2026 Preakness Stakes odds, horses, futures: Uncanny bettor releases picks, best bets

With the Kentucky Derby in the rearview mirror, The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown is now on the horizon. The 2026 Preakness Stakes takes place two weeks after the Derby, on Saturday May 16, and this year's edition is the 151st running of the race. The Preakness Stakes 2026 will be held at Laurel Park in Maryland due to construction at its normal host site of Pimlico Race Course. This is the first Preakness since 1908 to be held somewhere other than Pimlico.

Crude Velocity (4-1) is the favorite in the early 2026 Preakness Stakes odds that were released before the Kentucky Derby. Iron Honor is next in line at 19-1, while Derby champion, Golden Tempo, is listed as a 70-1 longshot, though he's yet to be confirmed for The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, and his odds will almost certainly drop once confirmed in the field.

Before making any 2026 Preakness Stakes picks for the annual Run for the Black-Eyed Susans, you NEED to see what our resident horse racing guru, Jody Demling, has to say, given his historical DOMINATION of this race.

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 those picks could be WAY UP! Join SportsLine here to see his picks for this year!

For the 2026 Preakness Stakes, we can tell you Demling is fading Golden Tempo (70-1) despite him claiming the Kentucky Derby. The horse has yet to be confirmed for the Preakness, but if he runs, Demling doesn't have Golden Tempo winning at Laurel Park. Another stunner: Demling is high on Taj Mahal, even though he's a double-digit longshot at 20-1! "The son of Derby winner Nyquist is 3-for-3 with all of his races at Laurel Park," said Demling. See who he's picking this year!

Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who's well-rested and the perfect fit for the Preakness! He's including this horse in his 2026 Preakness Stakes bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see his 2026 Preakness Stakes picks before locking in any of your own!

Who wins the 2026 Preakness Stakes, and which HUGE longshot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to get Jody Demling's 2026 Preakness Stakes projected leaderboard, all from the expert who nailed the last three Preakness Stakes winners!