Preakness draws 14-horse field, largest in 15 years, at Laurel Park

Fourteen horses will line up for the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday, May 16, giving the middle jewel of the Triple Crown its biggest field in 15 years and putting pace, traffic and post position at the center of the race. The distance stays 1 3/16 miles, but Laurel Park’s 1,089-foot stretch is much shorter than Pimlico Race Course’s 1,419-foot run, so a crowded field will have less room to sort itself out before the finish.

The move away from Pimlico is temporary, with the Baltimore track under redevelopment, but it changes the race in a real way. Laurel Park will host the Preakness for the first time, and the tighter finish should make the opening break and the first turn more important than they are in a typical running at Pimlico. The last 14-horse Preakness came in 2011, when Shackleford defeated Derby winner Animal Kingdom by half a length.

This year’s race will not include Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, removing any chance of a Triple Crown sweep before the second leg even begins. That absence makes the Preakness the third time in five years that the Derby winner has skipped the race and leaves the field looking more open than usual. Iron Honor was installed as the morning-line favorite at 9-2, but several runners are carrying short odds and multiple contenders have already met in earlier prep races, setting up a crowded betting race as well as a crowded track.

The full field includes Taj Mahal, Ocelli, Crupper, Robusta, Talkin, Chip Honcho, The Hell We Did, Bull by the Horns, Iron Honor, Napoleon Solo, Corona de Oro, Incredibolt, Great White and Pretty Boy Miah. That lineup adds several historical angles: Ocelli is trying to become the first maiden to win the Preakness since Refund in 1888, John Velazquez could become the oldest jockey to win the race at 54 aboard Corona de Oro, and Brittany Russell could become the first female trainer to win the Preakness with Taj Mahal. With Cherie DeVaux already having made history in the Derby, the 2026 Triple Crown season has become as notable for its milestones as for its finish line.