The 151st Preakness Stakes delivered all the drama horse racing fans could ask for, as Paco Lopez guided Napoleon Solo to a thrilling breakthrough victory at Laurel Park last Saturday. Breaking from the outside and sitting just behind the early pace set by hometown favorite Taj Mahal, Napoleon Solo stayed patient through the opening stretch before exploding into contention around the final turn. As the crowd roared and challengers closed in, Lopez timed his move to perfection, surging past the leaders and holding off a late charge from Iron Honor down the stretch to capture the prestigious Triple Crown race. The stunning win marked the first Preakness triumph for both Lopez and trainer Chad Summers, turning Napoleon Solo's gutsy late run into one of the most memorable moments of this year's racing season. Credits to the video owner.
RACE RESULT: 151st Preakness Stakes
Finish
Horse
Jockey
Trainer
Margin (Lengths)
Winnings
1
Napoleon Solo
Paco Lopez
Chad Summers
$1,200,000
2
Iron Honor
Flavien Prat
Chad C. Brown
1+¼
$400,000
3
Chip Honcho
José Ortiz
Steven M. Asmussen
4+½
$220,000
4
Ocelli
Tyler Gaffalione
D. Whitworth Beckman
7+¼
$120,000
5
Incredibolt
Jaime Torres
Riley Mott
7+½
$60,000
6
Bull by the Horns
Micah Husbands
Saffie A. Joseph Jr.
9+¾
7
The Hell We Did
Luis Saez
Todd W. Fincher
12+½
8
Great White
Alex Achard
John Ennis
13
9
Robusta
Rafael Bejarano
Doug O'Neill
13+¼
10
Taj Mahal
Sheldon Russell
Brittany T. Russell
13+¾
11
Corona de Oro
John R. Velazquez
Dallas Stewart
17+¾
12
Talkin
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Danny Gargan
19+½
13
Crupper
Junior Alvarado
Donnie K. Von Hemel
21+¼
14
Pretty Boy Miah
Ricardo Santana Jr.
Jeremiah C. Inglehart
43
Track condition: Fast
Times: ¼ mile – 22.66; ½ mile – 46.66; ¾ mile – 1:12.08; mile – 1:38.55; final – 1:58.69.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (22.66) (24.00) (25:42) (26.47) (20.14 for final 3⁄16)[6]
Track condition: Fast
Times: ¼ mile – 22.66; ½ mile – 46.66; ¾ mile – 1:12.08; mile – 1:38.55; final – 1:58.69.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (22.66) (24.00) (25:42) (26.47) (20.14 for final 3⁄16)[6]
RACE REPLAY: 2026 Kentucky Derby
May 2, 2026
The 2026 Kentucky Derby delivered a moment for the history books at Churchill Downs, where Golden Tempo stormed down the stretch to capture the Run for the Roses in a winning time of 2:02.27. In front of a roaring crowd on May 2, the colt surged past the field with a powerful late kick, turning the final turn into a breathtaking charge toward immortality. But the victory meant even more beyond the finish line—trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner, shattering one of horse racing's longest-standing barriers in unforgettable fashion. As Golden Tempo crossed the wire beneath the iconic Twin Spires, the triumph instantly became more than just a Derby victory—it became a landmark moment in sports history. Credits to the video owner.
RACE RESULT: 152nd Kentucky Derby
Finish
Horse
Trainer
Jockey
Margin (lengths)
Winnings
1
Golden Tempo
Cherie DeVaux
José Ortiz
$3,100,000
2
Renegade
Todd Pletcher
Irad Ortiz Jr.
Neck
$1,000,000
3
Ocelli
Whit Beckman
Tyler Gaffalione
1
$500,000
4
Chief Wallabee
Bill Mott
Junior Alvarado
3
$250,000
5
Danon Bourbon
Manabu Ikezoe
Atsuya Nishimura
3
$150,000
6
Incredibolt
Riley Mott
Jaime Torres
4
7
Commandment
Brad Cox
Luis Saez
5+¼
8
Wonder Dean
Daisuke Takayanagi
Ryusei Sakai
7+¼
9
So Happy
Mark Glatt
Mike Smith
7+½
10
Emerging Market
Chad Brown
Flavien Prat
7+¾
11
Further Ado
Brad Cox
John Velazquez
7+¾
12
Potente
Bob Baffert
Juan Hernandez
8+¼
13
Six Speed
Bhupat Seemar
Brian Hernandez Jr.
17+¼
14
Robusta
Doug O'Neill
Cristian Torres
17+½
15
Albus
Riley Mott
Manny Franco
20+¼
16
Intrepido
Jeff Mullins
Hector Berrios
33+½
17
Litmus Test
Bob Baffert
Martin Garcia
37+½
18
Pavlovian
Doug O'Neill
Edwin Maldonado
48+½
Right to Party
Kenny McPeek
Christopher Elliott
The Puma
Gustavo Delgado
Javier Castellano
Silent Tactic
Mark Casse
Cristian Torres
Fulleffort
Brad Cox
Tyler Gaffalione
Great White
John Eniss
Alex Achard
Corona de Oro
Dallas Stewart
Brian Hernandez Jr.
Track condition: Fast
Times: ¼ mile – 22.68; ½ mile – 46.44; ¾ mile – 1:10.90; mile – 1:36.45; final – 2:02.27.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (23.76) (24.46) (25.55) (25.82) (25.82)
Racing Bet Types
All variations of Basic Horse Racing bet types stem from the premise that you will receive payouts based on the first, second, third and fourth place finishers.
Straight, Single or Win Wager This is the simplest and most common horse wager. You wager on a race winner at given odds. You collect if your chosen horse is the first to cross the finish line.
Place A place wager is a wager on a horse to finish either first or second. This means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first or second.
Show A show wager is a wager on a horse to finish either first, second or third. This means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first, second or third.
Combination Bet Combinations cover from two to four horses to cross the finish line in a chosen order.
Pick 3 This wager requires the player to pick the winners of three consecutive races. Some race tracks have a rolling pick 3 which is when the player must pick three races in a row and it continues for the next three races.
Pick 6 This wager requires the player to select the winner of six consecutive races prior to the first race of the pick six. Some tracks place the pick six as the first six races, the middle six races, or the last six races. Many tracks have carry over pools for the pick six that can grow to as high as a million dollars.
The Daily Double The daily double is a wager on the winner of the first and second race. You win if you pick the winner of the first and second race. Your bet must be placed before the start of the first race.
Quiniela You win if you pick two horses that finish first and second, in either order, in any single race.
Quiniela Double Quiniela Double is a combination bet of two winning quinielas in the last two races. Select two horses to win and place, in either order, in each of the last two races. You must win both quinielas to win your Quiniela Double.
Perfecta, Exacta or Exactor The Perfecta is similar to the Quiniela, except the two horses must finish in the exact order.
Trifecta or Triactor Pick the first three horses to cross the finish line in exact order.
Superfecta The straight superfecta is played by picking the first four horses to finish in exact order.
Here are simple angles that you should watch out for. Carefullly consider these angles, utilize them today where they make sense, and have fun developing your own set of angles that work for you.
Fresh Off the Stable
Some horses run well after an extended period of rest, and some trainers excel with this move, too, getting a horse ready to run one big effort after resting for an extended period of time. If a horse is running off of an extended rest (also known as a 'layoff'), this angle should be considered.
Two ways to look for this angle:
Take a look back at a horse's previous efforts running off of a layoff. Did he win or run better than he did in races when he had less rest? If so, then consider betting on him today.
Take a look at the trainer angle section. Does this trainer excel with horses running off of layoffs? If that's the case, you may want to play this horse today.
TLC (Tender Loving Care)
It's only logical that horses will show improvement on the race track when moved to a new trainer who conditions his horses in different and sometimes more effective ways than the trainer who previously conditioned the horse or greyhound.
There are two good ways to clue you in to this angle: In claiming races, compare the winning percentage of the current trainer to the previous one. When a horse is claimed, past performances will show you the winning percentages for the year for the last trainer and the new one.
If the new trainer is having a considerably better year than the previous one (let's say the new trainer has 16 percent wins and the old one only had 5 percent wins), then you can upgrade the horse's chances with the new trainer. The trainer stats at the bottom of each past performance give you crucial data about whether a new trainer succeeds with horses moving into his or her barn.
Some horses just love certain racetracks and aren't nearly as successful elsewhere. A great example is Lemon Drop Kid, who won the Futurity at Belmont as a 2-year-old but never threatened in subsequent stakes races in Kentucky. When he returned home to Belmont he ran a huge race and won the Belmont Stakes at 29-1! Lemon Drop Kid was a horse for the course. He loved Belmont Park. If you see a horse that shows a particularly strong record at today's track, take note because he may be a horse for the course.
The Surface Switch
Some horses excel going from turf to dirt, or vice versa. Why? Turf is sometimes a less jarring surface than dirt. Therefore, if a horse has been racing on turf while his competition has been slaving away on dirt, the turf horse that is back on the dirt might have an advantage. And some horses excel going from dirt to turf because they prefer the more forgiving nature of the grass.
Just What the Doctor Ordered
Treatment with Lasix sometimes leads to a dramatically improved performance from a horse. The medication is prescribed when a horse has bled. Bleeding is a result of the rupturing of tiny blood vessels in the lungs, which is usually caused from overexertion in a horse's previous race.
Below are some hints you can use when it comes to Lasix:
If you're looking for the big improvement with a horse running on Lasix for the first time, it's best if you see a solid workout since his last race. This indicates the horse may be training well on Lasix and should be ready to 'pop' first time out on this medication.
Sometimes horses will show big improvement on Lasix when running on the medication for the second time. If the horse didn't show big improvement first time on the medication, second time Lasix can be an interesting angle, too! Always look at the DRF Trainer Stats at the bottom of each past performance to see if a trainer has a positive history with horses running First-Time Lasix.
If they've won 15 to 20 percent or more with their horses adding Lasix for the first time, this is a very positive sign that the horse's performance should improve with the addition of Lasix.
Horses adding Lasix for the first time who are 2- 3- or 4-yearsolds, or are that age and coming over from Europe for the first time, are more likely to 'pop' first time on Lasix than older horses.
The Distance Specialist
Some horses just love certain distances. Others have the ability to handle tricky distances that many horses struggle with. For example, when you see a horse running a marathon distance of 1 1/2 miles, you should understand that 1 1/2 miles is a distance that many horses just can't handle. Fortunately, race cards provide this crucial distance data in the career box. This data helps you find horses that have previously excelled at tricky distances such as 1 1/2 miles.
If you see a horse that shows a particularly strong record at the distance on that surface, take note - he may be a distance specialist.
A Racecard is a printed program containing details about a race meeting. It usually lists the scheduled races, the names of the horses, and other pertinent race information. A racecard helps bettors make an informed betting choice. Move your mouse over the sample racecard below to view a description of the information presented.
The purse is the prize money that is split between the owner, trainer and jockey and possibly others in the winning group. Prize money is also distributed, on a sliding scale, to those finishing in the first few places.
Distance
Flat races are usually run at distances from 5 to 12 furlongs. A furlong is one eighth of a mile or 0.2 km.
Program Number
This is the race number.
Morning Line Odds
The horse's odds at the start of the day. This changes as the day progresses and more bets are placed.
Saddle Cloth Color
This is included to help the spectators and bettors identify their horses at a distance.
Post Position
The position assigned to the horse in the starting gate.
Horse Name
Owners often use a name that stands out and is easily recalled by bettors. This is done since the horse's name is often used by many neophyte bettors to select their bet.
Horse Color
The major colors are bay, chestnut, black, brown, white, gray, pinto (patches of brown, white and black), buckskin, dun, and roan.
Sex
Contains an abbreviation of the horse's sex - c: colt; f: filly; h: thoroughbred age of 5 or older; g: gelding.
Age
All horses count January 1 as their birth date. Individual horses mature at different ages. Most horses reach mental maturity at around seven or eight years old, when their behavior generally becomes calmer and more accepting.
Sire & Dam
The names of the horse's parents. The dam's sire is often included.
This data is useful for bettors to determine possible horse performance through lineage.
Breeder
The person who handled the horse's upbringing.
Weight
The amount of weight, including the jockey, which the horse will carry.
Many jockeys are on strict diets so they can 'make the weight' for their rides.
Claiming Price
The Claiming Price is the price at which the horse is available for sale to a qualified buyer.
As not all horses are competitors in stakes level races, racing in the claiming ranks gives the opportunity to race against horses of similar caliber.
Thus, for example, when a horse easily wins against $5,000 claimers, he may be moved up in value to avoid his being claimed.
More prominent tracks would generally feature horses of higher value.
Claiming Prices vary from $5,000 to $150,000 depending on the track.
Trainer
The trainer is responsible for getting the horse in perfect shape for race day.
Owner
The owner pays for a horse's training, and is eager to receive a return on his investments.
Jockey
The rider has a massive part to play in a big race.
His ability to guide the horse in the race often spells the difference between victory and defeat.
Jockey's Silks
The rider's silks differentiate one mount from another, and are crucial to viewers who want to distinguish which horse they have backed.
The variations can include spots, hoops, stars and stripes.
A more recent innovation is the use of a sponsors' logo.
This section includes a breakdown of the horse's racing results during the current year, during his lifetime, under wet track conditions, on the same distance and on the same track. It also lists the horse's previous earnings.
It also contains the horse class rating which is a mark that is based on the horse's speed in previous races, with emphasis placed on recent performance and races run at today's distance. It's usually a number between 50.0 and 100.0.
Summary of Races & Performance
This section is usually found on the lower portion of a horse's slot on a racecard and contains a performance summary of the horse's most recent races. It includes the following:
Date, track and race number
Race Distance - expressed in terms of miles and furlongs
Track Condition - tracks may be wet fast (wf), fast (ft), good (gd), slow (sl), wet slow (ws), rain affected (ra) and others
Type of Race - races may be maiden race (Mdn), starter race (Str), claiming race (Clm), allowance race (Alw), or stakes race (Stk).
Purse Amount - the race prize
Pace Figure - a speed rating averaged over several points of call
Points of Call - horse times, positions and distance from the leader at the First Call, Second Call, Third Call and Stretch Call
Final Position - the horse's position at the finish; the number usually contains a whole number and a mixed numeral -- the whole number denotes the horse's order of finish while the mixed numeral denotes the measurement of lengths behind the winner
Jockey's name - the jockey that rode the horse in the race
Final Odds - the horse's odds at the start of the race
Speed Figure - this is a comparison of the horse's time with the best time at the distance at that track in the last three years
Company Line - the first, second and third-place horses in the race and the margins separating each one
Comments - the horse's performance as written by a chart caller; the highlights are on the trouble encountered in the race and how he finished
