Maryland’s day in the spotlight, with a twist of course. The Preakness Stakes goes down for the 151st time Saturday, for this edition down the interstate a bit to Laurel Park while the newly imagined Pimlico Race Course undergoes a rebuild.
The day looks very familiar to recent Preakness Days, thanks to a stakes-heavy card and a bulky field for the feature that came up a smidge light on star power. Perhaps a new star will be born in this year’s renewal, which goes as the 13th of 14 races on the card that begins at the usual 10:30 a.m.
The $2 million Preakness, with post time set for 7:01 p.m., attracted a field of 14 3-year-olds from several corners of the country. The players made their most recent starts at Aqueduct, Churchill Downs, Fair Grounds, Keeneland Race Course, Laurel Park, Oaklawn Park and Turfway Park, and they’re based everywhere from New York to Florida, Kentucky to California. Heck, there’s even one entrant with his most recent breeze on the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course. When was the last time a Preakness winner – or runner – turned in his last breeze at Saratoga?
Laurel will be decked out in its Maryland best for the capped crowd of 4,800. That limit will force most to catch the action on television. The NBC team kicks off its broadcast from 1-4 p.m. on Peacock before the final undercard stakes and main event go on NBC (and continuing on Peacock if you don’t want to switch over) from 4-7:30 p.m.
The handicappers are back for their final spin here at thisishorseracing.com – the remainder of the Triple Crown picks will be published in The Saratoga Special during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Friday, the handicappers warmed up for Preakness Day. Everybody picked Allaire du Pont Stakes lock Margie’s Intention to get on the board. Jessica Paquette added Peach Tie ($16.60) in the Miss Preakness to get to two wins on the day along with Joe Clancy, Alec DiConza and Rob Whitlock who added Black-Eyed Susan winner My Miss Mo ($7) and Charles Bedard who came up with Pimlico Special winner Navajo Warrior ($4.60).
Tom Law and Joe are tied atop the leaderboard for the Triple Crown season with six winners. John Shapazian, Alec, Charles and Rob head into Preakness Day one back at five winners. Sean Clancy, Paul Halloran and Jessica have four winners apiece.
Here are the picks for Preakness Day 2026. Good luck.
Skipat Stakes. $125,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 furlongs. Post time 12:16 p.m. ET.
Modo looks pretty tough from the outside in short field of seven for the day’s leadoff stakes. She’s won two of three this season, including a pair of stakes in her last two, and picks up Irad Ortiz Jr. Plenty of quality opposition in Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run winner Kappa Kappa, who comes off the bench for Butch Reid; stakes winner Striker Has Dial, who also returns from lengthy layoff for Horacio De Paz; and local threat Passage East, winner of the Barbara Fritchie in February for Hugh McMahon.
- John Shapazian: Modo, Benedetta, Passage East.
- Tom Law: Kappa Kappa, Striker Has Dial, Modo.
- Jessica Paquette: Sporting Lady, Kappa Kappa, Benedetta.
- Rob Whitlock: Modo, Passage East, Kappa Kappa.
- Charles Bedard: Passage East, Modo, Kappa Kappa.
- Joe Clancy: Kappa Kappa, Modo, Benedetta.
- Sean Clancy: Modo, Kappa Kappa, Passage East.
- Alec DiConza: Passage East, Striker Has Dial, Kappa Kappa.
- Paul Halloran: Modo, Benedetta, Kappa Kappa.
Sir Barton Stakes. $100,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles. Post time 1:28 p.m.
Several of the seven here carried Triple Crown aspirations for their connections at one point this season, including Reagan’s Honor, who looks to bounce back from distant sixth as the 2-1 second choice in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass last time out for Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux. He’ll vie for favoritism again, along with flashy Keeneland maiden winner Final Story for trainer Brad Cox and Maryland-based stakes winner Big Cuddle.
- John: Final Story, Pont Aven, Reagan’s Honor.
- Tom: Final Story, Reagan’s Honor, Minorinconvenience.
- Jessica: Final Story, Pont Aven, Reagan’s Honor.
- Rob: Final Story, Reagan’s Honor, Falcon Jet.
- Charles: Pont Aven, Minorinconvenience, Final Story.
- Joe: Final Story, Minorinconvenience, Big Cuddle.
- Sean: Reagan’s Honor, Final Story, Falcon Jet.
- Alec: Final Story, Let’s Go Lando, Falcon Jet.
- Paul: Minorinconvenience, Final Story, Big Cuddle.
Chick Lang Stakes. $150,000, 3-year-olds, 6 furlongs. Post time 2:07 p.m.
Obliteration did just that in his first two starts last season, winning a maiden and the Grade 3 Sanford by a combined 18 lengths. He’s only won once since, in the Renaissance Stakes Jan. 3 at Oaklawn Park while keeping top company on the dirt and turf for Steve Asmussen. Potential upsetters include Parx shipper Shane’s Wonder, 3-for-3 and coming off a stakes win; and Igniter, coming off back-to-back wins for Rick Dutrow in February and March at Aqueduct.
- John: Obliteration, Igniter, Shane’s Wonder.
- Tom: Igniter, Obliteration, Fulmine.
- Jessica: Obliteration, Igniter, Shane’s Wonder.
- Rob: Igniter, Obliteration, Fulmine.
- Charles: Obliteration, Igniter, Shane’s Wonder.
- Joe: Obliteration, Top Manipulator, Igniter.
- Sean: Igniter, Obliteration, Top Manipulator.
- Alec: Obliteration, Igniter, Fulmine.
- Paul: Igniter, Shane’s Wonder, Obliteration.
Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3). $150,000, 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs. Post time 2:48 p.m.
Steve Asmussen has sent out four of the last seven winners of this Preakness Day and he could add another in Faust. Son of the Asmussen-trained Grade 1 winner Volatile comes in off back-to-back allowance wins at Oaklawn Park. He meets either others, including stakes winner Faster Gator, impressive Keeneland allowance winner Floodlites, Celtic Contender and Slam Notion.
- John: Floodlites, Hymn, Faust.
- Tom: Bring The Smoke, Faust, Floodlites.
- Jessica: Celtic Contender, Floodlites, SS Sinatra.
- Rob: Floodlites, Celtic Contender, Haileysfirstnotion.
- Charles: Faust, Haileysfirstnotion, Slam Notion.
- Joe: Bring The Smoke, Haileysfirstnotion, Faster Gator.
- Sean: Floodlites, Celtic Contender, Faust.
- Alec: Slam Notion, Faust, Hymn.
- Paul: Floodlites, Haileysfirstnotion, Faster Gator.
James W. Murphy Stakes. $100,000, 3-year-olds, 1 mile, turf. Post time 3:30 p.m.
Eight line up for the card’s first grass stakes, including the Graham Motion-trained duo Proton and Turf Star. Proton won last year’s Laurel Futurity on the course and exits a close seventh in the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland. Turf Star earned a spot in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf – where he finished sixth – but has finished deep in two starts this season on turf and synthetic. Attfield also comes out of the Transylvania and looks to revert to form that saw him win a Saratoga maiden in his debut and the Central Park Stakes at Aqueduct last year.
- John: Zihnal, Thebabeslayer, Attfield.
- Tom: Proton, Attfield, My Favorite Bird.
- Jessica: Zihnal, J Cody, Proton.
- Rob: Proton, Attfield, My Favorite Bird.
- Charles: Attfield, Turf Star, Thebabeslayer.
- Joe: Proton, Zihnal, Turf Star.
- Sean: My Favorite Bird, Proton, Zihnal.
- Alec: Proton, Attfield, Turf Star.
- Paul: Zihnal, Proton, My Favorite Bird.
Dinner Party Stakes (G3). $250,000, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles, turf. Post time 4:11 p.m.
Fort Washington returns to Maryland to defend title in stakes that set him up for victory in the Grade 1 Arlington Million two starts later. Veteran son of War Front hasn’t been out since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf in late February at Gulfstream Park, but that’s the same race Shug McGaughey used last year to prep for the Dinner Party. Strong opposition awaits title defense with Dresden Row set for his second start since moving to trainer Todd Pletcher and the 4-for-5 Cruise The Nile in the field. The latter won the Henry Clark on the course last time out for trainer Graham Motion.
- John: Dresden Row, What Say Thee, Cruise The Nile.
- Tom: Fort Washington, A Bourbon For Toby, Cruise The Nile.
- Jessica: Fort Washington, Cruise The Nile, Thundering.
- Rob: Dresden Row, Fort Washington, Cruise The Nile.
- Charles: Dresden Row, Cruise The Nile, What Say Thee.
- Joe: Cruise The Nile, Dresden Row, Fort Washington.
- Sean: Cruise The Nile, Dresden Row, Fort Washington.
- Alec: Fort Washington, Dresden Row, Cruise The Nile.
- Paul: Fort Washington, Dresden Row, Cruise The Nile.
Gallorette Stakes (G3). $150,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles, turf. Post time 4:53 p.m.
Barry Schwartz’s homebred mare Awesome Czech, fresh off being named New York-bred champion turf female, takes show on the road for her second start of 2026. She won three times last year, twice in open company, and faces tall order here against the Chad Brown duo of Child Of The Moon and Accent, the Graham Motion duo of Ribaltagaia and Warming and Brendan Walsh’s Austere.
- John: Accent, Warming, Austere.
- Tom: Awesome Czech, Accent, Ribaltagaia.
- Jessica: Ribaltagia, Austere, Warming.
- Rob: Child Of The Moon, Austere, Cheetah Lady.
- Charles: Awesome Czech, Cheetah Lady, Accent.
- Joe: Ribaltagaia, Accent, Awesome Czech.
- Sean: Accent, Mahra’s Love, Ribaltagaia.
- Alec: Awesome Czech, Warming, Accent.
- Paul: Austere, Ribaltagaia, Awesome Czech.
Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes. $125,000, 3-year-olds and up, 5 1/2 furlongs, turf. Post time 5:52 p.m.
Biggest field of the undercard stakes with 11 set to go the extended 5 1/2 furlongs – remember, at Pimlico this one runs 5 furlongs. George Weaver sent Outlaw Kid to Maryland to win the prep for this, the King T. Leatherbury, over Chasing Liberty and a few others, last time out. He returns along with that runner-up. They take on former Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint starter Isivunguvungu, try saying that one fast; New York-bred Run Curtis Run and stakes winners Determined Kingdom and Jean Valjean.
- John: Jean Valjean, Outlaw Kid, Determined Kingdom.
- Tom: Chasing Liberty, Jean Valjean, Run Curtis Run.
- Jessica: Determined Kingdom, Isivunguvungu, Fore Harp.
- Rob: Isivunguvungu, Outlaw Kid, Jean Valjean.
- Charles: Chasing Liberty, Outlaw Kid, Run Curtis Run.
- Joe: Jean Valjean, Outlaw Kid, Chasing Liberty.
- Sean: Jean Valjean, Outlaw Kid, Chasing Liberty.
- Alec: Chasing Liberty, Outlaw Kid, Run Curtis Run.
- Paul: Jean Valjean, Determined Kingdom, Run Curtis Run.
Preakness Stakes (G1). $2 million, 3-year-olds, 1 3/16 miles. Post time 7:01 p.m.
Packed field of 14 for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, including three running back in two weeks from the Kentucky Derby – Ocelli (third), Incredibolt (sixth) and Robusta (14th). Many wish there were more, including perhaps a rematch of Golden Tempo and Renegade, the 1-2 finishers in the Derby, but that will have to wait until the Belmont Stakes. What’s wrong with a field of 14 though, especially if you like to have a little wager? Plenty of players to like here, including Gun Runner Stakes winner Chip Honcho, undefeated Federico Tesio winner Taj Mahal, Grade 3 Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor and Grade 1 winner Napoleon Solo. A case can probably be made for most of the field, so perhaps it’s best to shop around for some value.
- John: Taj Mahal, Crupper, Talkin.
- Tom: Talkin, Ocelli, Chip Honcho.
- Jessica: Taj Mahal, Corona de Oro, Chip Honcho.
- Rob: Talkin, Incredibolt, Corona de Oro.
- Charles: Ocelli, Chip Honcho, Taj Mahal.
- Joe: Incredibolt, Ocelli, Corona de Oro, Iron Honor.
- Sean: Taj Mahal, Incredibolt, Ocelli.
- Alec: Ocelli, Iron Honor, Incredibolt.
- Paul: Incredibolt, Chip Honcho, Iron Honor.
