{"id":38920,"date":"2026-05-14T11:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=38920"},"modified":"2026-05-14T11:44:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:44:19","slug":"2026-preakness-stakes-picks-predictions-and-odds-handicapping-a-wide-open-race-at-laurel-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/horse-racing\/2026-preakness-stakes-picks-predictions-and-odds-handicapping-a-wide-open-race-at-laurel-park\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Preakness Stakes Picks, Predictions and Odds: Handicapping a Wide-Open Race at Laurel Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2026 Preakness Stakes<\/strong> brings a very different setup than horseplayers are used to seeing. Golden Tempo, the Kentucky Derby winner, is skipping the race. Creed Velocity, originally viewed as a major contender and morning-line favorite, is also out. And for the first time in 108 years, the Preakness will not be run at Pimlico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown moves to Laurel Park on Saturday, May 16, with a tentative post time of 6:50 p.m. ET. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a 14-horse field and several contenders sitting at single-digit Preakness Stakes odds, this shapes up as one of the most open editions of the race in years. Get Preakness Stakes premium picks<\/a> at WageTalk now! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Preakness Stakes Preview: Why Laurel Park Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The venue switch is a major handicapping factor. Laurel Park is a one-mile oval, and the configuration changes how bettors should evaluate pace, positioning and late runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Preakness distance remains the same, but the stretch is different from Pimlico. The Laurel Park stretch is shorter than what bettors are used to seeing at Pimlico, and that naturally raises questions about deep closers who need time to build momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Speed Hold Up in the Preakness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speed has often held up at Laurel and Pimlico, especially across major race cards. However, it will be important to watch races Thursday, Friday and early Saturday to see whether the dirt is favoring speed or playing fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laurel\u2019s wider, more sweeping turns may also help stalkers and closers compared to Pimlico\u2019s tighter turns. Wider turns can allow horses to maintain momentum and slingshot into the stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes the 2026 Preakness pace picture especially important, because several horses want to be forward early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preakness Stakes Odds: Iron Honor the Favorite at 9-2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Iron Honor enters as the 9-2 favorite from post nine, but whether he deserves that role is debatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Case for Iron Honor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iron Honor fits the Chad Brown playbook. Brown has skipped the Kentucky Derby before with horses pointed specifically to the Preakness, winning with Cloud Computing and Early Voting. Iron Honor also picks up Flavien Prat, a major jockey upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an argument that Iron Honor had excuses in the Wood Memorial, where he was wide and took contact into the first turn. With blinkers coming off, the hope is that Iron Honor settles better and makes one strong move into a pace that could be quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Concern With Iron Honor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The biggest concern is that Iron Honor comes into the Preakness off the worst race of his short career. The blinkers-off move could be a smart fix, but it could also signal that the connections are still searching for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Preakness Stakes predictions, Iron Honor looks usable underneath and dangerous with Prat, but he may be shorter than ideal from a value perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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