Russell seeks history with undefeated Laurel Park colt Taj Mahal in Preakness

Brittany Russell enters the Preakness with more than a live horse. She has a chance to become the first female trainer to win the race, and she does it with Taj Mahal, an undefeated Laurel Park colt who has already turned a local campaign into a classic-grade statement.

Taj Mahal earned his spot in the 151st Preakness Stakes by winning the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park on April 18 by 8 1/4 lengths in 1:52.92 for 1 1/8 miles. That followed a narrow victory in the Miracle Wood Stakes on February 21, when he got home by a neck in 1:39.47 for one mile on a muddy track. The Tesio did more than stamp his ticket to the Triple Crown trail. It showed that Russell had a horse who could control a race at Laurel, finish it decisively and do it in a setting that already suits him.

That home-track advantage matters because the 2026 Preakness is being run at Laurel Park rather than Pimlico Race Course while Pimlico is under renovation. For Russell, whose barn has become one of the most prominent in Maryland, the stage is as local as it gets. Equibase has described her as Maryland’s leading trainer for multiple consecutive years, and the track has noted that she became the first female trainer to earn year-end honors in Maryland. Her rise, from amateur rider to assistant trainer to running her own stable, gives this Preakness bid a resonance that goes well beyond one horse.

Taj Mahal’s path is equally layered. He began his career with Bob Baffert in Southern California before being transferred to Russell last fall, and his development has been methodical. Russell said after the Miracle Wood that she had been a little worried during the race and that the colt was still “figuring some things out,” even as she praised his gutsiness. Since then, he has moved forward sharply, and the Tesio win suggested Russell and her team saved him for the right spots instead of asking too much too soon.

The pedigree fits the moment, too. Taj Mahal is by Nyquist, the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner who finished third in the Preakness, and his Laurel form gives him tactical speed plus enough finish to separate from rivals. That combination could make him more than a feel-good local entrant. If he reproduces the Tesio effort, he can influence the pace, reshape the exotic bets and give Russell a real shot at a landmark victory in front of Maryland racing’s biggest audience.