Preakness Stakes draw sets wide-open 14-horse field at Laurel Park

Post 9 gave Iron Honor the slight edge in a 14-horse Preakness that now looks less like a coronation than a trip-shaping puzzle. The draw on Monday turned the 151st running into a bettor’s map at Laurel Park, where the second jewel will be run Saturday over 1 3/16 miles with Golden Tempo ruled out and the field stripped of a Derby winner.

Iron Honor, a $475,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, opened as the morning-line favorite after drawing a slot that should let Chad Brown choose between pressing forward or settling into a stalking trip. That matters in a race where the first turn can decide everything. Brown has already won the Preakness twice, with Cloud Computing in 2017 and Early Voting in 2022, and he said he plans to remove blinkers from Iron Honor after the colt got too aggressive in the Wood Memorial, where he finished seventh after winning the Gotham Stakes.

The most interesting tactical break may belong to Taj Mahal, who drew the rail at 5-1. He is undefeated in three starts, all at Laurel, and won the Federico Tesio on April 18 to earn his place. Brittany Russell said the colt worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on May 4, and the home-track angle makes him one of the most dangerous pace players if Sheldon Russell can keep him out of traffic through the opening furlongs.

The middle and outer posts create a different set of problems. Ocelli landed in post 2 at 6-1, Chip Honcho drew post 6 at 5-1, and Napoleon Solo came out in post 10 at 8-1, a sequence that should give the inside-to-middle runners a better chance to secure position before the field hits Laurel’s first bend. Incredibolt, placed in post 12 at 5-1, still has room to work with, but Pretty Boy Miah in the 14 hole at 15-1 faces the kind of outside trip that can turn a live long shot into a wide-running casualty.

The last time the Preakness drew 14 horses was 2011, when Shackleford won, and that historical note adds to the sense that this edition is built for traffic, not comfort. Laurel Park, a Thoroughbred destination since 1911, is hosting the race for the first time while Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt, with the Preakness expected back in Baltimore in 2027. There will be no infield tickets because of the Laurel configuration, another sign that this year’s race is being staged under a different set of rules, both on the track and around it.

For handicappers, the immediate takeaway is simple: post position matters more than class in a field this deep, and the sharpest question may not be whether Iron Honor is best, but whether post 9 lets him avoid the worst of a crowded, pace-driven first quarter.