No horse based in Maryland has won the Preakness Stakes since the great Spectacular Bid did so in 1979. This year, the locals have legitimate hope with the undefeated and razor sharp Taj Mahal, who could make Brittany Russell the first female trainer to win the state’s Triple Crown race. Bet Taj Mahal and the entire Preakness Stakes at DraftKings Racing, where new users who click through our links can win a share of $150,000 with DK Horse’s King of the Track promo here:
1 Taj Mahal (5-1)
- Trainer: Brittany Russell
- Jockey: Sheldon Russell
- Last race: First in the Federico Tesio Stakes by 8¼ lengths
- Career record: 3 starts: 3 wins
- Career earnings: $178,200
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 92 (Federico Tesio Stakes)
- Sire: Nyquist
Below, we’ll dig further into Taj Mahal as part of our series profiling all the horses competing in the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16. We’ll look back into his past performances, what questions need to be answered Saturday and analyze how the post draw affects his chances.
Now that you know who’s in the field, you’ll want to know how to bet the Preakness Stakes on the top horse racing betting apps. Win a share of $150,000 at DK Horse with our promo code. Claim it here:
What to know about Taj Mahal
Two weeks after Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, Brittany Russell can become the first woman to train a Preakness Stakes winner. And she has a big shot with this speedy son of Nyquist who’s a perfect 3-for-3 in his career, racing exclusively at Laurel Park.
After breaking his maiden with an off-the-pace effort, Taj Mahal has gone wire-to-wire in each of his last two starts, the Miracle Wood and Federico Tesio. The last effort, at nine furlongs no less, was particularly eye-catching. He set legitimate fractions, opened up a 10-length lead, took a breather around the far turn and then kicked away again to win by 8 ¼ lengths. The performance earned a solid 92 Beyer Speed Figure, which is in the ballpark of other top contenders in this race.
Since the Tesio, Taj Mahal continues to work fast. He has turned in two straight bullet workouts at five furlongs, giving him four straight bullets dating back before the Tesio. He is as sharp as any horse entering the Preakness Stakes.
But this is not a race that Russell typically wins. In the last five years she is 0-for-32 in graded stake routes on the dirt.
Since Taj Mahal is the house horse, there’s a chance that he will garner significant support at the windows and be bet down from his 5-1 morning line at DK Horse and 1/ST BET. Claim our jumbo-sized 1/ST BET offer here to get a $500 sign-up bonus with the promo code 500BET:
Post draw analysis
Taj Mahal was undoubtedly the biggest loser of the post draw after getting assigned the rail. From this inside position and with tons of speed to his outside, he is unlikely to clear the field without setting a suicidal pace. The good news for Taj Mahal backers is that the two horses immediately to his right, Ocelli and Crupper, are not likely to show much speed, which may allow jockey Sheldon Russell to get outside and stalk, which were the tactics in Taj Mahal’s debut win.
