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The 151st Preakness Stakes takes place on Saturday, but it won’t take place on its usual racetrack.
For the first time ever, the Preakness Stakes will be run at a track other than Pimlico Race Course. The racetrack, located in Baltimore, is under construction with hopes of being ready next season.
This year’s Preakness Stakes will be run at Laurel Park, which is located just outside of Washington, DC, and is about 20 miles south of Pimlico Race Course.
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Jockeys race horses during the Preakness Meet at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, on May 8, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
The Preakness Stakes will also be without Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, meaning there won’t be a chance to see a potential Triple Crown this year.
Fourteen 3-year-old horses will run 1 3/16 miles and compete for a $2 million purse.
Who is driving and what are the odds?
- Taj Mahal (Sheldon Russell) 5-1
- Ocelli (Tyler Gaffalione) 8-1
- Crupper (Junior Alvarado) 25-1
- Robusta (Rafael Bejarno) 29-1
- Talkin (Irad Ortiz Jr.) 9-1
- Chip Honcho (Jose L. Ortiz) 11-1
- The Hell We Did (Luis Saez) 9-1
- Bull by the Horns (Micah J. Husbands) 17-1
- Jernær (Flavien Prat) 8-1
- Napoleon Solo (Paco Lopez) 9-1
- Corona de Oro (John R. Velazquez) 16-1
- Incredibolt (Jaime A. Torres) 5-1
- Great White (Alex Achard) 7-1
- Pretty Boy Miah (Ricardo Santana Jr.) 31-1
Who are the favourites?
Taj Mahal, trained by Brittany Russell, and Incredibolt, trained by Riley Mott, are both 5-1.
Great White, trained by John Ennis, is 7-1. Ocelli, trained by D. Whitworth Beckman, and Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown, are both 8-1.
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A horse trains at the Laurel Park racetrack during sunrise in Laurel, Md., on May 8, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
What everyone is talking about ahead of the Preakness Stakes
The weekend got off to a tragic start when, on Friday, Hit Zero collapsed and died after crossing the finish line in his first career race.
Hit Zero, trained by Russell, came last after being favorite to win. After crossing the finish line, Hit Zero started coughing, fell to his knees, put his head down and died.
Horse racing fans hope to avoid more tragedies during the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Fourteen horses are in the race, which is the most the race has seen in 15 years. It is the second time in the last 40 years that the first or second place finisher from the Kentucky Derby did not run in the Preakness Stakes.
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Jockeys race horses during the Laurel Park Preakness Meet in Laurel, Maryland, on May 8, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Only three of the horses in the Preakness Stakes ran in the Kentucky Derby: Ocelli (finished third), Robusta (finished 14th), and Incredibolt (finished sixth). Great White was scheduled to run in the Kentucky Derby, but was scratched.
On the heels of Cherie DeVaux becoming the first female trainer to have her horse win the Kentucky Derby, Russell is looking to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness Stakes.
Taj Mahal, Russell’s horse, has won all three races he has competed in at Laurel.
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Trainer Brittany Russell talks to people in her stable prior to the 102nd running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland on May 15, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
How do you see?
Where: Laurel, Maryland
When: 16 May 2026
Expected post time: 6:50 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Purse: 2 million dollars
