Gene Menez revealed his Preakness Stakes 2026 picks for the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland
By Daniel Kohn May 15, 2026 at 3:56 pm ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images The next Triple Crown winner in horse racing will be decided on Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park with the 2026 Preakness Stakes. The Preakness Stakes post time is set for 6:50 p.m. ET. For the second year in a row, the second leg of the Triple Crown will not have the reigning Kentucky Derby winner. Last year, Sovereignty sat out the Preakness after winning the Run for the Roses, and that's the case again this year with Golden Tempo. That opens the door for 2026 Preakness Stakes favorite Iron Honor (9-2) and other favorites like Taj Mahal (5-1), Chip Honcho (5-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Ocelli (6-1).
This $2 million race is one of the biggest of the year, and it's a major event on the spots betting calendar. 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 Gene Menez.
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A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. In last year's Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. Anyone who has followed his horse racing betting advice could be way up.
Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Preakness Stakes field and revealed his picks. Go here to see them.
Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Menez's surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: Menez is opting to fade Iron Honor, the morning line favorite, ahead of the Preakness Stakes. Iron Honor has emerged victorious in two of his three career races, but he did finish just seventh his last time out, which was in the Wood Memorial where he faded down the stretch.
Iron Honor's two wins came at 3/4 of a mile and 1 mile, and the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial proved to be too much for this Chad Brown trainee. With so many favorites bunched up at the top, Menez thinks there's no reason to back one of the top favorites, especially after we saw Golden Tempo steal the show at the Kentucky Derby just two weeks ago. See who to back at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Menez is high on The Hell We Did, even though he is a longshot at 15-1. He has been training at Laurel Park for the past two weeks so he and his team can get a feel for the track. The Hell We Did finished second at the 2026 Lexington G3 at Keeneland his last time out. He has run at some lesser-known tracks but has never finished outside of the top two in four career starts.
Menez expects the son of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and half-brother of 2024 Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador to have a solid game plan Saturday. "He also should get the perfect trip behind the speed horses and in front of the late-running closers who are returning in two weeks," Menez says. "And best of all, the price should be right." The only question is the distance, but the horse racing expert says "this is a horse who's moving in the right direction at the right time." See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Menez's top pick is a horse who was "brilliantly fast." He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is "finally fit." Menez 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 longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who had a $1,045 payout at last year's race.
