LAUREL, Md. – For all the talk about who isn’t in the field and where the race isn’t being run, the 151st Preakness Stakes will actually be held Saturday in its typical place on the calendar. For the third time in the last five years, the Kentucky Derby winner won’t be in the Preakness starting gate. Moreover, this will be just the second time this century neither the Derby winner nor runner-up will be in the race as both Golden Tempo and Renegade will sit this one out and await the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga. In 2019, War of Will won the Preakness, which lacked the top two finishers from the Derby. That the Preakness is still run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby is the main reason why Golden Tempo and Renegade – and others from the Derby – aren’t here. “Here” this year is Laurel Park, some 23 miles south of Pimlico, the usual home of the Preakness which is undergoing renovation. Speaking of renovation, there is increasing chatter about renovating the Triple Crown schedule, most notably extending the time between the Derby and Preakness from two weeks to potentially three or four. :: Get ready for Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies! All that can wait for another day. Saturday, before a capped attendance of 4,800 at well-worn Laurel, a field of 14 will go postward to contest 1 3/16 miles. It’s the eighth time the Preakness has had 14, the first since 2011. For what the Preakness lacks in star power, it makes up for as an intriguing handicapping puzzle. There are three runners from the Kentucky Derby in the Preakness – third-place finisher Ocelli, sixth-place finisher Incredibolt, and 14th-place finisher Robusta. Ocelli is still a maiden, but he didn’t run like one in the Derby, where, at odds of 70-1, he made the lead in deep stretch only to be passed by Golden Tempo and Renegade late. He was beaten one length. Trainer Whit Beckman was initially going to pass the Derby but was pleasantly surprised how well his horse bounced back from the effort. That and the seeming plethora of speed horses in the Preakness field give Beckman confidence his horse will run another good race. “It looks like it could set up the right way, but even if it doesn’t set up the perfect way, this horse, depending on how fast they go, can be pretty tactical in terms of his placement,” Beckman said. “I think he wants a target, but he doesn’t have to be all the way out of the back, either.” From 1873 to 1888, six maidens won the Preakness. From 1976 to 2025, only four have tried. Records are sketchy in between. Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Ocelli from post 2. The Preakness lacks a true favorite. Incredibolt, an 11th-hour addition to the field, could very well pick up that mantle. He is the lone graded stakes winner around two turns in this field, and he was only beaten four lengths in the Derby. Like Ocelli, his off-the-pace running style seems to fit the potential race flow. Incredibolt won the Grade 3 Street Sense at 2 and the Virginia Derby at 3, which makes him the most accomplished runner in the field. “I’m happy we came to the conclusion and decision to enter. It’s not every day that you’re single-digit odds in a Triple Crown race,” said Riley Mott, trainer of Incredibolt. “I’m glad we were able to be flexible and change our course of action. Horse is doing well and on paper he looks competitive, but you can make a case for 10 different horses in there that could jump up and win.” Incredibolt will break from post 12 under Jaime Torres, who won the 2024 Preakness on Seize the Grey. The story coming out of Kentucky Derby 152 was that Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the historic race. Four years ago, Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when she saddled Arcangelo to victory in the Belmont Stakes. :: Get Preakness Betting Strategies for exclusive wagering insights, contender analysis, and more Brittany Russell will attempt to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness. Sixteen have tried. Russell sends out Taj Mahal, who has never been beaten but who has not faced top-shelf company, with all three of his wins coming at Laurel. Taj Mahal drew the rail, which will likely force Sheldon Russell, Brittany’s husband and Taj Mahal’s rider, to put the speedy horse on the lead. “He just has to get away good, it’s that simple, right?” Brittany Russell said. “Did I want to have to commit to going with the rail being our draw? Maybe not, but we’re just going to have to see how it plays out. He’s a good gate horse.” Napoleon Solo, the only Grade 1 winner in the field, also has plenty of speed, it’s just unclear how far he’ll be able to carry it. Napoleon Solo broke poorly and was probably not totally fit when he ran fifth in the Fountain of Youth in February. He was dealing with a foot issue but ran better than his fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial might suggest. He has been working extremely well since the Wood. “I don’t envision a scenario where he’s not in front turning for home,” said Chad Summers, trainer of Napoleon Solo. “Hopefully, I have him fit enough and tight enough to get the last quarter-mile.” Chip Honcho and Iron Honor are trained by two-time Preakness winners Steve Asmussen and Chad Brown, respectively. Both horses qualified for the Kentucky Derby on points, but neither trainer felt the Derby was the best race for their horse. Asmussen, who won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and 2009 with Rachel Alexandra, was hoping there would be less speed in the race as Chip Honcho is typically better when involved early. His best race came when he set the pace and was passed late by Paladin in the Grade 2 Risen Star. “How the race unfolds with 14 horses is going to dictate the outcome,” Asmussen said. “He is a horse that’s capable of running fast enough to win it.” Asmussen has tabbed Kentucky Derby-winning rider Jose Ortiz to ride Chip Honcho. In 2009, he got Kentucky Derby-winning rider Calvin Borel to ride the filly Rachel Alexandra. Brown has won the Preakness with Cloud Computing (2017) and Early Voting (2022), with both horses coming out of the Wood Memorial. Iron Honor, who won the Grade 3 Gotham, finished seventh in the Wood after getting aggressive following a bump entering the first turn. Brown is removing blinkers from Iron Honor’s equipment with the hopes of getting Iron Honor to relax early. Among the others in the field who have speed are Robusta, Corona de Oro, and Pretty Boy Miah. Robusta’s best race came when he was second in the Grade 2 San Felipe, a race in which he set the pace. Corona de Oro was on the lead in the Lexington. Pretty Boy Miah, since adding blinkers, has posted two wins, albeit against lesser company and around one turn. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Talkin could be an interesting longshot for trainer Danny Gargan, who just two years ago won the Belmont Stakes with 17-1 shot Dornoch. Talkin was good enough to run second to Napoleon Solo in the Grade 1 Champagne at 2. He got sick after running ninth in the Grade 2 Remsen. His two runs this year, a fifth in the Sam Davis and a third in the Blue Grass, were mediocre, but Gargan sees a horse training like he is going to run his best race. “I think he’s on the improve. We kind of knew going in we were behind starting off late,” Gargan said. “I think if he goes forward, like he’s gone forward every race this year, I think we’re right there.” Other longshots who would have to run their best race to have a chance include Crupper, winner of the Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park; The Hell We Did, second in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes; Bull by the Horns, winner of the Rushaway Stakes on synthetic at Turfway Park; and Great White, winner of the John Battaglia at Turfway and the horse who flipped behind the gate and was scratched at the Kentucky Derby. The Preakness goes as race 13 (approximate post 7:01 p.m. Eastern) on a 14-race card that begins at 10:30 a.m. and includes eight other stakes. The forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 83 degrees. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.