Preakness field grows to 16 possibles despite Derby absences

The Preakness field is tilting away from the Kentucky Derby and toward a different kind of middle jewel. With the 151st running set for May 16 at Laurel Park, the Maryland Jockey Club listed 16 possibles for a race capped at 14 starters, but only Derby winner Golden Tempo appeared to be under serious consideration from the 18 colts who went to Churchill Downs.

That thinning link matters. Derby runner-up Renegade and third-place finisher Ocelli have already chosen to skip the Preakness, leaving Golden Tempo as the lone major Derby hopeful still in the mix. Trainer Cherie DeVaux shipped the Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables homebred back to Keeneland on May 3, and said the next two weeks will decide whether he makes a run at racing’s 14th Triple Crown. “Healthy, sound, happy, and energetic” will be the standard, DeVaux said.

The traditional Sunday morning call from 1/ST Racing executive vice president Mike Rogers formally invited Golden Tempo into the race. Entries are due Monday, May 11, and the final lineup will show whether the Preakness keeps its Derby-to-Baltimore bridge or continues drifting toward a field built from new contenders, local form, and late decisions.

That shift was already visible in the possibles list. Silent Tactic, who scratched from the Derby with a foot bruise on April 29, remained under consideration. Great White, who reared and fell at the gate in Louisville, also stayed on the board. Chip Honcho, who worked five furlongs in 1:00 on Derby morning for Steve Asmussen, was another name in the mix. Ottinho breezed half a mile in :52 4/5 on May 1 for Chad Brown, while Iron Honor worked a half-mile in :48.85 at Belmont Park and Napoleon Solo went six furlongs in 1:10 over the Belmont dirt training track.

Laurel also produced its own Preakness candidates. Taj Mahal is undefeated in three starts, all at Laurel, and won the Federico Tesio on April 18 to earn an automatic berth. The Hell We Did arrived at Laurel on April 28 after finishing second in the April 11 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, and has already raced at four tracks in four starts. Cherokee Nation, Crupper, Express Kid, Pretty Boy Miah, Talkin and Talk to Me Jimmy were also listed.

The reduced Derby presence underscores how modern race management has reshaped the Triple Crown. Recent exceptions such as Catching Freedom in 2024 and Sandman in 2025 showed that late changes can still happen, but the bigger pattern is harder to miss: fewer Derby runners are returning, and the Preakness is increasingly being assembled from horses whose paths did not run through Louisville. The last 14-horse Preakness came in 2011, when Shackleford won at that size. If Golden Tempo starts, DeVaux would become the first female trainer to try to win the Preakness, after becoming the first woman to win the Kentucky Derby. Nancy Alberts remains the closest, finishing second in 2002 with Magic Weisner.