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Amongst the 2026 Preakness Stakes longshots is Pretty Boy Miah at 15-1. The horse is unique among the 2026 Preakness Stakes field as he’s the only one of the 15 starters who’s never competed in a stakes race. He won his last two starts but both were against lesser competition. The 3-year-old gelding will also compete outside of Aqueduct Racetrack for the first time ever with the Preakness Stakes being held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., on Saturday at approximately 6:50 p.m. ET.

Even with all of that going against him, there are still several bigger longshots priced at 30-1, including Crupper and Robusta. At the other end of the 2026 Preakness Stakes odds board are top contenders such as Iron Horse (9-2) and Taj Mahal (5-1). 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. 

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Now, with the 2026 Preakness Stakes horses finalized, 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 picks for Taj Mahal, Incredibolt, Iron Honor

One of Demling’s surprising 2026 Preakness Stakes picks: He has Taj Mahal outside the top 5 on his projected leaderboard despite him being tied with Chip Honcho and Incredibolt for the second-lowest odds at 5-1. He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in his career, with all his wins coming at Laurel Park. That comfort level around this track is a big factor in why he’s among the favorites. Level of competition, however, is a question mark since he hasn’t faced the caliber of horses that many who were on the Derby trail have, so Demling does not have him as a top-3 pick in his early Preakness predictions.

Demling has also locked in his picks for Iron Honor, the 9-2 morning-line favorite. After winning his first two races, Iron Honor placed seventh in his last start at the Wood Memorial. He was bumped early and could not recover, which led his trainer, Chad Brown, to implement a change for the Preakness. The horse will race without blinkers for the first time in his career as Brown seeks his third Preakness Stakes victory. Iron Honor hopes for a better finish at this Triple Crown race than his sire, Nyquist, had in 2016 as the latter followed up his Kentucky Derby win that year with a third place at the Preakness despite being the favorite.

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Demling has also evaluated the chances of Incredibolt, who is 5-1 on the morning line. He was sired by Bolt d’Oro, who won three G1 races but placed 12th in his lone Triple Crown race start. Incredibolt has a pair of wins, but also a pair of sixth-place finishes, over his last four starts as he’s seeking consistency at Laurel Park. He finished sixth at the Kentucky Derby despite 23.70 final odds as he’ll have to race on less than a four-week turnaround for the first time in his career.

The horse’s trainer Riley Mott is making his Preakness Stakes debut, but jockey Jamie Torres has experienced nothing but success at this race. He has just one prior start, but it was a victory aboard Seize the Grey in 2024. Torres will try to get the most out of Incredibolt’s top Equibase Speed Figure of 95, which is middle-of-the-pack of the 14-horse field. See what horses Demling is backing at SportsLine. 

How to make 2026 Preakness Stakes predictions, bets

Demling is also especially high on an epic double-digit longshot “with a chance” to win it all. 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 newest 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.

2026 Preakness Stakes odds

Post Horse  Odds Projection
1 Taj Mahal 5-1 SEE PICKS
2 Ocelli 6-1 SEE PICKS
3 Crupper 30-1 SEE PICKS
4 Robusta 30-1 SEE PICKS
5 Talkin 20-1 SEE PICKS
6 Chip Honcho 5-1 SEE PICKS
7 The Hell We Did 15-1 SEE PICKS
8 Bull By The Horns 30-1 SEE PICKS
9 Iron Honor 9-2 SEE PICKS
10 Napoleon Solo 8-1 SEE PICKS
11 Corono De Oro 30-1 SEE PICKS
12 Incredibolt 5-1 SEE PICKS
13 Great White 15-1 SEE PICKS
14 Pretty Boy Miah 15-1 SEE PICKS