Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [May 15]

Jump to each section below for easy access to everything you need for horse racing this weekend!

Weekend Racing Guide: Key Races, Top Horses, and Best Bets

The road to the winner's circle is packed with action, offering horse racing handicappers and casual fans alike a massive slate of high-stakes action. If you’re looking for the ultimate guide to horse racing this weekend, you’ve come to the right place. From coast-to-coast graded stakes to wide-open fields begging for value, we’ve crunched the data, analyzed contenders, and more to give you a definitive edge when placing those best bets.

Whether you are looking to build a exotics wagers or finding that single premium wager to hammer, this weekend's racing calendar delivers. Our TwinSpires team of expert handicappers has broken down the fields to identify the top horses to watch, the vulnerable favorites to fade, and the live longshots that could blow up the tote board.

Ready to place those best bets? Let’s dive into the key races, spotlight the definitive contenders, and lock for a thrilling weekend of Thoroughbred racing.

Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast

Jason is joined by Kellie Reilly for our weekly International Radar segment to open the show. Jason also discusses the Preakness draw, odds and more! 

Jason is joined by TwinSpires analyst Kyle Hampton to talk about the Preakness Stakes coming up Saturday. 

Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend

Click to jump to each race listed!

Best Bets for the 2026 Preakness Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Preakness Stakes

A well-matched field of 14 three-year-olds will run 1 3 /16 miles over the Laurel Park dirt surface in Saturday’s historic, $2 million Preakness (G1). 

2026 Preakness Stakes Picks

• #9 Iron Honor
• #10 Napoleon Solo
• #2 Ocelli
• #1 Taj Mahal

2026 Preakness Stakes Wagers

• $30 win and place #9 Iron Honor
• $10 exacta key box 9 with 1,2,10
• 50-cent trifecta 1.2,9,10 with 1,2,9,10 with all

Best longshot to bet in the 2026 Preakness Stakes

Read full analysis here: The best longshot to bet in the 2026 Preakness Stakes

While not among my top two selections, I have come around to accepting that #5 Talkin (20-1) is the longshot to keep an eye on in this Preakness. He's proven capable at hitting the board in some big events, and his best is surely yet to come.

• #5 Talkin (20-1)

Betting for every budget

Read the full analysis here: Betting the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Different Budgets

$30 Budget

• $10 win and place #9 Iron Honor ($20)
• $5 exacta box 9-10 ($10)

$60 Budget

• $1 superfecta 9 with 1,2,10 with 1,2,6,10,12 with 1,2,5,6,7,10,12 ($60)

$90 Budget

• $5 exacta key box 9 with 1,2,10 ($30)
• 50-cent trifecta 9,10 with 1,2,9,10 with 1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14 ($30)
• 50-cent superfecta 9 with 1,2,10 with 1,2,6,10,12 with 1,2,5,6,7,10,12 ($30)

$10 Beginners Bet

Read full analysis here: Best Ways for Beginners to Bet $10 on the Preakness Stakes

Win Wagers

• $5 win #9 Iron Honor ($5)
• $5 win #10 Napoleon Solo ($5)

Exacta Wager

• $5 exacta box: 9-10 ($10)

Top Horses for the 2026 Preakness Stakes Tipsheet

#9 IRON HONOR (9-2): Top pick didn’t fire in his route debut in the Wood Memorial (G2) last time out, but the son of Nyquist was excellent in two outings prior to that and will also come in with blinkers off today. The Chad Brown trainee is bred to run all day, and I expect him to take back and make a run from well off the early tempo with Flavien Prat inheriting the mount. 

Trainer: Chad Brown

Pro: Talented Gotham (G3) winner goes for two-time Preakness-winning barn.

Con: Rough trip in Wood Memorial, but finish against that crew looks shaky.

#10 NAPOLEON SOLO (8-1): Grade 1 winner has blazing early speed and has a chance at a nice price while making his third run of 2026. The Chad Summers pupil dueled through rapid splits in the Wood Memorial in his latest showing and will be formidable in the lane with a more sensible trip in his local debut. Paco Lopez will be in the irons. 

Trainer: Chad Summers

Pro: The field’s lone prior G1 winner, albeit in a modest renewal of the Champagne.

Con: Hasn’t really taken to two turns in a pair of attempts.

#2 OCELLI (6-1): Whit Beckman trainee was a fine third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and will be the one to beat with a repeat of that showing. The maiden has moved forward in a pair of runs with the hood coming off as of late, and the strong closing type figures to get a nice pace set up in the Preakness under the guidance of Tyler Gaffalione.

Trainer: Whit Beckman

Pro: Surprise third in both the Wood Memorial (G2) and Kentucky Derby (G1).

Con: Still a maiden and has finished better than third only once in seven races.

#1 TAJ MAHAL (5-1): Unbeaten son of Nyquist ran off to a commanding score in the Federico Tesio S. in his second black-type score last time and rates a big chance with further improvement on Saturday. The Brittany Russell pupil is proven over the surface and looked good going nine panels last time, indicating that the added ground will be within his scope, as well. The $525,000 yearling purchase will be sent from the break by regular pilot Sheldon Russell. 

Trainer: Brittany Russell

Pro: Local hope won Federico Tesio S. for fun and will be winging it.

Con: Faces the toughest field to date, and there’s a lot of other speed for him to deal with.

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Best Bets for the 2026 Jim McKay Turf Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Exotics Plays for the Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes

A deep cast of 11 will dash 5 1/2 panels over the Laurel Park grass in Saturday’s $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint S. 

Jim McKay Exotics Wagers

• $2 exacta key box 3 with 4,7,11 ($12)
• 50-cent trifecta 3 with 4,7,11 with all ($12)
• 50-cent trifecta 4,7,11 with 3 with all ($12)
• 50-cent superfecta box 3,4,7,11 ($12)

Top Horses for the 2026 Jeff McKay Turf

#3 Jean Valjean (5-1) is the quickest horse from the gate and could be clear in the early going of the dash for trainer Elizabeth Merryman. The seven-year-old son of Uncle Lino led in midstretch before being outfinished two back in the King T. Leatherbury S. after being off for more than 16 months, and the gelding was last seen dominating allowance runners on this oval on May 1. Jean Valjean lacks some of the accomplishments of his foes, but the chestnut is two-for-three on the surface and also for-four-seven on turf, and he will be very dangerous with a clean break from the gate. Flavien Prat picking up the mount adds to his appeal. 

#4 Chasing Liberty (3-1) just missed in the Leatherbury off the long absence and looms large second time off the shelf for Rob Atras. The Constitution colt has run well as a closing sprinter on the lawn, and I feel that he also has the ability to lay closer in the early stages, too. The four-year-old chestnut recorded a nice four-furlong drill in preparation for this tilt and will upgrade to Irad Ortiz, Jr. 

#11 Had to Have Him (8-1) is a multiple stakes winner making his second run of 2026, and he could be overlooked in the wagering for John Salzman. The Force the Pass gelding was only three lengths back under the wire in the Leatherbury S. despite having a tough trip, and the five-year-old will only improve off of that effort in this heat. The stalker will have a clear voyage throughout the event with Jevian Toledo retaining the mount. 

#7 Isivunguvungu (10-1) figures to run his best race in a reasonable spot. The eight-year-old gelding shows a long string of morning moves in advance of the contest, and if he runs to his form from a few years back, then the bay will be a major presence late with John Velazquez in the stirrups. 

TwinSpires Preakness expert picks and trackside all-access

Best Bets for the 2026 Louisville Stakes

Read the full analysis here: How to bet the 2026 Louisville Stakes

Grade 1 winner #3 Burnham Square (2-5) will lead a compact field of six postward in the $250,000 Louisville (G3) on the Churchill Downs lawn on Saturday. The 1 1/2-mile grassy marathon attracted a talented group, but there is no doubt that the race goes through the Ian Wilkes trainee. 

Louisville Wagers

• $20 exacta 3 with 1,5 ($40)
• $5 trifecta key 3 with 1,5 ($10)

Top Horses for the Louisville Stakes

#3 Burnham Square (2-5) raced on the dirt in his first nine tries and earned a pair of graded stakes victories, led by a triumph in the 2025 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland. In his sophomore finale, the gelding tried the turf for the initial time and just missed in the lucrative Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs. 

#5 Dancin in Da’Nile (12-1) ran three pretty good races marathoning on the Woodbine grass to conclude 2025 and could be second with a forward move off the shelf under Florent Geroux. The dark bay son of Pioneerof the Nile checked in third in the Singspiel (G3) in September, which preceded a fourth-place result in the Canadian International (G1) on Oct. 4 to prove his class, and he has trained well leading up to his comeback, as well. He is just 4-for-31 lifetime, but the Ontario-bred has a lot of appeal for the vertical exotics, nonetheless. 

#1 Anegada (6-1) had a tough post and a tricky trip in the Elkhorn at Keeneland last time, and while I don’t expect him to make up 16 lengths on the favorite, the son of Midshipman is much better than he displayed last time and merits top-three respect in the tilt. The bay gelding has put in a trio of good efforts from three career tries on the local sod, and the rail will allow him to receive a much better trip today after being parked in the 11 post in his latest venture. Edgar Morales will pilot the four-year-old. 

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