Napoleon Solo won the 2026 Preakness Stakes at 7.90-1 odds, surging past race favorite Taj Mahal around the final turn at Laurel Park and holding off Iron Honor in the stretch to capture the 151st running of the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Chip Honcho finished third, while jockey Paco Lopez earned his first …
Early betting outlook: Morning-line favorite Iron Honor headlines a tightly packed field, but Laurel Park’s tighter first turn and longer stretch may favor tactical runners like Taj Mahal and Chip Honcho, while Talkin (20-1) stands out as the strongest value play on the board. This 2026 Preakness Stakes handicapping guide covers everything you need to …
On paper, the Preakness looks like a Derby rematch, but it rarely plays out that way. If you’re trying to decide how much weight to give Derby form, or whether a horse that skipped Louisville belongs on your ticket, it helps to know what kind of horse this race actually rewards. The Preakness Stakes winning …
When evaluating the Preakness Stakes 2026 contenders, the first thing you have to account for is the venue change. The race is set for Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland — not Pimlico, which is currently under reconstruction — and this race sets up nothing like the Derby Golden Tempo just won. …
The 2026 Kentucky Derby results will go down as one of the most improbable finishes in modern racing history. Not because the winner was impossible to find—I had Golden Tempo circled in my 2026 Kentucky Derby pre-race analysis as the longshot if the pace got hot—but because of how it actually happened. A Louisiana-based closer …
2026 Kentucky Derby final contenders are set for the May 2 race at Churchill Downs, and this year’s field is one of the most competitive in recent memory. Instead, this year features a tightly packed group of top contenders, several legitimate mid-tier threats, and a deep closing group that becomes especially dangerous if the pace …
Few decisions you make as a racehorse owner are permanent. Gelding is one of them. A colt may be difficult around mares, distracted in training, or simply harder for a barn to manage, but that does not automatically mean he needs to be gelded. Deciding when to geld a racehorse comes down to whether keeping …
This 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard reflects all results through the final major prep weekend of April 4, including the Blue Grass Stakes, Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial, Arkansas Derby, and Florida Derby. One qualifying race remains — the Lexington Stakes on April 11 — but the top of the field is essentially set. The 152nd …
A horse racing condition book is a schedule of races published by a racetrack, showing eligibility requirements, purse amounts, distances, and surfaces. Trainers and owners use it to plan entries and match each horse to races with the right distance, conditions, and class level. After 30 years of reading condition books at Louisiana tracks, I’ve …
You’ve found a horse you like, studied the past performances, and decided to put in a claim. Then the race goes official, your name comes up in the shake, and the excitement turns into a practical question: What happens after you claim a racehorse? That’s the part many first-time claimers don’t think through until they …