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 16, 2026 at 4:30 pm ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images With Pimlico Race Course still undergoing renovations, Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. will be the site of the 151st Preakness Stakes, which will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 7:01 p.m. ET. Golden Tempo won't be competing in this race after winning the 2026 Kentucky Derby, so fans won't be on Triple Crown watch, but there's still plenty of excitement around this event.
Iron Honor enters the field as the 9-2 betting favorite in the latest Preakness Stakes 2026 odds, but Chip Honcho, Taj Mahal and Incredibolt are not far behind at 5-1. 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 high on Taj Mahal this week. "This undefeated Brittany Russell trainee is certainly a horse for the course, having notched all three lifetime wins over this track," Yu told SportsLine.
He cost more than $500,000 at auction, so expectations have always surrounded him, and so far he has lived up to them," Yu says regarding Taj Mahal. "He isn't inching out these wins; he's winning going away." Cherie DeVaux oversaw Golden Tempo's Kentucky Derby win, so Russell could make it back-to-back victories for female trainers if Taj Mahal captures 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. Chad Brown's horse does own two impressive wins this year, but those came at 3/4 miles and 1 mile. Iron Honor finished seventh in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial in his last appearance, and the Preakness is 1 3/16 miles.
"He really faltered when stretching out to nine furlongs," Yu said of Iron Honor. There are other horses catch Yu's eye compared to Iron Honor, who has yet to prove he can truly contend at this kind of distance. 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.
