5-1 odds. Incredibolt finished 6th in the Kentucky Derby. Although Ocelli finished 3rd, Incredibolt is currently getting better odds at the time of this writing.

13 - Great White - 15-1 odds. This is the horse that was the late scratch right on the track before the Kentucky Derby. This horse will be looking for a redo at the Preakness. This horse sort of is an allegory of where the USA is at right now. The horse proclaims to be great, but did not even choose to compete two weeks ago.

14 - Pretty Boy Miah - 15-1 odds. The handlers of this horse just figured out that this horse was getting distracted during races. Once they finally put blinkers on Pretty Boy Miah, he has been undefeated.

Disclaimer: None of the views in this post reflect the viewpoints of Vocal Media.