Jody Demling, who has called 11 Preakness winners, reveals his 2026 Preakness Stakes horse race picks for Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park with Golden Tempo not in the field
By Ross Kelly May 16, 2026 at 2:35 pm ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images The 2026 Preakness Stakes will be at Laurel Park as the $400 million in renovations continues at Pimlico. Still, the length of the race remains 1 3/16 miles, and the second jewel of the Triple Crown features a robust 14 horses, the biggest field in over a decade. The latest 2026 Preakness Stakes odds reveal no clear-cut favorite either for this 7:01 p.m. ET post time on Saturday.
Iron Honor is favored at 9-2 Preakness morning line odds. Three other 2026 Preakness Stakes horses are right behind Iron Honor at 5-1, in Taj Mahal, Incredibolt and Chip Honcho. 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 field set, 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 predictions
One of Demling's surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: Demling is high on Napoleon Solo (8-1). Despite having the sixth-best odds to win and running from post No. 10, Demling likes what he sees from the Chad Summers-trained colt in a wide open Preakness field. The last horse to leave from post No. 10 and win the Preakness was Real Quiet in 1998.
Napoleon Solo, who won his first two races, is coming off back-to-back fifth-place finishes. On April 4, he took fifth at the dirt-fast 2026 Wood Memorial. He was also fifth at the 2026 Fountain of Youth this past February. His wins were at the MSW race at Saratoga in August, and at the 1-mile 2025 Champagne G1 at Aqueduct Racetrack in October. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
Another surprise: Demling is fading Chip Honcho (5-1). Trainer Steve Asmussen has hired Jose Ortiz to ride Chip Honcho, fresh off his last-to-first run on Golden Tempo at the Kentucky Derby.
However, Demling isn't sure Ortiz can work his magic again on Chip Honcho. The horse finished fourth, second and fifth in his Derby prep races. Asmussen has two Preakness wins, the last in 2009. There's a reason Asmussen decided to skip the Derby for this racer. See which other horses to fade at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, 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.
