Sent off as the biggest longshot in the Kentucky Derby at 70-1, Ocelli nearly pulled off a shocking upset two weeks ago, finishing third and losing by only a length. Now, this 0-for-7 maiden returns to run in the 2026 Preakness Stakes, where he will be one of the favorites instead of one of the longshots. But he will be trying to do something that no horse has done since 1888. Bet Ocelli 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:
2 Ocelli (6-1)
- Trainer: Whit Beckman
- Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
- Last race: Third in the Kentucky Derby by 1 length
- Career record: 7 starts: 1 second, 5 thirds
- Career earnings: $609,800
- Best career Beyer Speed Figure: 94 (Kentucky Derby)
- Sire: Connect
Below, we’ll dig further into Ocelli 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.
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What to know about Ocelli
Of all the horses to run in the Kentucky Derby, no horse outran his odds more than the winless Ocelli.
Dismissed in the Derby at odds of 70-1, Ocelli made a sweeping, six-wide move around the far turn and took the lead briefly in deep stretch, only to be collared by the late-running closers, Golden Tempo and Renegade.
Ocelli, like Golden Tempo and Renegade, certainly benefitted from a pace meltdown that day, but nothing in the past performances suggested this 0-for-7 maiden was capable of such an effort. In six previous starts, his best finish was second (in a maiden race) and his best career Beyer Speed Figure was an 81 (in the Wood Memorial).
Even though his speed figures were moving, ever so slightly, in the right direction, Ocelli needed significant improvement to be competitive in the Derby, and he got it.
His 94 Beyer Speed Figure from the Derby ranks among the best in the Preakness Stakes field. And the question now is whether he can repeat, or even improve upon, his career-best performance in Louisville with just two weeks’ rest. This horse has run seven times since Nov. 23, so he’s familiar with short rest, but even this may be too short for him.
If Ocelli is able to cross the finish line first, he would become the first maiden to win the Preakness Stakes since Refund in 1888.
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Post draw analysis
Drawn second widest in the Kentucky Derby, Ocelli gets the opposite post draw for the Preakness: second from the rail. That should allow jockey Tyler Gaffalione to save ground around at least the first turn. Note: the Laurel Park stretch for the Preakness will be just 1,089 feet, which means that off-the-pace horses like Ocelli will need to do much of their dirty work long before the eighth pole. Luckily for them, the expected pace scenario looks to be in their favor.
