Jody Demling has revealed his win, place and show picks for the Preakness Stakes 2026 on Saturday, May 16
By Ross Kelly May 15, 2026 at 9:09 am ET • 3 min read 
Imagn Images Great White will make his Triple Crown race debut at the Preakness Stakes 2026 after a unique scratch at the Kentucky Derby. Just before entering the starting gate at Churchill Downs, the horse became startled, reared up and fell backwards, dislodging his jockey in the process. Neither horse nor jockey was injured, but vets opted to keep Great White from running in the Derby. The gray-coated gelding can make amends for that scene with an impressive showing at the 2026 Preakness Stakes.
Great White is one of many mid-tier options as he's priced at 15-1 for Saturday's race from Laurel Park at 6:50 p.m. ET. Six horses have shorter Preakness Stakes odds than him, including Iron Honor (9-2), Incredibolt (5-1) and Ocelli (6-1). Meanwhile, five horses are bigger longshots than Great White, including Talkin (20-1) and Bull By The Horns (30-1). With so much to consider while making your 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, a little expert help can go a long way.
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With Cherie DeVaux just winning the Kentucky Derby, and Jena Antonucci saddling the 2023 Belmont Stakes winner, two-thirds of the Triple Crown races have been won by female trainers. The Preakness Stakes is the lone one missing, but not without multiple attempts. Women have saddled 18 starters in Preakness Stakes history, dating back to Judy Johnson in 1968. Shelly Riley (1992) had the best finish of third place among female trainers, a mark that Brittany Russell hopes to top. She's part of the 2026 Preakness Stakes as she'll saddle Taj Mahal on Saturday.
Given all the history of the race, there's a method to picking which horses to focus on for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets in a Preakness Stakes like this, and SportsLine expert Jody Demling knows what it is. He can help you make the best 2026 Preakness Stakes picks possible.
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.
Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes post positions set and odds on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes betting predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2026 Preakness Stakes expert picks
Here's a refresher on these types of bets from SportsLine's Jody Demling:
Preakness Stakes Exacta: Pick the first- and second-place finishers in the correct order. A $2 exacta returned $33.80 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism and Gosger.
Preakness Stakes Trifecta: Pick the first-, second- and third-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 trifecta returned $73.50 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism, Gosger and Sandman.
Preakness Stakes Superfecta: Pick the first-, second-, third- and fourth-place finishers in the correct order. A $1 superfecta returned a colossal $303.40 at the 2025 Preakness Stakes with Journalism, Gosger, Sandman and Goal Oriented.
While Iron Honor is the 9-2 favorite, Demling is high on Napoleon Solo (8-1), despite the colt not being among the top five favorites. "The son of Liam's Map will likely be near the front of the pack; he finished fifth in the Wood Memorial and is not without a shot to hit the board," Demling told SportsLine. He is also building his tickets around an epic double-digit longshot "with a chance" to win it all", spicing up his 2026 Preakness Stakes exotics. You can see his picks here.
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes bets
Demling has specific recommendations for exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagers so you can cover all your bases at the Preakness Stakes 2026. He's sharing them over at SportsLine.
So which horses do you take, and in what combinations? Visit SportsLine to get Demling's picks for exacta, trifecta and superfecta bets for the 2026 Preakness Stakes.
