Demling Backs 6-1 Ocelli for 151st Preakness as Iron Honor Opens at 9-2
Updated
Updated · CBS Sports · May 11
Demling Backs 6-1 Ocelli for 151st Preakness as Iron Honor Opens at 9-2
3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · May 11
Jody Demling’s newly released 2026 Preakness picks highlight 6-1 Ocelli as a value play and include another unnamed double-digit longshot he says can outrun its odds.
Ocelli enters Saturday’s race at Laurel Park without a win in seven starts, but Demling points to his third-place Kentucky Derby finish after starting at 70-1 and closing hard late.
The 14-horse field was finalized after Monday’s post draw, with Iron Honor installed as the 9-2 morning-line favorite and Taj Mahal, Incredibolt and Chip Honcho each at 5-1.
Golden Tempo is not in the field after connections opted to skip the race, making him the third Kentucky Derby winner in the past five years to bypass the Preakness.
The 151st Preakness will be run May 16 at Laurel Park instead of Pimlico for the first time, with the historic venue under construction.
Can a horse that has never won a race actually win this year's historic Preakness Stakes?
How will the race's first venue change in 118 years decide the winner of the Triple Crown's second jewel?
With another Derby champion skipping the race, is the legendary Triple Crown broken?