Michelle Yu reveals her Preakness Stakes 2026 best bets for the annual Run for the Black-Eyed Susans on Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park
By Daniel Kohn May 14, 2026 at 2:10 pm ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images The venue will be different, but the stakes remain the same at the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The race will be run at Laurel Park while renovations are ongoing at Pimlico Race Course. It is expected to be back at Pimlico next year. The second jewel in the Triple Crown will be missing the historic edge as most of the Kentucky Derby runners will be absent, including winner Golden Tempo. Still, the Grade I stakes event, the shortest of the Triple Crown races at 1 3/16 miles, boasts a $2 million purse and the prestige of winning the historic Preakness.
Post time in Laurel, Md., on Saturday is set for 6:50 p.m. ET. The Preakness Stakes 2026 odds list Iron Honor (9-2) as the favorite, followed by Chip Honcho, Incredibolt and Taj Mahal, all at 5-1. Other top 2026 Preakness Stakes contenders include Ocelli at 6-1 and Napoleon Solo at 8-1. Before making any 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, you'll want to see the 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions from SportsLine's Michelle Yu.
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She started off 2025 by correctly going all-in on Citizen Bull to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and she also predicted Forever Young's win in the Saudi Cup, Journalism's win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sandman's win in the Arkansas Derby and Mindframe's win in the Churchill Downs Stakes. She also hit the exacta in the 2025 Kentucky Derby. In August she hit the Fierceness-Journalism exacta in the Pacific Classic, and in March 2026 she nailed the Renegade-Silent Tactic-Taptastic trifecta in the Arkansas Derby.
Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Yu is sharing her 2026 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One surprise: Yu is really high on Taj Mahal this week, as the horse is 3 for 3 in his career at Laurel Park. That inside knowledge is what gives Taj Mahal the edge (and why he's one of the favorites). Taj Mahal "is certainly a horse for the course, having notched all three lifetime wins over this track," Yu said. He is starting on the inside rail, but 12 horses have won the Preakness from that spot.
The Brittany Russell trained colt is coming off an 8¼-length victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes. "He isn't inching out these wins," Yu tells SportsLine, "he's winning going away." The horse racing expert thinks there's a good chance another female trainer can win after Cherie DeVaux made history in leading Golden Tempo to the Derby victory two weeks ago. She was the first woman to win the Derby, and no female trainer has won the Preakness Stakes. See which other 2026 Preakness Stakes horses to back at SportsLine.
Another one of Yu's surprising Preakness Stakes picks: She is not taking Iron Honor as her top win contender. Iron Honor is the favorite at 9-2, but it's debatable if he has the credentials to earn such a distinction. Iron Honor started his career with back-to-back wins, including one at the Gotham Stakes.
He struggled mightily at the Wood Memorial in April, finishing seventh in the only race he's ever run at more than 1 mile. In a 2026 Preakness Stakes field with intriguing longshots and a logjam near the top of the odds board, Yu has found better values. See which other horses to fade at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks
Instead, Yu's top pick is a horse who is in "super shape." She's also high on a massive double-digit longshot who is "sneaky." She's sharing which 2026 Preakness Stakes horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2026 Preakness Stakes? What double-digit longshot is a must-back, and how has Yu constructed her wagers? Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the Santa Anita-based racing insider who has a long history of success in the Preakness Stakes, and find out.
