Updated
Updated · SportsLine · May 14
Gene Menez Backs 15-1 The Hell We Did for $2 Million Preakness
Updated
Updated · SportsLine · May 14

Gene Menez Backs 15-1 The Hell We Did for $2 Million Preakness

2 articles · Updated · SportsLine · May 14
  • The Hell We Did, a 15-1 longshot, is one of Gene Menez’s key 2026 Preakness plays, while he is fading 9-2 morning-line favorite Iron Honor.
  • Menez said The Hell We Did should get an ideal stalking trip behind the early speed and ahead of late closers returning on two weeks’ rest.
  • The $2 million Preakness goes off Saturday at 7:01 p.m. ET at Laurel Park with a 14-horse field and no clear favorite after Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the race.
  • Five runners are clustered between 9-2 and 6-1—Iran Honor, Taj Mahal, Chip Honcho, Incredibolt and Ocelli—underscoring the race’s unusually even betting picture.
  • Menez’s picks carry weight because of past hits including the 2015 Kentucky Derby superfecta, a 2017 Derby Pick 4, and longshot calls such as 18-1 Mystik Dan in 2024.
With experts split and the race at a new venue, which longshot could deliver a stunning Preakness upset this Saturday?
As Derby winners increasingly skip the Preakness, will the Triple Crown's traditional schedule be forced to change to survive?