After an upset in the Kentucky Derby, attention turns to the 2026 Preakness Stakes odds at Laurel Park on May 16. Derby winner Golden Tempo will not run, but it’s expected to be a competitive field in Maryland.
I explore the latest Preakness winner odds for 2026, analyze the leading contenders, and reveal my Preakness Stakes predictions and best bets!
Preakness Stakes 2026 Betting Odds
The following Preakness Stakes odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel:
| HORSE | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Silent Tactic | +350 |
| Taj Mahal | +500 |
| Ocelli | +500 |
| Chip Honcho | +700 |
| Iron Honor | +900 |
| Napoleon Solo | +1400 |
| Robusta | +1500 |
| Great White | +1575 |
| The Hell We Did | +1700 |
| Corona de Oro | +1800 |
| Talkin | +2200 |
With a couple of key horses bypassing the Preakness Stakes, Silent Tactic (+350) is the leading favorite to win at Laurel Park. Per the latest Preakness odds at top horse racing betting sites, Silent Tactic has a 22.2% implied probability of winning.
Before withdrawing from the race, Golden Tempo was sitting just behind Silent Tactic on the board at +500 odds. Crude Velocity opened as the +175 favorite, but trainer Bob Baffert believes his colt needs more time and is pointing him to another spot.
Silent Tactic is dealing with a minor foot bruise that bears watching after he was scratched from the Kentucky Derby. If the issue flares up again this week, we could see yet another top contender skipping the Preakness. That uncertainty leaves us with a wide‑open race that should produce a tight finish in the stretch.
Taj Mahal (+500) and Ocelli (+500) are next in line behind Silent Tactic in the latest betting markets. At those prices, Taj Mahal and Ocelli’s odds imply a roughly 16% chance to win the Preakness. With the possibility of more trainers opting out, it’s worth continuing to monitor the board for further movement.
You can find up-to-date Preakness 2026 odds at Lucky Rebel by navigating to All Sports (A-Z) > Horse Racing & Props > Preakness Stakes.
Preakness Stakes 2026 Format & Key Info
As renovations continue at Pimlico Racecourse, Laurel Park will step in as host of the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16. The Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby, which was run two weeks earlier at Churchill Downs.
This year’s Triple Crown will conclude with the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Racecourse. And as was the case when Sovereignty skipped last year’s Preakness, there will be no Triple Crown bid this time either. Trainer Cherie DeVaux has announced that Golden Tempo will bypass the race to rest.
The Preakness Stakes is contested at 1 3/16 miles on dirt, with post time scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET. The race is open to three-year-old colts, geldings, and fillies and offers a $2 million purse, including $1.2 million to the winning connections. Fans can watch live on NBC or stream the race on Peacock.
Preakness Stakes 2026 Favorites
The odds to win the Preakness Stakes give Silent Tactic the edge after he was scratched from the Derby, but there isn’t a clear favorite.
Let’s delve into the top contender’s chances, along with the other main favorites to win at Laurel this weekend:
Silent Tactic (+350)
There is no promise that Silent Tactic will receive the green light to run in the Preakness Stakes. After a solid workout this past week, trainer Mark Casse appears optimistic that the horse will be able to run at Laurel Park.
However, he also cautions that if Silent Tactic’s foot flares up this week, then he’ll be scratched from the race. It’s a wait and see approach at the moment, but if Silent Tactic runs, expect him to make some noise.
Silent Tactic out this morning at @ChurchillDowns. He breezed a half-mile in :48 4/5 ahead of the @PreaknessStakes. pic.twitter.com/M8ggHtzCXo
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) May 8, 2026
After strong efforts in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1), Silent Tactic earned enough qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. He has finished second in four of six career starts, winning the other two.
His breakthrough came in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3), where he scored by 3 ¼ lengths at long odds and posted a career-best 103 speed figure, putting him firmly on the national radar.
He backed that up with a game runner-up finish in the Rebel and a solid Arkansas Derby, where he was just a nose behind Class President and four lengths behind Kentucky Derby favorite Renegade.
Silent Tactic has clearly shown he belongs at the graded-stakes level and stacks up well against top competition. On talent alone, he deserves to be near the top of the Preakness board. However, his recent foot injury is a major concern.
Because of that, I cannot recommend Silent Tactic as one of my top Preakness Stakes best bets.
Taj Mahal (+500)
Heading into the Preakness Stakes with plenty of momentum, Taj Mahal is a win contender you want on your radar. He’ll be making his graded stakes debut in the Preakness, but he’s dominated every horse in his path so far and appears to be getting stronger with each start.
Taj Mahal is a perfect three-for-three to begin his career, with consecutive victories in Black Type stakes. Most recently, he crushed the field by 8 ¼ lengths in a dominant performance in the Federico Tesio Stakes on April 18.
Taj Mahal and @SheldonRussell1 take them every step of the way to win the Federico Tesio Stakes at @LaurelPark for SF Racing (@TomRyanKY), @StarlightRacing, @MadaketStables, @StonestreetFarm, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital & Donovan. pic.twitter.com/8MGI7tgFFa
— Brittany Russell Racing Stable (@BTRracingstable) April 18, 2026
That effort followed a gritty win in the Miracle Wood Stakes two months earlier, where he edged Let’s Go Lando by a neck. Beyond the spotless record, Taj Mahal has shown steady, measurable improvement. He posted a speed figure of 85 in his early-February debut, then jumped to 93, and most recently a 97 in his Tesio blowout.
Triple Crown races are often decided by which horses peak at the right time, and Taj Mahal checks that box in a big way. With Laurel Park as his home track, he also benefits from familiarity with the surface and surroundings, eliminating the element of surprise in Maryland.
After Cherie DeVaux became the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, Brittany Russell’s Taj Mahal has a chance to keep the momentum going for the women of horse racing — this time on Russell’s home turf at Laurel Park.
Ocelli (+500)
One of the biggest surprises of the Kentucky Derby was the effort by Ocelli. The heavy longshot showed third in a shocking performance from Whitworth Beckham’s colt. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione was able to get the most out of Ocelli to put him in third.
Despite going winless in seven races to start his career, Ocelli is showing tremendous gains as of late. After finishing sixth in back-to-back events in the Sam F. Davis Stakes and Virginia Derby, Ocelli turned his fortunes around for third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) on his graded debut and then impressed in the Kentucky Derby.
He was battling until the very end, with Ocelli falling by 2 ¾ lengths and a neck at the wire. Ocelli was 15th at the ¾ pole and second heading into the stretch run for the 70-1 longshot. With a speed figure of 99, Ocelli reached the apex of his career in Louisville, and I’m not optimistic that he can duplicate that form again.
Celebration was epic even after they realized they didn’t win.
(Ocelli connections in red hats, Golden Tempo in the box to their right) https://t.co/Buoa0oKF4z pic.twitter.com/c6xDLmU7Y3
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 3, 2026
Now, will Ocelli be able to carry this form into Maryland? History is against Ocelli winning the Preakness Stakes. Note that he would be the first since 1888 to break his maiden in the Preakness! That’s a lot of years and a large sample size against Ocelli, but if he can run how he did at Churchill Downs, then it could get interesting.
I’m just not overwhelmingly confident that Ocelli is going to find that same trip in a race that should have some early pace.
Preakness Stakes 2026 Longshot Bets
We are still waiting on multiple horses to confirm they’ll be running, but there are two longshots to consider for our Preakness Stakes 2026 best bets. In what is a wide-open race, I suggest adding these two horses to your horse racing betting strategy at Laurel Park:
Preakness Stakes 2026 Predictions and Best Bet
For what is anticipated to be a wide-open race, I’m not looking at backing Silent Tactic, who is tending to the foot injury. If he is at 100%, then he deserves to be the rightful favorite.
Nevertheless, I like Taj Mahal’s progress and is on track to reach peak form in the Preakness Stakes. Although he hasn’t faced elite competition, Taj Mahal’s latest performance in the Federico Tesio Stakes would put him clear of this field at Laurel Park.
Considering that Golden Tempo and Crude Velocity are not running, there aren’t those top-tier horses in the Preakness this year. It’s a fairly weak group without Crude Velocity in the starting gate, who was the clear favorite before Baffert decided to point him elsewhere.
At +500 odds, Taj Mahal carries the best value for our 2026 Preakness Stakes best bets.
Where to Bet on the Preakness Stakes 2026?
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