Jody Demling, who has called 11 Preakness winners, reveals his 2026 Preakness Stakes picks for Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park with Golden Tempo not in the field
By Ross Kelly May 9, 2026 at 10:15 am ET • 2 min read 
Imagn Images With Golden Tempo out of the 2026 Preakness Stakes, all eyes will be on Crude Velocity, who enters as the 4-1 favorite. This year's Preakness Stakes will be held at a different venue than normal due to a $400 million redevelopment of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Instead, the 151st Preakness will be held Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. It will be the first time since 1909 that the event will be held somewhere other than Pimlico. Bet on the Preakness at FanDuel Racing now. Claim your new user bonus here:
Crude Velocity is trained by eight-time Preakness winning trainer Bob Baffert. Other early favorites include Iron Honor at 19-1, Taj Mahal at 20-1, Cherokee Nation at 22-1 and Silent Tactic and Chip Honcho, both at 25-1. 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 Jody Demling.
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 approaching and horse racing futures odds on the board, Demling is sharing his 2026 Preakness Stakes betting picks and 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions over at SportsLine. Go to SportsLine to see them.
Top 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions
One of Demling's surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He is high on Taj Mahal, even though he's a double-digit longshot at 20-1. Despite the longer odds, there is a lot to like about the Brittany Russell-trained horse. Taj Mahal has been impressive to start his career, winning each of his first three races. He is the son of Nyquist, who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby and was third at the 2016 Preakness.
Taj Mahal opened his career with a win at the MSW at Laurel Park on Feb. 6. He followed that up with an impressive showing on a muddy track at the one-mile long 2026 Miracle Wood on Feb. 21. In his last race, at the 1 1/8-mile 2026 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, he won with a time of 1:52.92 on April 18. See which other horses to back at SportsLine. Bet on the Preakness at DK Horse. Sign up for DraftKings Racing here:
How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes picks, bets
Demling is also especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who's well-rested and the perfect fit for the Preakness. Anyone who backs this sleeper pick could hit it big. Demling 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 stunning longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Preakness Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's picks for the Preakness Stakes, all from the expert who has nailed the last three winners.
