Preakness: Gate may be crowded, as field still in flux
Taj Mahal, The Hell We Did worked Saturday at Laurel
Frank Vespe
May 4, 2026
The May 16, Grade 1 Preakness Stakes may not get many horses out of the Kentucky Derby. But it looks like it’s going to get plenty from everywhere else.
As many as 17 horses have been mentioned as under consideration.
Cherie DeVaux, trainer of upstart Derby champ Golden Tempo, said the next day that the Preakness was a possibility for her sophomore Curlin colt, now a winner three times in five starts.
“We’ll assess how he’s doing, and as long as he’s in tip-top shape, we’ll talk about [going to the Preakness],” she told Blood-Horse. “It’s on the table, but it’s really up to him.”
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In a Churchill Downs post-Derby release, the only other Derby runners that appeared to be under consideration were the two Bob Baffert trainees, 12th-place finisher Potente and Litmus Test, who finished 17th.
“We won’t make a decision on the Preakness until the end of the week,” trainer Baffert said in the release.
Baffert has others under consideration, as well, most notably Crude Velocity. The Beau Liam colt is now 3-for-3 in his career after a scintillating victory in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 in the Pat Day Mile – five points higher than the 95 garnered by Golden Tempo in the Derby.
On Saturday, meanwhile, two Preakness hopefuls currently at Laurel Park, Taj Mahal and The Hell We Did, breezed over the strip.
The undefeated Taj Mahal, based at Laurel with Brittany Russell, breezed five eighths in 1:00 2/5 with regular exercise rider Alex Beatia up.
“He kind of just has that natural speed [and] Alex kind of just let him do this thing. He said he loved it, he had fun [and] he felt great,” Russell said in a release. “That’s just what I wanted to see. I just told him to let him do his thing.”
Taj Mahal most recently won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel in a cakewalk, securing a free entry into the Preakness.
The Hell We Did has been first or second in all four of his starts and most recently finished second in the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland behind upset winner Trendsetter. That runner had previously been fourth in the Spectacular Bid at Laurel in February.
On Saturday The Hell We Did, by 2020 Preakness runner-up Authentic, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 3/5.
“I just wanted an easy work the first time because we just moved him and he’s on a new surface he looked like he was doing it plenty easy,” trainer Todd Fincher said. “You change surfaces and it takes them a time or two, so you don’t want to do too much the first time.”
The Preakness is limited to 14 plus two on the also-eligible list. In the event of overflow, starters and also-eligibles are chosen in the following order:
- The first seven horses by graded stakes earnings;
- The next four horses by lifetime open stakes earnings; and
- The next five (including the two AEs) by total lifetime earnings; but
- Any horse that earned purse money in the Kentucky Derby (the top five finishers) that does not otherwise qualify will be permitted to enter and start.
PREAKNESS POSSIBLES
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bull by the Horns | Peachtree Stable and Mark Corrado | Saffie Joseph, Jr. | Won the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway on Mar. 21 in his most recent start |
| Chip Honcho | Leland Ackerley Racing LLC | Steven M. Asmussen | Gun Runner winner and Risen Star runner-up passed on the Derby to await this spot |
| Corona de Oro | On Our Own Stable, LLC, Commonwealth Stable, U Racing Stables, LLC, Saints or Sinners, Titletown Racing, LLC, Jim Nichols, Edwin S. Barker, Daniel Rivers, John Haines, and Dallas Stewart | Dallas Stewart | G3 Lexington show horse was excluded as an AE from the Kentucky Derby |
| Crupper | Robert H. Zoellner | Donnie Van Hemel | Won Oaklawn's Bathhouse Row Stakes and its free entry to the Preakness |
| Express Kid | Paradise Equine Farm, LLC, Bradley Kleven, and Sharon Kleven | Justin Evans | The winner of the Dec. 20 Springboard Mile has raced only once in 2026. |
| Great White | Three Chimneys Farm and John Ennis | John Ennis | Flipped behind the Kentucky Derby starting gate and had to be scratched but was "doing fine," his trainer said. |
| Iron Honor | St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence, and Glassman Racing | Chad Brown | G3 Gotham winner saw his Derby hopes dashed when seventh in the Wood Memorial |
| Napoleon Solo | Gold Square LLC | Chad Summers | Dazzling Champagne winner hasn't run well in two '26 starts |
| Ocelli | Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate, and Front Page Equestrian, LLC | Whit Beckman | Though still a maiden, ran an excellent third in the Kentucky Derby |
| Pretty Boy Miah | Team Penney Racing, Echo Racing, Flower City Racing LLC, Anthony Bruno, and Christopher J. Meyer | Jeremiah Englehart | Has won two straight. |
| Robusta | Calumet Farm | Doug O'Neill | Most recently was 14th in the Kentucky Derby |
| Silent Tactic | John C. Oxley | Mark Casse | Never worse than second in six career starts, he scratched out of the Kentucky Derby Apr. 29 with a foot issue. |
| Smoovin Saturday | Reddam Racing LLC | Michael McCarthy | Owns two wins versus Cal-breds and finished second in the Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland |
| Taj Mahal | SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Bashor Racing, LLC, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, LLC and Catherine Donovan | Brittany Russell | Undefeated Nyquist colt, trained at Laurel Park, won the Federico Tesio Stakes |
| Talkin | Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC and R. A. Hill Stable | Danny Gargan | Pricey Good Magic colt has placed in two Grade 1 events |
| The Hell We Did | Peacock Family Racing Stable LLC | Todd Fincher | Son of 2020 Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Authentic most recently was second in the G3 Lexington |
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