Saturday 5/16/26 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-12-2026, 07:51 AM

Preakness 151: Jeremy Plonk's Post Draw Reaction & Wagering N

May 11, 2026 | By Jeremy Plonk

A capacity Preakness field of 14 entered today for Satuday’s middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which will be run for the first time in its 151 years at Laurel Park. As historic Pimlico undergoes reconstruction, the Preakness field also will get a facelift compared to the runners who starred 2 weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby. Without Golden Tempo and Renegade, the 1-2 finishers from Louisville, Gotham Stakes winner #9 Iron Honor was bestowed with tepid 9-2 morning-line Preakness favoritism.

Check out the 1/ST Preakness Wager Guide for all your handicapping needs leading up to a huge weekend in Maryland. Play with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet in our $20,000 Exacta-Thon on Friday and Saturday for your share of bonus cash. And take part in an up to $10 money-back special on win bets that finish second or third in the Preakness as well as Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for the fillies.

The 1-3/16 miles Preakness will start much closer to the first turn than at Pimlico, given Laurel’s nearly 1-1/8 miles circumference. That, and the large field size, make post positions more of a premium this year than most. The post-position draw winner was local star Taj Mahal from post 1. The early speed players from posts 10-14 could find their assignments tougher due to wide draws and a need to expend more early energy to avoid ground loss. Favorite Iron Honor in post #9 could have several runners trying to cross his face in the initial strides, making Flavien Prat’s handling a key early point in the action. Incredibolt, in post #12, is the lone closer / stalker among that wider-drawn group and likely will be patiently handled out of the gate to drop over and save whatever ground he can in the early stages.

The early pace of Preakness 151 figures to be highly contested. The pacemaker could be Napoleon Solo who leaves from post #10 or Taj Mahal from post #1. Others expected to show early interest and capable of leading with some extra rider intent include Chip Honcho (post #6), Pretty Boy Miah (post #14), Corona de Oro (post #11), Great White (post #13) and Robusta (post #4). The last of those, Robusta, got the obvious best of the draw if he’s good enough to capitalize on it.

Fields for all races Friday and Saturday at Laurel Park are now set. Advance wagering on the complete Preakness Day Saturday card at Laurel Park will be available Friday at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet.

Preakness Stakes 151 | Laurel Park | Saturday Race 13 | 7:01 pm ET

1-Taj Mahal (Brittany Russell / Sheldon Russell) 5-1
2-Ocelli (Whit Beckman / Tyler Gaffalione) 6-1
3-Crupper (Donnie Von Hemel / Junior Alvarado) 30-1
4-Robusta (Doug O’Neill / Rafael Bejarano) 30-1
5-Talkin (Danny Gargan / Irad Ortiz Jr.) 20-1
6-Chip Honcho (Steve Asmussen / Jose Ortiz) 5-1
7-The Hell We Did (Todd Fincher / Luis Saez) 15-1
8-Bull by the Horns (Saffie Joseph Jr. / Micah Husbands) 30-1
9-Iron Honor (Chad Brown / Flavien Prat) 9-2
10-Napoleon Solo (Chad Summers / Paco Lopez) 8-1
11-Corona de Oro (Dallas Stewart / John Velazquez) 30-1
12-Incredibolt (Riley Mott / Jaime Torres) 5-1
13-Great White (John Ennis / Alex Achard) 15-1
14-Pretty Boy Miah (Jeremiah Englehart / Ricardo Santana Jr.) 15-1

Special Wagers

Two-Day All-Dirt Pick 5 will be:
Leg 1 | Friday, Race 10 | Allaire Dupont Distaff S.
Leg 2 | Friday, Race 12 | Pimlico Special S.
Leg 3 | Saturday, Race 7 | Chick Lang S.
Leg 4 | Saturday, Race 8 | MD Sprint S.
Leg 5 | Saturday, Race 13 | Preakness S.

Two-Day All-Stakes Pick 5 will be:
Leg 1 | Friday, Race 11 | The Very One S.
Leg 2 | Friday, Race 13 | Black-Eyed Susan S.
Leg 3 | Saturday, Race 11 | Gallorette S.
Leg 4 | Saturday, Race 12 | Jim McKay Turf Sprint S.
Leg 5 | Saturday, Race 13 | Preakness S.

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-14-2026, 10:03 AM

Race of the Week: Laurel's Dinner Party Stakes on Preakness Day

May 13, 2026 | By Jeremy Plonk

The Lead:
Saturday’s Preakness Day card at Laurel is loaded with stakes up and down the 14-race lineup. We’ve got you covered in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown via the 1/ST Preakness Stakes Wager Guide. The undercard headliner annually is the Grade 3 $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes at 1-1/8 miles on turf. It’s Race 10 on Saturday (4:11 pm ET post time) and makes its first appearance on the expansive Laurel Park turf course. The Dinner Party kicks off an all-stakes pick 4 ending in the Preakness.

Players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet be sure to play in the $20,000 Exacta-Thon promotion this weekend both Friday and Saturday for Laurel’s full-card. And also note up to a $10 money-back special if your win bet finishes second or third in either the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (Friday) or Preakness Stakes (Saturday).

Field Depth:
Grade 1 winner FORT WASHINGTON is defending champ in his race and has the field’s other signature score. DRESDEN ROW is a Grade 3 winner and Grade 2-placed. Other graded stakes-placed entrants include HARROW and WHAT SAY THEE among the field of 7.

Pace:
The pace picture is murky with CRUISE THE NILE capable of setting the tone if sent along but won the local prep from off the pace. THUNDERING and DRESDEN ROW project to be forward in a race should not clip along very fast. Deep closers could be at a disadvantage.

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

1-WHAT SAY THEE: Added blinkers when winning an April 17 Laurel allowance fresh off the claim that day for Horacio DePaz. The 8-year-old was picked up for $25,000 at Turfway when oddly dropped in price off a $40,000 claiming win just prior. He’s earned just shy of $500K and is 3-for-7 at the distance.

2-THUNDERING: Maryland-bred makes his first trip home after racing in Canada, New York and Florida through 14 starts. He’s well-drawn in post 2 to take advantage of a rather paceless race and putting speed-friendly jockey Paco Lopez aboard would indicate that intent – even if this gelding has never made the lead in any start so far. He’s 0-6 in stakes, however, so I prefer others even if he gets the trip.

3-CRUISE THE NILE: The good news is that he’s won 4 in a row, including the local prep, the Henry S. Clark. The bad news is that trainer Graham Motion indicated immediately after the Clark that he’s more inclined not to stretch him out to 1-1/8 miles in the Dinner Party just yet and always thought he’s a miler. The field came up a bit light on numbers and here they are, but he feels like an underlay price for this distance and further class rise.

4-FORT WASHINGTON: Last year’s Dinner Party winner was the record-padding sixth in this race for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The ‘title defense’ loses some of its handicapping relevance with the venue change from Pimlico to Laurel as we can’t necessarily check the box that he’ll run as well in his local debut. The pace scenario works against the late-running 7-year-old as does history. No horse has repeated in this race in exactly 100 years – sine Sarazen in 1925-’26.

5-A BOURBON FOR TOBY: With all the clamor about running back on 14 days for the Preakness, nobody told trainer Tom Morley that his Dinner Party colt didn’t belong just 9 days after an Aqueduct allowance third. The son of 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini was a late bloomer, winning 2 of 3 since losing his first 10 starts. He’ll pick up Irad Ortiz Jr.

6-DRESDEN ROW: Good-looking Keeneland allowance winner April 8 after 5 months away should be perfectly prepped for the re-rise in class. In the last dozen years, more winners of this race exited Keeneland (4) bids than any other venue. Trainer Todd Pletcher has only 1 starter Friday at Laurel and just this 1 on Saturday’s Preakness Day card. Plenty of reasons to skip if this wasn’t a perfect spot. Catches a soft pace set-up and should be anywhere Flavien Prat wants him to be. Highly effective over 9 furlongs on synthetic at Woodbine when with Lorne Richards, though this will be his longest race on turf. Horses adding distance have been very effective in the Dinner Party in recent history.

7-HARROW: Late-runner failed to make a big dent in 2 Gulfstream allowance miles earlier this year and takes a step up in class after being left on the Churchill also-eligible list for an allowance race Thursday. The extra distance should help the Barbados Gold Cup winner for Saffie Joseph Jr., who also is stakes-placed stateside; but he won’t get any pace help here.

Most Likely Exotics Contender:
DRESDEN ROW is 16-for-16 in the trifecta lifetime and should get a comfortable trip near the front. Hard to see him giving that fully away and missing the board.

Best Longshot Contender:
None projected, though 12-1 ML offering WHAT SAY THEE has handled the course and responded to the equipment change last out.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
Confident top tab, not so much for the underneath runners. Turn to a $100 daily double DRESDEN ROW to Race 11 Gallorette Stakes pick #2 RIBALTAGAI, one of my key plays on the Saturday card.

**Can'tPickAWinner** · 05-15-2026, 07:35 AM

Scott Shapiro: Full Card Preakness Day Selections/Analysis

May 14, 2026 | By Scott Shapiro

The second leg of the Triple Crown is upon us, but as many of you know at a different home in 2026. Laurel Race Course will play host to the Preakness Stakes for the first time since 1908. The 14-race extravaganza should be a fun one with a plethora of stakes events on the undercard, a slew of horizontal opportunities, and of course a couple of promotions at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. The big race goes as Race 13 and will be one of two opportunities at the Preakness Weekend Money-Back Special. For those that plan to play the entire card, there is the $20,000 Preakness Weekend Exacta-Thon. Head on over to the promotions page/tab to get full details.

Grade Descriptions: A= Highest Degree of Confidence, B= Solid Play, C= Least Preferred or Pass, X= Likely Winner but at odds probably too short to wager on.

Race 1:
Grade: B
Use: 3 Cairo Street/1 Sally’s Gold; 8 Gift of Gab

Forecast: #3 Cairo Street appears a solid gamble to kick off the card. This daughter of Cairo Prince makes her first start off the layoff, but instead of going long, trainer Lacey Gaudet has opted to cut the mare back in distance. When we saw her last, she broke from the outside and made a middle move in a race that fell apart late. If she breaks well off the bench and then relaxes comfortably off the early speeds, she has a big chance to out finish this group.

Race 2:
Grade: C+
Use: 3 Wickeddivine; 10 Dean Delivers; 9 Uncle Cat

Forecast: I am going to take a small swing in this second-level allowance over the main track against the heavily favored coupled entry of #1 Call Me Andy and #1A Blue Kingdom. It remains to be seen if both run for Jamie Ness, but I will use three horses, including top choice #3 Wickeddivine. He comes into his fourth start of the year having done little wrong thus far.

Race 3:
Grade: B-
Use: 5 Scanner; 1 Limo

Forecast: 5-2-morning line favorite #1 Limo moves back to the grass after three starts over the main track this winter. His last turf route at Aqueduct is better than looks making him the deserving top choice, but I expect a good run first out from #5 Scanner. The son of Blame is out of an Unbridled’s Song mare that finished second in the 2008 Pucker Up. Trainer Graham Motion is 2 for 6 since 2022 when debuting 3YOs in turf routes in Maryland. He attracts Irad Ortiz. I will bet to him to win and back it up with a 1-5-exacta, which also would help me in the Exacta-Thon.

Race 4: Skipat
Grade: B-
Use: 4 Benedetta; 2 Passage East; 7 Modo; 3 Kappa Kappa

Forecast: The first stakes race of the afternoon in Maryland could be more wide-open than the morning line suggests. 9-5-ML favorite #7 Modo comes in off a pair of easy wins, but they came loose on the lead in Texas. Things are likely to be tougher this time for the daughter of Liam’s Map. #2 Passage East is the most logical on paper to take advantage of the potential early battle, but I prefer the value #4 Benedetta should offer. The City of Light mare has been freshened up by Steve Asmussen after a pair of disappointing efforts in Arkansas to start her 5YO campaign. She appears to be training well after the time off and gets a huge rider switch to Jose Ortiz. Hopefully, we can get her into the exacta to help the wallet immediately and knock another one down in the Exacta-Thon.

Race 5:
Grade: C
Use: 1 Nick’s Notion; 4 Sassari

Forecast: The last non-stake race until after the second jewel of the Triple Crown is a first-level allowance event at two-turns over the grass where #4 Sassari was made the 5-2 ML favorite off a dominant front running score on debut at odds-on. She clearly has unlimited upside, but taking a short price off a filly that just galloped as the chalk on the lead is not a winning long-term strategy. I landed on #1 Nick’s Notion as the filly with an upset chance. She ran down the lone speed runner in a state-bred allowance off a 10-month break on April 26 and draws favorably along the inside. She can finish if she gets some pace to chase.

Race 6: Sir Barton
Grade: X
Use: 7 Reagan’s Honor

Forecast: #7 Reagan’s Honor disappointed when trying to earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby in early April, but things are likely to be different for him in Maryland. He was beaten to the punch in the Blue Grass (G1) and never got comfortable. Perhaps it was the lack of Lasix, but the fact Cherie DeVaux brings him back without it and just six weeks later leads me to believe he is doing just fine. DeVaux is 7 for 20 with a $5.47 ROI (boosted by Golden Tempo) over the last 30 days. I am not interested in trying to beat him.

Race 7: Chick Lang
Grade: X
Use: 4 Obliteration

Forecast: The same is true with the 6-5-ML favorite in this year’s Chick Lang. Steve Asmussen has won this race more than any other trainer. #4 Obliteration travelled overseas and ran great to earn second in the Saudi Derby (G3). He gets back to a more preferred distance and lures the hottest rider in the game.

Race 8: Maryland Sprint (G3)
Grade: B+
Use: 5 Floodlites; 7 Hymn; 4 Haileysfirstnotion

Forecast: One race I am looking forward to attacking from an exacta perspective is this 6-furlong dash over the main track where I am hoping to get #7 Hymn into the number. The son of McKinzie is on the improve for Ron Moquett and should get a contentious pace to run at. Whether he is good enough to win will be determined, but he is 12-1 on the ML and should be in a great spot at the very least to pick up the pieces. Both #4 Haileysfirstnotion and #5 Floodlites enter the Maryland Sprint (G3) in top form. The problem is both of them and a few others do their best running towards the front. I prefer Floodlites slightly, but will use them both with Hymn in hopes of a solid score to kick off the second half of the day.

Race 9: James W. Murphy
Grade: B+
Use: 6 Turf Star/3 Zihnal

Forecast: The uncoupled Graham Motion entry of #5 Proton and #6 Turf Star are likely to take a lot of the public’s money in this one-mile turf race for 3YOs. I much prefer Turf Star. Proton has struggled to relax and had little excuse in his first two starts of the year. Turf Star ran poorly in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), but has kept better company overall. Plus, two-back in the Kitten’s Joy his effort was forgivable when forced 3-wide and bumped on the first turn. Jorge Ruiz will try his hand on the Calumet Farm homebred for the first time.

Race 10: Dinner Party (G3)
Grade: A-
Use: 3 Cruise the Nile

Forecast: I love the chances of the Jersey-bred #3 Cruise the Nile in this year’s Dinner Party. The Hope Jones homebred has rattled off four consecutive wins since moving to the grass and displayed the versatility only really good horses show in the Henry Clark to get the money last month. There is little reason to not use his speed in this spot, but perhaps he will hope for a target once again. Either way, he is a gelding on the rise for Graham Motion.

Race 11: Gallorette (G3)
Grade: C+
Use: 1 Mahra’s Love; 6 Cheetah Lady; 4 Warming

Forecast: I could make a case for most of the field in this year’s Gallorette, which explains my overall lack of confidence. However, I do think the logicals are vulnerable. The Chad Brown trainees will be underlays win or lose and #5 Austere was poor last out despite having everything her way on the front end at Keeneland. I will use prices in the horizontals in hopes of separating from the public.

Race 12: Jim McKay Turf Sprint
Grade: B
Use: 3 Jean Valjean/2 Determined Kingdom, 11 Had to Have Him; 4 Chasing Liberty

Forecast: I am going to lean on #3 Jean Valjean in this year’s ultra-competitive Jim McKay Turf Sprint. The 7YO gelding has won 8 of 19 career races and ran much better than it appears on paper two-back versus several of his rivals in this spot. The Pennsylvania-bred battled early from the outside and easily disposed of the other speed at odds of 28-1 before being run over in a race that totally collapsed in the end. He came back two weeks later and won going away. Trainer Elizabeth Merryman calls on one of the best riders on the continent and should see a race flow that favors those forwardly placed. 5-1 seems fair and another chance to hit a solid exacta as well.

Race 13: Preakness (G1)
Grade: B-
Use: 2 Ocelli; 6 Chip Honcho; 12 Incredibolt/5 Talkin; 1 Taj Mahal; 10 Napoleon Solo; 13 Great White

Forecast: For those of you reading this on the blog, I recommend checking out the Preakness Wager Guide for detailed information on all riders in the big race and much more. I am expecting a fast pace in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. If we get it, I am hopeful it is #2 Ocelli making the last move. One can certainly question his will to win, but I think a perfectly timed move like Golden Tempo’s in the Derby will be good enough to get this bunch.
#12 Incredibolt is as likely as anyone to benefit from a fast early tempo. Trainer Riley Mott must love the way his colt is training to run him back last minute off of 2 weeks rest. #6 Chip Honcho will likely have to either relax off the pace or deal with a lot of contention early, but his best puts him squarely in the mix. The addition of Jose Ortiz is a huge positive since has been pulling all the right strings of late. I can see the Steve Asmussen trainee hanging around for a slice at the very least. #1 Taj Mahal and #10 Napoleon Solo may have the highest ceilings in the field, but also have a big chance to compromise each other’s chances early. If one somehow shakes loose early though, they could be a handful to run down. Of all the horses drawn to the outside, #13 Great White may be the one least impacted. Not to say a wide trip will work out well, but he is a massive horse. Being down on the inside was unlikely to be his ticket to victory.

Race 14:
Grade: C+
Use: 6 Grant the Great; 9 Mister Monday Nite; 4 Bruno; 8 Holy Moly Mitole

Forecast: The Preakness Day festivities conclude with a 6-furlong MSW over the main track for 3YOs where a trio of second-time starters make sense, but do not snooze on #9 Mister Monday Nite. They spent $75k for this son of Enticed. He comes in off a steady series of drills for trainer Jamie Ness.

Saturday 5/16/26 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

Saturday 5/16/26 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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