2026 Preakness Stakes day picks grid: Experts give their top three selections for eight stakes races on Saturday

Saturday is Preakness Stakes day at Laurel Park in Maryland. There are 14 races on the card, including nine stakes races. Before you make any picks, you NEED to know how SportsLine experts Gene Menez, Michelle Yu and Jeff Hochman have handicapped the day.

Gene Menez, a former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year he struck big on Fountain of Youth day, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648.

Michelle Yu, an on-air host and reporter with a background training horses who has provided racing analysis for TVG, HRTV and the Breeders' Cup, has tremendous handicapping chops. In a wide-open Kentucky Derby in 2021, she gave out Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, as the winner at 12-1. In Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager four years ago, she suggested a play on All Other 3-Year-Olds, which cashed at a whopping 18-1 when Rich Strike won. And last year, she hit the Sovereignty-Journalism exacta in the Kentucky Derby.

Jeff Hochman has shown a profit in 22 of the past 40 Triple Crown races. He nailed Big Brown in the 2008 Kentucky Derby at odds of 2-1. More recently, he swept the 2022 Triple Crown, capped off by Mo Donegal's win in the Belmont Stakes. In 2023, he cashed the Preakness with National Treasure.

For Saturday, the three of them handicapped the card, beginning with Race 6, the Sir Barton Stakes at 1:28 p.m. ET and ending with the Preakness Stakes, and identified their top three choices in each race. They also have picked out one best bet and one longshot of the day. We can tell you that Menez's best bet of the day is Zihnal in the James W. Murphy Stakes (3:30 p.m. ET).

In addition, Menez's top pick in one of the races is a double-digit longshot. You NEED to see their analysis before making any selections.

So which double-digit longshot can win? And how do the experts see all eight races playing out? ... Join SportsLine now to get selections for Saturday, all from SportsLine's accomplished horse racing experts.