The Preakness shifts to Laurel Park this year with a wide-open field, useful context for a fan following the Triple Crown trail.
Iron Honor Favored in Preakness 151 Story flow and key facts
The 151st Preakness Stakes will take place on May 16, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, after Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore closes for reconstruction. The $2 million race features a 14-horse field of 3-year-olds competing in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Post time is set for 7:01 p.m. ET, with NBC and Peacock broadcasting the event.
Iron Honor, winner of the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes and trained by Chad Brown, is the 9-2 morning line favorite. The colt, ridden by Flavien Prat, is a son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and co-owned by St. Elias Stable, which could secure a second classic win this year after Golden Tempo's Kentucky Derby victory. Despite a seventh-place finish in the Wood Memorial, Iron Honor remains the top contender.
Other key entrants include Ocelli and Napoleon Solo, both of whom finished ahead of Iron Honor in the Wood Memorial. Napoleon Solo, trained by Chad Summers, is the only Grade 1 winner in the field. Maryland-based trainer Brittany Russell could make history as the first female trainer to win the Preakness with her unbeaten colt Taj Mahal, who drew the inside post and is listed at 5-1 odds. Russell’s husband, Sheldon, will ride.
Facts
- The 151st Preakness Stakes will be held on May 16, 2026, at Laurel Park in Maryland due to Pimlico's reconstruction.
- Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, is the 9-2 morning line favorite.
- Taj Mahal, undefeated and trained by Brittany Russell, drew the rail and is 5-1 on the morning line.
- Only 4,800 fans are allowed in the grandstand for the race.
- NBC and Peacock will broadcast the event, with Peacock offering three hours of pre-race coverage.
- St. Elias Stable could win its second 2026 Triple Crown race after Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby.
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