Most horses that flip at the gate in the Kentucky Derby tunnel simply disappear from the Triple Crown conversation. Great White is not most horses. The big gray Volatile gelding went from a dramatic last-minute scratch at Churchill Downs to a confirmed Preakness entry in a matter of days, and trainer John Ennis is not showing any hesitation. If you have been tracking the Preakness Stakes board, this horse is worth a hard look before the field loads at Laurel Park.
Here is everything you need to know about Great White's 2026 Preakness Stakes odds, post position, jockey, and trainer heading into the 151st running of the middle jewel.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Horse | Great White |
| Sire | Volatile |
| Owner | Three Chimneys Farm |
| Trainer | John Ennis |
| Jockey | Alex Achard |
| Post Position | 13 |
| Morning Line Odds | 15-1 |
| Race | 151st Preakness Stakes, Pimlico Race Course |
| Previous Start | Scratched, 2026 Kentucky Derby (gate flip) |
Check live Preakness odds at US Racing as the pool develops through race week. Morning lines move, and a horse like Great White at 15-1 can drift or firm significantly depending on how the public processes the Derby gate story.
Let's be direct. Post 13 is not where you want to break from if you need to find an early position. But Great White is not a horse that needs an early position. He is a closer, and for a closer in a big field with pace likely to be honest up front, the outside draw is a different conversation than it would be for a stalker or a presser.
The concern is ground loss in the first turn and having to ask Achard to make a wide sweeping move to stay in contention. A closer from post 13 is going to spot the field a significant amount of ground early, and at Laurel Park's 1 3/16 miles, that gap has to be made up somewhere. If the pace scenario sets up with multiple speed horses grinding each other down through the first half, the trip could work out. If the pace is contested but not truly brutal, the wide run from 13 may cost Great White exactly the margin he needs at the wire.
That said, trip handicappers have seen plenty of big field Preakness winners unwind from the outside when the pace collapsed. It is not a deal-breaker. It is a risk factor that should be priced into your ticket construction, not into whether you use the horse at all. For deeper handicapping stakes races analysis, US Racing has you covered throughout the Triple Crown season.
John Ennis is not a name that rolls off the tongue the way Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher does when you are building a ticket. But what Ennis did in the days between the Derby scratch and the Preakness entry is the kind of detail sharp bettors should not ignore. He personally got in the saddle and bred Great White at The Thoroughbred Center near Lexington. Trainers do not do that unless they have a specific feel they are trying to confirm. He came off that work saying the gelding had multiple gears and was responsive throughout. That is a trainer speaking with confidence, not hedging his entry.
Alex Achard retains the mount after being thrown at Churchill Downs. That continuity matters. Achard knows this horse, knows his quirks at the gate, and the fact that he is back in the irons signals that the connections are not running scared from the Derby incident. You can track current jockey performance numbers at the jockey leaders board and trainer stats at the trainer leaders page to put Ennis and Achard's current form in context.
Three Chimneys Farm has the resources and the patience to manage a horse through a situation like this. The decision to point directly to the Preakness rather than give Great White a longer freshening tells you they believe he is ready right now.
The honest answer is: it depends on how much weight you give the gate-flip incident from the Kentucky Derby entries day. If you believe the flip was a one-time behavioral event triggered by the Churchill environment and crowd noise, and Ennis's personal work confirms the horse is mentally and physically right, then 15-1 on a horse with legitimate late-running ability in a classic is a number worth playing.
If you believe the gate flip is a window into a horse that is mentally fragile under pressure, then no morning line price justifies the risk, because you need a horse that is going to break cleanly and travel without drama for 1 3/16 miles.
The sharp money in the exotic pools tends to land in the middle of that debate. Use him underneath. Use him in the trifecta and superfecta. Give him a shot at the top of the exacta if you want a high-return ticket, but do not anchor your whole wager structure on a horse whose biggest question mark is still unanswered until the gate opens at Pimlico.
The pace scenario is the engine that drives Great White's best-case result. If you have two or three confirmed speed horses pulling the field through a fast first half, this is the setup a closer from the far outside needs. He can sit last or near last, let Achard pick up the tempo at the half-mile pole, and unwind a long, sustained run through the stretch.
The worst-case scenario is a slow or moderate pace that compresses the field and turns the race into a sprint from the top of the stretch. In that scenario, a horse spotted 12 lengths out of the gate from post 13 is not getting home in time, regardless of his talent.
For exotic construction, here is how sharp bettors are thinking about this one:
The Triple Crown bonus structure adds another layer of significance to every Preakness start. Check the details at the Triple Crown bonus page for context on what connections are chasing beyond the purse.
Great White (outside without light) breezed this morning at The Thoroughbred Center near Lexington in advance of a possible start in the @PreaknessStakes. Trainer @johnennis35 was in the saddle.
Great White at 15-1 in the Preakness. Legit overlay or gate-flip baggage?
Trainer breezes him himself, says he felt multiple gears. Post 13 is tough but the late-runner style could work in a big field. Anyone using him exotically?
The broader conversation on X and Reddit is converging on a consistent point. Sharps are not running away from Great White. They are using him underneath, treating him as an exotic piece rather than a win bet anchor, and watching his odds carefully as race day approaches. If he drifts past 18-1 or 20-1 at post time, that is the kind of number where even a small win bet starts making sense alongside your trifecta coverage.
Great White opened at 15-1 on the morning line for the 151st Preakness Stakes. His gate-flip scratch from the Kentucky Derby has kept the public cautious, which may create genuine overlay value for bettors who are comfortable with the risk. Watch the live Preakness odds board as the pools develop closer to post time.
Great White drew post position 13 for the 2026 Preakness Stakes. It is an outside draw that presents ground-loss challenges for a closer, though a fast earlypace scenario up front could allow him to roll late from the outside and get the job done in the stretch at Pimlico.
John Ennis trains Great White, and Alex Achard has the mount. Ennis personally breeced the gelding at The Thoroughbred Center ahead of the Preakness entry, reporting the horse felt responsive with multiple gears. Achard retains the ride after being thrown at the Churchill Downs gate, a sign the connections have full confidence in the partnership heading into Pimlico. Full trainer and jockey stats are available at the trainer leaders page and jockey leaders board.
For additional stakes race context heading into the summer meet, check out the Jim Dandy Stakes, the Spinster Stakes, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Del Mar Handicap as the graded stakes calendar builds toward the fall. And if you are thinking Breeders' Cup, do not miss the BC free bet offer at US Racing. All the official field and entry data for the 2026 Preakness Stakes is available at BUSR.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
