Preakness Stakes Horse: Ocelli Odds, History, and Predictions

The Preakness Stakes happens Saturday, May 16. For the first and only time ever, the middle race of the Triple Crown will be at Laurel Park while Pimlico, its usual Baltimore home, is rebuilt. Post time Saturday for this wide-open Preakness Stakes is set for 7:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Ocelli is one of three Kentucky Derby runners entered in the Preakness Stakes, and the top finisher of the group. Even though the bay colt trained by Whit Beckman is the only maiden in the Preakness Stakes field – and was the only maiden in the Derby, too – he crossed the wire third, just a length behind Golden Tempo. Should Ocelli win the 2026 Preakness Stakes, he would become the seventh horse to break his maiden in the race – but the first in the Preakness winners’ circle since Refund in 1888.

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Ocelli Preakness Stakes Odds and Post Positions

Ocelli is the 6-1 fifth choice of 14 on the morning line for the Preakness Stakes – still not expected to be far behind 9-2 morning-line favorite Iron Honor in the market. Despite his lack of a win, his strong performance on the first Saturday in May was enough to guarantee a lot of betting interest, between the fact that he ran like a horse who may appreciate the slight turn back in distance and the fact that, once again, he’ll get a lively pace to chase.

The 2026 Preakness Stakes drew a full field of 14, the largest Preakness field since 2011. These are the post positions, entrants, trainers, and morning-line odds released at Monday’s draw:

Ocelli Horse Trainer and Jockey

Ocelli is trained by Whit Beckman, a former assistant to Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, who went on to start his own stable in 2021. He will be Beckman’s first Preakness starter. However, Beckman has started horses in both other legs of the Triple Crown. Ocelli is the only horse to hit the board among his three Kentucky Derby starters. He has also run one horse in the Belmont, 2024 fourth-place finisher Honor Marie.

Tyler Gaffalione, Ocelli’s jockey for the Kentucky Derby, keeps the mount for the Preakness. Gaffalione has competed in the Preakness Stakes four times between 2019 and 2024. He rode War of Will to victory in 2019 for trainer Mark Casse.

Ocelli Race History

Ocelli started his career with a third-place finish in a 6 ½-furlong maiden sprint at Churchill last November. He improved when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles for his next two starts in maiden special weights at Fair Grounds, rallying for second, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in a December race and finishing third, beaten by the same margin in January. After that, he has run in three Preakness Stakes points races. He finished a well-beaten sixth in both the Sam F. Davis in February and the Virginia Derby in March, but rallied from near the rear to finish third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Albus, in the Wood Memorial. That earned Ocelli 25 qualification points and a spot on the also-eligible list.

Enough horses scratched for Ocelli to get into the race, and he went off the biggest longshot in the Kentucky Derby at 70-1. His connections believed he belonged against the best horses, though, and he proved that on Derby day: he rallied from well off the pace, led in the final furlong, and crossed the wire behind only Golden Tempo and Renegade.

Speed ratings are courtesy of Equibase.

Ocelli Preakness Stakes Prediction and Pick

Ocelli’s pedigree suggested some potential to stretch out for the Run for the Roses – though sire Connect doesn’t have the most stamina among the progeny of elite stamina sire Curlin, he has produced some long-distance turf horses, and the family of his dam Zalia (Scat Daddy) has a mix of short- and long-distance form. The way he fell just short in the Kentucky Derby, though, suggests that the slight turn back in distance for the Preakness should suit him nicely.

One thing that raises concern is the draw. The post near the inside, gate 2, could cause some early trip trouble for Ocelli, and might put him in a spot where finding room to rally could get difficult. Given his late-running style, there’s somewhat less chance for the post to wreak as much havoc as it would if he needed to be more forward, but there’s still more of a chance of a snarl than there would be from a middle or even outside posts.

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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.