2026 Preakness Jockeys: What You Need to Know

The 2026 Preakness Stakes happens at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, on Saturday, May 16, 2025. The race historically happens at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, but with the race’s historic home being rebuilt, it’s taking a one-year detour to Laurel before returning to its renewed home for 2027.

The Preakness is the second jewel of the Triple Crown. The race is wide open, especially since Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is being routed to the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga for his next start. The race will be an excellent betting opportunity, with a full field of 14 entered. Morning-line favorite Iron Honor is 9-2, and five of the 14 horses are between 9-2 and 6-1 on the line.

There are a lot of things to consider when handicapping the Preakness, including the horse, the trainers, and any breaking news about the field. But, another great way to get an edge is to know everything you can about the jockeys in the field.

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Preakness Stakes Jockeys

These are the jockeys who will be riding in the 2026 Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, including key facts about their riding careers and how they have fared in the Preakness Stakes, the Kentucky Derby, and the Belmont Stakes.

Post 1: Taj Mahal, jockey Sheldon Russell, 5-1 ML

Sheldon Russell, the Laurel local in the 2026 Preakness, has ridden the undefeated Taj Mahal in all three of his starts. He rallied from last after a slow start to win on debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint in February. Russell rode Taj Mahal to a hard-fought frontrunning win in the one-mile Miracle Wood on February 21. About two months later, he rode Taj Mahal to a gate-to-wire win in the Federico Tesio –- a race where Taj Mahal opened up a yawning lead, let the field come back to him, then rolled away to win by 8 ½ lengths in the end.

Sheldon Russell has been riding since late 2006 and has won over 1,800 races in that time. Though he still seeks his first Grade 1 race, he has won eight times at the graded-stakes level, including a victory in the 2024 Carter (G2) with Post Time. He also finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with Post Time, the best horse yet trained by his wife, Brittany Russell. Brittany Russell also trains Taj Mahal.

This will be Sheldon Russell’s fourth time riding in the Preakness. His highest finish in three tries came with Chase the Chaos, who was fifth in 2023. The only time he started in a Triple Crown race outside of Maryland came in 2012 when he rode Done Talking to a 14th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Post 2: Ocelli, jockey Tyler Gaffalione, 6-1 ML

Tyler Gaffalione partnered with the maiden Ocelli for the first time in the Kentucky Derby. Though Ocelli didn’t win, the partnership worked out much better than many expected: Gaffalione guided the longest shot on the board to make a run from near the rear, they led late, and only crossed the wire a length behind Golden Tempo, finishing third. A similar trip could very well be the winning one in the Preakness as well, with a lot of early speed entered.

Gaffalione has been riding since 2014, and earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey in 2015. His success has continued into his journeyman days; he has been in the top 10 jockeys in the country by earnings every year since 2019. Gaffalione has won at the Grade 1 level 35 times in his career, most recently on Kentucky Derby day when he upset the Derby City Distaff (G1) with R Disaster.

This will be the fourth Preakness ride for Gaffalione. His best outing so far was his very first: in 2019, he rode War of Will. Coming off a troubled sixth in the Kentucky Derby two weeks before, War of Will and Gaffalione came back with a vengeance, capturing the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

Gaffalione has ridden in the Kentucky Derby eight times, hitting the board twice. Those money finishes came in his two most recent rides: he was second with Sierra Leone in 2024 and then third this year with his Preakness mount Ocelli. Gaffalione has only ridden in the Belmont twice so far, finishing ninth with War of Will in 2019 and then sixth in 2024 with Protective.

Post 3: Crupper, jockey Junior Alvarado, 30-1 ML

Junior Alvarado rides Crupper for the second time in the Preakness. Though Abel Cedillo had been his regular rider through his first five starts, Alvarado took over the reins April 18 for the Bathhouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn, a 1 ⅛-mile race that offers a guaranteed Preakness bid. Alvarado got him to the front despite a troubled start and kept him going to win by half a length.

Alvarado has been riding since 2007 and has won over 2,350 races in that time. In recent years, he has been riding first-call for trainer Bill Mott, which has launched him into the horse racing spotlight. His 32 Grade 1 wins include four at the Breeders’ Cup, all for Mott: the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in both 2022 and 2023 with Cody’s Wish, the 2023 Juvenile fillies with Just F Y I, and the 2025 Distaff with Scylla.

The only Triple Crown race Alvarado has yet to win is the Preakness Stakes. He has only ridden in the second jewel of the Triple Crown twice before this year: he was fourth with Zetterholm in 2012 and fifth with Skippylongstocking in 2022.

Alvarado has won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont once each – in 2025 with the biggest star currently in Mott’s barn, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty. He has ridden in the Kentucky Derby seven times so far; aside from his win with Sovereignty, his best finishes have been a pair of fourths with Mohaymen in 2016 and Chief Wallabee this year. In three Belmont Stakes starts before his 2025 triumph, his best finish was sixth, with Unstoppable U in 2012.

Post 4: Robusta, jockey Rafael Bejarano, 30-1 ML

Rafael Bejarano takes the reins for the first time on Robusta for the Preakness. The son of Accelerate had been ridden by three jockeys in his six starts before the Preakness, most recently Cristian Torres, who rode him to a 14th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Bejarano began his career in Peru before beginning to ride in the United States, and has amassed over 4,600 victories since beginning to ride in North America. He has won five times at the Breeders’ Cup, including two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with Goldencents – trained by Doug O’Neill, who also conditions his 2026 Preakness mount. Bejarano has won 61 Grade 1 races in his lifetime, though his last one came in 2020, when he won the Clark (G1) with fan favorite Bodexpress.

Despite the length of his career, this will only be Bejarano’s fourth Preakness ride and his first since 2009. His best finish in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown came in 2005, when he rode Sun King to a fourth-place finish.

Bejarano has ridden in the Kentucky Derby 13 times, most recently in 2023. His best finish in the Run for the Roses so far came in 2009 with Papa Clem, who was fourth behind Mine That Bird. Bejarano’s best Triple Crown success so far has come in the Belmont Stakes. He has only ridden in the Test of the Champion three times – but those rides include a runner-up finish in 2005 with Andromeda’s Hero and a third-place finish in 2007 with Sunriver.

Post 5: Talkin, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., 20-1 ML

Irad Ortiz, Jr. takes the reins on Talkin for the first time in the Preakness Stakes. Talkin, trained by Danny Gargan, was ridden by Kendrick Carmouche in his three starts as a juvenile and was ridden by Joel Rosario in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and the Blue Grass (G1) earlier this year.

Ortiz is one of the most successful jockeys in the game, with five Eclipse Awards for outstanding jockey between 2018 and 2023. In a riding career that dates back to 2011, Ortiz has won 117 times at the top level, most recently with Rhetorical in the Turf Classic (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard in 2026.

Ortiz has ridden in the Preakness Stakes seven times before. Though he still seeks his first victory in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, he has piloted the runner-up twice. He rode Midnight Bourbon to a second-place finish behind Rombauer in 2021, and Blazing Sevens to a second-place finish behind National Treasure in 2023.

Ortiz still seeks his first Kentucky Derby win, though he had his best result yet in 2026. In his 10th Kentucky Derby mount, he overcame a rail draw and a troubled trip with Renegade, who he rode to a close second-place finish – a neck behind Golden Tempo, a horse ridden by his younger brother Jose.

In the Belmont, however, Ortiz has shined bright. In 11 starts in the third and final jewel of the Triple Crown, he has won twice: with Creator in 2016 and Mo Donegal in 2022. He has also finished second three times with Dr Post in 2020, Forte in 2023, and Mindframe in 2024.

Post 6: Chip Honcho, jockey Jose Ortiz, 5-1 ML

Jose Ortiz is drawn right next to his younger brother Irad in the Preakness, taking the reins on Chip Honcho. Ortiz has ridden Chip Honcho in just one of his six starts: a wire-to-wire maiden win going a mile in the mud at Churchill Downs in November of last year. Through much of Chip Honcho’s career, Jose Ortiz was actually riding one of his rivals on the Louisiana spur of the Kentucky Derby trail: eventual Derby winner Golden Tempo.

A professional rider since 2012, Jose Ortiz has won over 3,500 races and earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2017. He has 69 Grade 1 victories on his ledger – most recently the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby double in 2026 with Always a Runner and Golden Tempo.

Jose Ortiz has ridden in the Preakness six times so far. Though he has run off the board with five of his six Preakness runners, his fifth time in the race yielded his first Preakness winner: he guided lightly-raced Early Voting to victory for Chad Brown in 2022.

Ortiz has ridden in the Kentucky Derby 11 times – winning once, in thrilling come-from-behind fashion with Golden Tempo in 2026, a neck ahead of his brother Irad on Renegade. He also finished second with Good Magic in 2018 and third with Tacitus in 2019.

Ortiz has won the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, once in his nine tries. That victory came in 2017 with Tapwrit. He has ridden the runner-up in the Belmont three times as well: Gronkowski in 2018, Tacitus in 2019, and Nest in 2022.

Post 7: The Hell We Did, jockey Luis Saez, 15-1 ML

Luis Saez will ride The Hell We Did for the second time in the Preakness. He first rode the son of Authentic in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, where they prompted the pace but were outkicked in the final furlong, crossing the wire second, 2 ¼ lengths behind Trendsetter.

Coming from Panama to start riding in the United States in 2009, Saez has emerged as one of the nation’s best riders. He has been in the top 10 in earnings every year since 2015 and the top 10 in wins every year since 2017. He has 47 Grade 1 wins in his career, most recently on Kentucky Oaks day when he rode Shred the Gnar to victory in the La Troienne (G1).

Saez has only ridden in the second jewel of the Triple Crown four times before. Though he has not won yet, he has ridden the runner-up twice, both times on long shots. He guided Bravazo to a second-place finish behind eventual Triple Crown champion Justify in 2018, and also almost gave Journalism the slip on Gosger in 2025, finishing second by half a length after a heroic late run from the favorite to catch him.

At Churchill Downs, Saez has finished in the top three once in 13 starts in the Kentucky Derby. That happened in 2021 with Essential Quality, who crossed the wire a close fourth but was placed third after the disqualification of Medina Spirit. Essential Quality is the same horse who gave Saez his first Triple Crown race victory – in the 2021 Belmont Stakes. In eight starts in the Test of the Champion, he has won one other time as well, in 2024 with Dornoch. His other money finish in the Belmont came in 2023, when he rode Tapit Trice to a third-place finish.

Post 8: Bull by the Horns, jockey Micah Husbands, 30-1 ML

Micah Husbands has ridden Bull by the Horns in three of his five career starts – all three that he has made at Gulfstream. Those include a third-place finish on debut, his maiden win, and then a seventh-place finish behind Commandment in the Fountain of Youth. John Velazquez rode him to his last-out win in the Rushaway at Turfway, but Velazquez has the call on Corona de Oro in the Preakness.

Barbadian-Canadian jockey Micah Husbands, nephew of Woodbine mainstay Patrick Husbands, has won 132 races since beginning to ride in North America in 2022. That includes four victories at the graded-stakes level. All of his graded wins have come this year – including one at the top level, with Claret Beret in the Apple Blossom (G1). She is trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who also conditions Bull by the Horns.

This will be Micah Husbands’ first ride in any Triple Crown race.

Post 9: Iron Honor, jockey Flavien Prat, 9-2 ML

Flavien Prat will ride Iron Honor, the favorite in the morning-line odds for the Preakness, for the first time in this race. Manny Franco had been in the irons for the horse’s three previous starts. Though Prat hasn’t ridden this horse yet, he has ridden many high-profile horses for Brown, including Emerging Market, Brown’s only entrant in the Kentucky Derby on May 2.

Prat has been the best big-race rider in recent years. In 2024, he set new records for stakes wins (82) and graded-stakes wins (56) in a single year, and won his first Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey. Prat was once again unstoppable in big races in 2025, earning another Eclipse Award for his performances.

The 2026 Preakness Stakes will be Prat’s fourth. His Preakness debut came in 2021 with Rombauer, who rallied to a 3 ½-length upset over Midnight Bourbon and Medina Spirit for trainer Michael McCarthy. In his second Preakness ride, with Catching Freedom in 2024, he rallied for third behind Seize the Grey and Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. In 2025, he rode lightly-raced Goal Oriented to a fourth-place finish behind Journalism.

Prat has also seen success in the other Triple Crown races. He has ridden in the Kentucky Derby nine times, finishing in the top three in six of those outings. His one win came in 2019 with 65-1 outsider Country House, who rallied late and was put up to first after Maximum Security was taken down for interference. In this year’s Kentucky Derby, Prat finished 10th with Emerging Market, a horse making only his third start. Though Prat has yet to win the Belmont, he has never been worse than fourth in five starts, with his best finish when Hot Rod Charlie was runner-up behind Essential Quality in 2021.

Post 10: Napoleon Solo, jockey Paco Lopez, 8-1 ML

Paco Lopez rode Napoleon Solo for the first time in the horse’s fourth and most recent start, April 4 in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct. Lopez put the horse on the lead, where he set a sharp and pressured pace. He was in contention until upper stretch, but flattened a bit to finish fifth behind Albus, beaten 2 ¾ lengths.

Lopez, the Eclipse Award winner for top apprentice of 2008, has been race-riding since 2007 and won over 4,400 races in that time. He has won 111 graded-stakes races over that time, including nine at the top level. His most recent win at the top level came last year in the Forego (G1), when he rode Book’em Danno. Lopez is the champion sprinter’s regular rider.

Lopez will be riding the Preakness for just the second time in 2026. In his only previous Preakness ride, he finished fifth with Max Player in 2020. Lopez has ridden in the Kentucky Derby twice, with his best finish so far being an eighth-place with Ny Traffic, also in 2020. In his only Belmont mount so far, Lopez was eighth with Gettysburg in 2016.

Post 11: Corona de Oro, jockey John Velazquez, 30-1 ML

John Velazquez rides Corona de Oro for the first time in the 2026 Preakness Stakes. The horse had been ridden by Brian Hernandez, Jr. in four of his five starts so far, including his maiden win and his third-place finish in the Lexington (G3); the only other rider to be in the irons with the Dallas Stewart trainee had been Julien Leparoux, who rode second out.

Even though this is Velazquez’s first ride on Corona de Oro, he is a Hall of Fame rider and one of the most experienced jockeys in the game. After attending jockey school in Puerto Rico, Velazquez began riding in the contiguous 48 states in 1990 and has won virtually every major race there is to win. He has won two Eclipse Awards for outstanding jockey, in 2004 and 2005. He has won over 6,800 races in North America, including 238 at the Grade 1 level, most recently the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Ted Noffey.

Velazquez has ridden the Preakness 14 times. It took him 13 tries to win the Preakness, but he got there in 2023 when he rode National Treasure to frontrunning victory in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. He had previously finished second three times: with Animal Kingdom in 2011, Itsmyluckyday in 2013, and Authentic in 2020.

In the Kentucky Derby, Velazquez has guided his mount to the blanket of roses three times in 27 starts. He won his first Derby in his 13th try with Animal Kingdom in 2011. He also won the race with Always Dreaming in 2017 and Authentic in 2020. He crossed the wire first once more with Medina Spirit in 2021, though the horse was disqualified after a positive post-race test. Velazquez has 27 starts in the Belmont Stakes, a race he has won twice. He rode Rags to Riches to a thrilling score over Curlin in 2007, and returned to the winners’ circle in the Test of the Champion with Union Rags in 2012.

Post 12: Incredibolt, jockey Jaime Torres, 5-1 ML

It’s not often that a jockey goes from getting the idea to go to jockey school to becoming a Classic-winning rider in less than four years, but that’s the trajectory Jaime Torres took. He watched Authentic win the 2020 Kentucky Derby, learned to ride, worked as an exercise rider for Saffie Joseph, started riding races, and won the 2024 Preakness with Seize the Grey – in his first ever start in any Grade 1 race. He has won a second Grade 1 race in the meantime – the 2024 Preakness, also with Seize the Grey.

That opened more doors for him, and he has gotten good mounts in the ensuing years – including his 2026 Preakness mount Incredibolt, who he has ridden for trainer Riley Mott in all six of his career races. Torres has ridden Incredibolt to three wins in six starts, including the Street Sense (G3) at age two and the Virginia Derby at three. Torres has been able to win with Incredibolt from a stalking spot or from further off the pace, a good dimension to have in a speed-laden Preakness.

Torres rode Incredibolt to a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby this year, in his first-ever ride in the Run for the Roses. They settled well off the pace, Torres had to swing around a long line of horses in upper stretch, and they chased on honestly to be beaten just four lengths.

Torres has ridden in the Belmont Stakes just once before. He was seventh in the 2024 edition with Seize the Grey.

Post 13: Great White, jockey Alex Achard, 15-1 ML

Alex Achard has been Great White’s rider for his whole four-race career. He was in the irons for his debut maiden win, a chasing fifth in the Leonatus at Turfway, his stalk-and-pounce victory in the John Battaglia Memorial there, as well as his fifth-place finish on April 4 in the Blue Grass (G1). Achard was in the irons to ride Great White in the Kentucky Derby, but was unseated when he flipped behind the gate. Achard and Great White escaped unscathed, and they return in two weeks for the Preakness.

Achard began riding in France, but relocated to the United States in 2018 to ride regularly stateside. He has won 320 races in that time, including three at the graded-stakes level. His one victory at the top level so far came in 2021, when he rode In Love to victory in the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1).

The 2026 Preakness will be Achard’s first start in a Triple Crown race.

Post 14: Pretty Boy Miah, jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., 15-1 ML

Pretty Boy Miah had Manny Franco aboard for his first two starts, both in maiden company. Ricardo Santana, Jr. switched into the saddle for his third start, a maiden special weight at Aqueduct in March, and the Jeremiah Englehart-trained son of Beau Liam has hit another gear. He broke his maiden the first time Santana rode, battling on the pace before opening up to win by 6 ½ lengths. Santana and Pretty Boy Miah followed it up with a win in starter-optional claiming company on April 25 at Aqueduct, once again battling on the pace before opening up to win by daylight.

Originally from Panama, Santana came to the United States after attending jockey school and has been riding here since 2009. He has ridden over 2,150 winners since then, including 94 at the graded-stakes level and 25 at the Grade 1 level. Those top-level wins include two at the Breeders’ Cup: he won the Sprint with Mitole in 2019 and the Juvenile Turf with long shot Fire at Will in 2020.

Santana will be riding in the Preakness for the fourth time in 2026. His best finish came in his first try in the race, when he was third behind eventual Triple Crown winner Justify with long shot Tenfold in 2018. That is the first and so far only time he has hit the board in a Triple Crown race.

In the Kentucky Derby, Santana has ridden eight times. His best finish to date came in 2020, when he was fifth with Max Player. Santana has ridden three times in the third and final jewel of the Triple Crown. His best Belmont Stakes finish so far came in 2020, when he was fourth behind Tiz the Law with Pneumatic.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.