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Preakness Stakes Post Draw Complete: Iron Honor (37) Favored at 9-2 for Laurel Park Return

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The 151st Preakness Stakes is locked and loaded, with a 14-horse field drawn for Saturday's race at Laurel Park rather than the traditional home of this historic event. Pimlico Race Course is undergoing significant renovations, forcing the middle jewel of the Triple Crown to relocate just 30 miles north for the first time in modern racing history. The race will be contested over Laurel's 1 3/16-mile surface—a distance the track rarely showcases—with post time set for 4 p.m. ET on May 16.

While the conversation surrounding this year's Preakness has centered on which major contenders are absent, the field that has assembled is plenty competitive. Kentucky Derby champion Golden Tempo (32) will not make the trip to Maryland, but three runners who tested Golden Tempo (32) in Louisville will line up here. Ocelli (31), who remarkably finished third in the Derby at 70-1 odds after squeezing into the field via scratches, headlines the returners alongside Robusta (33) and Incredibolt (31). Great White (30), scratched from Churchill Downs just before the Derby after a troubling incident in the paddock, also makes the journey to Laurel.

Chad Brown and Flavien Prat have established themselves as Preakness threats at the elite level. Brown captured this race in 2022 with Early Voting, while Prat took it down a year earlier aboard Rombauer for trainer Michael McCarthy. Now the two team up with Iron Honor (37), a son of Nyquist who broke his maiden and earned a stakes score in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct before disappointing with a seventh-place finish in the Wood Memorial last month. That setback has done little to dampen the betting public's enthusiasm, as Iron Honor (37) was installed as the morning-line favorite at 9-2.

Three horses share co-favorite status at 5-1: Taj Mahal (55), Chip Honcho, and Incredibolt (31).

The move to Laurel creates a dramatically different environment for competitors accustomed to Pimlico's energy. Where the Preakness normally attracts more than 100,000 spectators to Pimlico, Laurel Park attendance will be capped below 5,000. The reduced atmosphere could prove significant in a 14-horse field—the largest Preakness field since 2011—where positioning, pace management, and traffic navigation will carry heightened importance. With fewer horses than the Kentucky Derby's 20-strong contingent but still a substantial group by Preakness standards, jockeys will need to employ precision tactics to secure optimal trip positioning.

Complete Post Positions and Opening Odds

Post 1: Taj Mahal (55), S. Russell, B. Russell, 5-1
Post 2: Ocelli (31), T. Gaffalione, W. Beckman, 6-1
Post 3: Crupper (29), J. Alvarado, D. Von Hemel, 30-1
Post 4: Robusta (33), R. Bejarano, D. O'Neill, 30-1
Post 5: Talkin, I. Ortiz Jr., D. Gargan, 20-1
Post 6: Chip Honcho, J. Ortiz, S. Asmussen, 5-1
Post 7: The Hell We Did, L. Saez, T. Fincher, 15-1
Post 8: Bull By The Horns (32), M. Husbands, S. Joseph Jr., 30-1
Post 9: Iron Honor (37), F. Prat, C. Brown, 9-2
Post 10: Napoleon Solo, P. Lopez, C. Summers, 8-1
Post 11: Corona De Oro (29), J. Velazquez, D. Stewart, 30-1
Post 12: Incredibolt (31), J. Torres, R. Mott, 5-1
Post 13: Great White (30), A. Achard, J. Ennis, 15-1
Post 14: Pretty Boy Miah (37), R. Santana Jr., J. Englehart, 15-1

Contender Analysis

Taj Mahal (55) carries significant historical baggage into this race. No non-Kentucky-bred horse has won the Preakness since California Chrome's 2014 victory, and Taj Mahal will attempt to buck that 12-year trend. The positive news is that this horse knows Laurel Park intimately, having won the Federico Tesio here, and jockey Sheldon Russell possesses encyclopedic knowledge of every surface on this track. Trainer Brittany Russell could make history as the first female to win the Preakness if Taj Mahal (55) crosses the wire first. Recent momentum certainly exists for Russell's barn after witnessing the Cherie DeVaux-trained Kentucky Derby winner in the winner's circle.

Chip Honcho gets an ideal draw in the six post under trainer Steve Asmussen's saddle, with Jose Ortiz—fresh off his Derby victory aboard Golden Tempo (32)—up in the irons. Coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby, Chip Honcho is seeking to reignite his campaign in his first start away from Fair Grounds since November. His best performance was a runner-up effort in the Risen Star Stakes on Valentine's Day, a race that suggested considerable class.

Incredibolt (31) finished just four lengths behind Golden Tempo (32) in the Kentucky Derby and demonstrated genuine ability despite finishing sixth. Victories in the Virginia Derby and the Street Sense Stakes showcase his stakes credentials. Jaime Torres, who won this race in 2024 for the legendary D. Wayne Lukas aboard Seize the Grey, rides for trainer Riley Mott. Some observers felt Torres might have positioned Incredibolt (31) closer to the pace in Louisville, but Mott has shown confidence in the horse's ability to bounce back quickly.

Ocelli (31) may represent the race's most compelling story. The 70-1 longshot finished third at Churchill Downs after gaining entry through late scratches—a stunning performance for an undefeated maiden. D.W. Beckman has never won with this horse through seven starts, but the Derby effort has energized the connections. The quick turnaround is aggressive, yet Ocelli (31) has demonstrated a willingness to race frequently, never having spent more than a month between starts since debuting November 23.

Image Credits

Featured Image Credit

The Winner's Circle and Old Clubhouse lined with Black-Eyed Susans on Preakness Day, May 20, 2023. via Wikimedia Commons by JoeSchilp with usage type - Creative Commons License

 

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