The field for the GI Preakness Stakes, ranked in “likeliest winner” order (program number after each horse's name).
1) INCREDIBOLT #12 (c, Bolt d'Oro–Sapphire Spitfire, by Awesome Again). O-Pin Oak Stud LLC; B-Deann Baer & Greg Baer DVM (KY); T-Riley Mott. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GSW, 6-3-0-0, $498,681. Last start: 6th May 2 GI Kentucky Derby.
In the GI Kentucky Derby, Incredibolt was off a beat slow, got pinched down toward the inside, then had the reins shaken at him to hustle up into a spot where he could settle in 13th while in the clear and not covered up by other horses first time under the wire.
This powerfully built $75,000 KEESEP son of Bolt d'Oro was parked at the tail end of the main flight in 15th for most of his backstretch journey. Jaime Torres roused him for run three-eighths out, and Incredibolt did respond. But like a number of rivals clustered behind a wall of capitulating frontrunners, he had to keep floating outward in search of room for the drive.
Fanned eight wide into the lane, Incredibolt then jostled with the even wider Renegade (Into Mischief) in upper stretch while Torres applied left-handed stick work. Those two continued to spar in close quarters between the three-sixteenths and eighth poles before Renegade muscled Incredibolt back down into tiring horses.
Although at that point it became obvious Incredibolt wasn't going to hit the board, he still finished with interest, beaten only four lengths in sixth.
Although he's never cracked 90 on the Beyer Speed Figure scale in six starts (the 89 in the Derby is his lifetime top), his 88-Beyer effort in the one-turn, nine-furlong Virginia Derby was an example of Incredibolt parlaying adversity into victory. After being bottled up off the turn, he kicked through along the inside, building momentum late while expanding his winning margin to four lengths.
Like most conditioners these days, Riley Mott doesn't run many horses back in two weeks. He's done it 10 times from 776 starters since launching his training career in 2022, winning twice.
Mott is, however, 1-for-1 at Laurel, winning with his only starter there in 2025.
2) IRON HONOR #9 (c, Nyquist–Orenica, by Blame). O-St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing; B-Mike Freeny and Pat Freeny; T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $230,000 Ylg '24 KEEJAN; $475,000 Ylg KEESEP. Lifetime record GSW, 3-2-0-0, $229,250. Last start: 7th Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial Stakes.
Iron Honor (Nyquist) is the legitimate favorite for the Preakness, although it is likely he will be underlaid well below his 9-2 morning-line odds.
The betting public will be all over the recent angle of a Chad Brown trainee running in (but not winning) the GII Wood Memorial Stakes, skipping the Derby, then winning the Preakness.
That's what Brown did in 2022 and 2017 with Early Voting and Cloud Computing. Like those two, Iron Honor will be making just his fourth lifetime start.
Iron Honor schools in the paddock at Laurel Thursday | Sarah Andrew
Iron Honor ($230,000 KEEJAN; $475,000 KEESEP) won a Dec. 13 six-furlong maiden sprint at Aqueduct by 1 1/2 lengths (95 Beyer), out of which the second, third and fifth-place finishers all won their next starts.
In the Feb. 28 GIII Gotham Stakes, Iron Honor pressured the pacemaker and took over in the final sixteenth of that one-turn mile for a 90-Beyer win by one length.
This colt had a rough time in the slowly run Apr. 4 Wood Memorial, in which he was seventh, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, as the 2.95-1 favorite.
He drew post 12, got knocked off stride in the first turn, and jockey Manny Franco said he grabbed the bit and was pulling down the backside. Four wide and under a hard hold through the far turn, Iron Honor never relaxed, made a mild stretch bid, then weakened (76 Beyer).
Brown said after the Wood that Iron Honor had some “bumps and bruises” and that it “didn't feel right” to subject him to the rigors of a super-sized field in the Derby four weeks later.
He's since been freshened and is now past his actual third birthdate (May 1). With blinkers removed on Saturday, expect a better effort. Brown is 18-for-69 (26%) with that equipment change over the last five years, although his strike rate dips to 1-for-7 (14%) when taking blinkers off in graded stakes.
3) TALKIN #5 (c, Good Magic–Rote, by Tiznow). O- Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, and R. A. Hill Stable; B- Fifth Avenue Bloodstock (KY); T-Danny Gargan. Sales history: $600,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISP, 3-1-1-0, $288,625. Last start: 3rd Apr. 4 GI Blue Grass Stakes.
Among the five long shots listed at 20-1 or above on the Preakness morning line, Talkin is the most intriguing possibility.
Go four starts back and look at Talkin's trip-troubled second in the Grade I Champagne Stakes.
He contested the pace outside, angled in leaving the chute, then got carried out to the seven path. He dropped to the rail entering the turn, advanced to fourth at the fence, then shifted outward again to be seven wide off the bend. That's a lot of lateral movement in a better-than-it-looks performance.
Trainer Danny Gargan bypassed the Breeders' Cup, partially out of concerns about shipping this $600,000 KEESEP son of Good Magic cross-country from New York to California. He instead ran in the GII Remsen Stakes and finished ninth, and Gargan later admitted that he had “babied” the colt going into that race and said that a couple of slow workouts didn't help.
Talkin then resurfaced off a three-month layoff in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, running fifth in a needed start behind The Puma (Essential Quality) and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Further Ado (Gun Runner).
Entered back in the GI Blue Grass Stakes, Talkin again finished behind 11-length winner Further Ado, checking in third while upping his best lifetime Beyer from 85 to 87.
When it came time to decide on running in the Derby, Gargan opted out.
“The Preakness is the kind of race that fits him,” Gargan said in mid-April. “I told everybody that even if we ran second in the Blue Grass, we'd probably wait on the Preakness. He's not a real big horse. He's average-sized, not a big strong, strapping colt, and I don't want to do too much. He's sound, he's really good [and] I think he'll like [Laurel].”
Irad Ortiz, Jr., picks up the mount (Joel Rosario has switched to the SoCal circuit and is riding at Santa Anita on Saturday). Gargan has won at 18% overall the last five years. But when Ortiz rides for him, the percentage spikes to 27% (16 winners from 59 mounts).
4) CHIP HONCHO #6 (c, Connect–Miss My Rose, by Magician {Ire}). O-Leland Ackerley Racing LLC, Sherwood, James, Shupe, Jode and Cilia, John. B-Venneri Racing Inc & Tony Fanticola (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. Sales history: $210,000 Ylg '24 FTKJUL. Lifetime record: GSP, 6-2-2-0, $280,475. Last start: 5th Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby.
Chip Honcho ($210,000 FTKJUL) wintered in New Orleans, competing in all four legs of the points-awarding prep series at Fair Grounds.
He won the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes in December, then ran fourth, second and fifth in the remaining three graded races there.
Chip Honcho trains at Laurel Wednesday morning | Sarah Andrew
He racked up experience both in front of and behind horses who turned out to be major sophomore players, including eventual Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo (Curlin), the formerly No. 1-ranked but now sidelined Paladin (Gun Runner), and the talented GII Louisiana Derby victor and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Emerging Market (Candy Ride {Arg}).
This Connect colt from Steve Asmussen's barn is a likely pace-presser with five races of experience between a mile and 1 3/16 miles. He picked up the services of Derby-winning rider Jose Ortiz after Golden Tempo's team passed on running in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
The last time a jockey rode two different horses to win the Derby and Preakness in the same year, Asmussen was involved. That was back in 2009, when Calvin Borel won the Derby aboard Mine That Bird, then switched over to the filly Rachel Alexandra (the eventual Horse of the Year) in the Preakness.
5) OCELLI #2 (c, Connect–Zalia, by Scat Daddy). O-Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate and Front Page Equestrian, LLC; B-Rosedown Racing Stables, LLC (KY); T-D. Whitworth Beckman. Sales history: $12,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT. Lifetime record: GISP, 7-0-1-1, $609,800. Last start: 3rd May 2 GI Kentucky Derby.
Ocelli, a six-start maiden when he drew in off the also-eligible list for the Derby, vastly outran his 70-1 odds by finishing third, beaten only a length.
Breaking from post 17, this $12,000 FTKOCT son of Connect got crunched at the break, dropped back, then found a spot down near the inside. He was keyed up and almost ran up on the heels of Renegade the first time through the stretch, then settled and basically shadowed Renegade through the backstretch run.
Ocelli made his move before Renegade, and he really took off when Tyler Gaffalione cued him to quicken and guided him outside at the three-eighths pole. He swept around rivals, careened for home out in the nine path, then was the aggressor in the upper-stretch scrum that affected Commandment (Into Mischief) and Further Ado.
While that bumping seemed to discourage those two favorites, Ocelli was emboldened by the roughhousing. He pinballed away with another burst of momentum to loom boldly a furlong out, snatched a brief lead at the sixteenth pole, then was no match for 1-2 finishers Golden Tempo and Renegade, who uncorked stronger, better-timed late runs.
Now the main question heading into the Preakness is whether Ocelli can take another step forward, or if he'll bounce off that huge effort.
In 645 starts over the past five years, trainer Whit Beckman has sent out just five horses within 13 or 14 days off, resulting in one winner.
6) TAJ MAHAL #1 (c, Nyquist–Oola Gal, by Quality Road). O-SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Bashor Racing, LLC, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, LLC & Donovan, Catherine; B-Vegso Racing Stable (FL). T-Brittany T. Russell. Sales history: $525,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: MSW, 3-3-0-0, $178,200. Last start: WON Apr. 18 Federico Tesio Stakes.
You would have to hunt through reams of charts to find a running line like the one Taj Mahal posted when winning the nine-furlong $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Apr. 18.
Breaking from the outermost 10 stall as the 6-5 favorite, this $525,000 KEESEP colt cleared the field and crossed over the fence under Sheldon Russell into the first turn. Taj Mahal opened up by 10 lengths down the backstretch, then slowed down the cadence to toy with the field, letting them close the gap to within 1 1/2 lengths on the far turn.
Taj Mahal completes a gate schooling session Wednesday | Sarah Andrew
Turning for home, this son of Nyquist from trainer Brittany Russell's barn responded when asked to throttle up again, airing it out down the lane and coasting home with no serious bids to repel, extending his winning margin to 8 1/4 lengths under the wire.
Taj Mahal is now 3-for-3 at Laurel, with a Beyer arc of 73-86-92. He'll break from the rail in the Preakness, setting up a “He's fast but can he last?” handicapping question.
7) CRUPPER #3 (c, Candy Ride {Arg}–She's All In, by Include). O/B-Robert H. Zoellner. T- Donnie K. Von Hemel. Lifetime record: SW, 4-2-0-2, $210,665. Last start: WON Apr. 18 Bathhouse Row Stakes.
Crupper could be figuring things out at just the right time to pull off an upset at 30-1 on the morning line for the middle leg of the Triple Crown
He earned an automatic berth into the Preakness for his 80-Beyer score in the Bathhouse Row Stakes. His connections-owner/breeder Robert H. Zoellner and trainer Donnie Von Hemel–weren't initially committed to going to Maryland. But opting in isn't really a far-fetched idea considering that the visual aspect of Crupper winning that Apr. 18 stakes at Oaklawn is quite appealing.
Off at 6-1 odds, Crupper broke inward and bumped at the break, then practically dragged Junior Alvarado up into a forward position while under a snug hold. He dueled outside of a maiden, turned back two of the favorites on the far turn, then fended off another late closer to win by half a length before galloping out with purpose.
This son of Candy Ride (Arg) is out of a millionaire GSW Oklahoma-bred mare, She's All In, who compiled a rugged 16-8-3 record from 38 lifetime starts.
That sort of durability is emblematic of her sire, Include, who himself was a 10-for-20, Grade I-winning grinder a quarter-century ago.
8) ROBUSTA #4 (c, Accelerate–Urbane Legend, by Into Mischief). O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. Lifetime record, GSP, 6-1-1-0, $83,500. Last start: 14th May 2 GI Kentucky Derby.
Robusta never looked settled when 14th in the Derby, which was a big ask at 70-1 odds from post 18.
He broke in and got bumped around at the break and was wide while trying to gain a foothold at the back of the first flight through the initial turn. He was in the five path down the backstretch and four deep on the far turn, always losing touch. His race was over by the time he got shoved out by a fellow also-ran in upper stretch.
This Doug O'Neill-trained son of Accelerate has now been beaten a total of 33 ½ lengths in consecutive Grade I stakes. The race he needs to build off is his 67-1 second in the GII San Felipe Stakes back on Mar. 7 (losing by only a head, 89 Beyer).
Robusta could be a plausible play based solely on the long-shot accomplishments of owner/breeder Calumet Farm, whose sophomores have lit up the tote board with sizable upsets and near-misses in Derby preps and Triple Crown races over the last decade.
Calumet's Oxbow won the 2013 Preakness at 15-1. Bravazo won the 2018 GII Risen Star Stakes at 21-1, then in the Preakness was beaten only a half-length at 15-1 by eventual Triple Crown winner Justify. Everfast was second at 29-1 in the 2019 Preakness. In the 2021 Wood Memorial, Bourbonic prevailed with a 72-1 last-to-first thriller.
9) NAPOLEON SOLO #10 (c, Liam's Map–Atomic Blonde, by Scat Daddy). O-Gold Square LLC; B-John D. Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock (KY); T-Chad Summers. Sales history: $40,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: GISW, 4-2-0-0, $360,520. Last start: 5th Apr. 4 GII Wood Memorial Stakes.
Even with likely frontrunners drawn at the rail and to his direct outside, Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) figures to be the “speed of the speed” in the Preakness.
This $40,000 KEESEP gray started his career in a Saratoga maiden restricted to horses that sold for $60,000 or less at the sales. He won that day at 7-2 odds by 5 1/4 lengths (83 Beyer).
Napoleon Solo trains at Laurel Tuesday morning | Sarah Andrew
Then, at odds of 6.97-1, this Chad Summers trainee wired the field in the GI Champagne Stakes. He cleared from the outside, moved comfortably under pressure, sprinted through the turn (with the odds-on favorite driven hard and unable to keep pace), then cracked the race wide open late (95 Beyer).
Napoleon Solo's connections bypassed the Breeders' Cup, but have yet to rekindle his spark in back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes and Wood Memorial (81 and 78 Beyers, respectively).
This colt is 8-1 in the morning line and worth upgraded consideration if you see speed is doing well through the first five dirt races at Laurel on Saturday.
But bear in mind there will be four consecutive turf races preceding the Preakness, so any main-track trend could evaporate by the time this stakes gets underway. The 7:01 p.m. post means there will be 4 1/4 hours between dirt races at Laurel.
10) THE HELL WE DID #7 (c, Authentic–Rose's Desert, by Desert God). O-Peacock Family Racing Stable, LLC; B-Joe R. Peacock, Jr.; T-Todd W. Fincher. Lifetime record: SW, 4-2-2-0, $134,818. Last start: 2nd Apr. 11 GIII Lexington Stakes.
The Hell We Did, a Todd Fincher-trained homebred for the Peacock family-and half-brother to graded stakes stalwart Senor Buscador, winner of the G1 Saudi Cup and third in the G1 Dubai World Cup in 2024-is a Preakness wild card at 15-1 in the morning line.
This son of Authentic began his career with a maiden win in Oklahoma, then a second in a $100,000 stakes and a win at the allowance level, both in New Mexico.
He was 5-1 in the betting when second in the GIII Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, pressing the pace two wide before getting outkicked late. He survived some bumping and grinding in deep stretch to secure the place by three-quarters of a length.
The Hell We Did has compiled lifetime Beyers of 58-71-92-81.
11) CORONA DE ORO #11 (c, Bolt d'Oro–Lemon de Oro, by Lemon Drop Kid). O-On Our Own Stable, LLC, Commonwealth Stable, U Racing Stables, LLC, Saints or Sinners, Titletown Racing, LLC, Nichols, Jim, Barker, Edwin S., Rivers, Daniel, Haines, John and Stewart, Dallas. T-Dallas Stewart. Sales history: $100,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTSAUG; $100,000 Ylg '24 OBSOCT; $160,000 2yo '25 EASMAY. Lifetime record: GSP, 5-1-1-2, $92,540. Last start: 3rd Apr. 11 GIII Lexington Stakes.
Not too many chances to wager on jockey John Velazquez at 30-1 in the morning line, so that right there could be a bettability angle for this colt.
Corona de Oro ($100,000 RNA FTSAUG; $100,000 OBSOCT; $160,000 EASMAY) and The Hell We Did were leaning all over each other in the deep stages of the Lexington Stakes.
But this Dallas Stewart trainee had done the dirty work on the front end in that race after getting bumped at the break and trying to swat back several waves of challengers. He lasted for third behind the 32-1 winner.
Although his Beyers have been going in the wrong direction in his last three (58-72-92-87-80) Corona de Oro has at least flirted in that low 90s range, a level that six other Preakness entrants have yet to attain.
12) BULL BY THE HORNS #8 (c, Essential Quality–No Sweat, by Blame). O-Peachtree Stable and Corrado, Mark; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables; T- Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Sales history: $75,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime record: SW, 5-2-0-2, $187,115. Last start: WON Mar. 21 Rushaway Stakes.
Bull by the Horns only has one out-of-the-money finish from five starts, and enters the Preakness coming off a nine-week layoff after rallying from seventh and last to take the Mar. 21 Rushaway Stakes at Turfway.
Great White trains at Laurel Thursday morning with Andie Biancone up | Sarah Andrew
The third-place finisher out of that stakes, Trendsetter (Modernist), subsequently won the Lexington Stakes and was third in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct this past Saturday.
The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee ($75,000 KEESEP) reunites with his maiden-breaking jockey, Micah Husbands, because his Rushaway partner, John Velazquez, has accepted the Preakness mount on Corona de Oro.
Although he's been parked at the back his last two routes, Bull by the Horns did show a stalking/pressing style in his first three races.
His lifetime best Beyers are 70 (Tapeta) and 69 (dirt).
13) GREAT WHITE #13 (g, Volatile–Kelly Bag, by Uncle Mo). O-Three Chimneys Farm and Ennis, John; B-Stud TNT, LLC (KY); T-John Ennis. Sales history: $55,000 Ylg '24 FTDDE. Lifetime record: SW, 4-2-0-0, $202,495. Last start: 5th Apr. 4 GI Blue Grass Stakes.
This towering (17.2 hands) son of Volatile had drawn into the Derby off the also-eligible list but flipped over backwards while the field was loading and had to be scratched.
This John Ennis-trained gelding ($55,000 FTDDE) won his maiden sprinting over Tapeta and then scored in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes while pressing the pace. He was fifth, beaten 22 1/4 lengths, in the Blue Grass Stakes, his lone attempt on dirt.
A relatively late foal, Great White just hit his actual third birthdate on Thursday.
Post 13 is a low-percentage gate for the Preakness. It's yielded only one winner (Rachel Alexandra). But that was at Pimlico, not Laurel.
14) PRETTY BOY MIAH #14 (g, Beau Liam–Tryingtolookpretty, by Mineshaft). O-Team Penney Racing, Echo Racing, Flower City Racing LLC, Bruno, Anthony and Meyer, Christopher J.; B-Thoroughbred by Design; T-Jeremiah C. Englehart. Sales history: $60,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT. Lifetime record: 4-2-1-0, $95,800. Last start: WON Apr. 25 AQU starter/optional claimer.
This speed-centric Jeremiah Englehart trainee ($60,000 FTKOCT) has won two straight at Aqueduct by a combined 10 ½ lengths.
The first was a MSW sprint at 4-1 odds (89 Beyer) followed by a one-turn-mile starter/optional claimer (92 Beyer).
Post 14 is a difficult draw for this gelding's first time around two turns and against stakes company.
His sire, Beau Liam, only had a four-race career, but he was a front-end force who caught the eye with triple-digit Beyers in his second and third starts, earning a 106 and 107 in allowance races during the summer of 2021 at Saratoga.
Beau Liam's jockey in those races was Ricardo Santana, Jr., who has ridden Pretty Boy Miah in both victories and will be aboard again in the Preakness.
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