By US Racing Handicapping Staff | Friday, May 15, 2026
Before the colts run for the Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness weekend, the fillies get their moment, and this year's renewal has some real teeth to it. The pace scenario sets up interestingly, the form of the top contenders holds up under scrutiny, and there are a couple of overlays worth building around if you're constructing exotic tickets alongside your Preakness Stakes betting on Saturday.
Let's go through the field the right way.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miss Fulton Gal | John R. Velazquez | Michael E. Gorham | 30-1 |
| 2 | Ivy Girl | Victor R. Carrasco | Amelia J. Green | 15-1 |
| 3 | Holly's Holiday | Flavien Prat | Kenneth G. McPeek | 7/2 |
| 4 | Savor It | Mychel J. Sanchez | Uriah St. Lewis | 30-1 |
| 5 | Braken Poppa | Jose L. Ortiz | Steven M. Asmussen | 7-2 |
| 6 | Haute Diva | K.J. Assmussen | P. L. Biancone | 15-1 |
| 7 | Jumping The Gun | Luis Saez | Andrew L. Simoff | 3-1 |
| 8 | Majestic Lucia | Junior Alvarado | Victor Barboza Jr. | 12-1 |
| 9 | A. P.'s Girl | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Peter Eurton | 5-1 |
| 10 | My Miss Mo | Tyler Gaffalione | Saffie A. Joseph Jr. | 7-2 |
The Michael Gorham trainee draws the rail for her graded debut and has a stakes score on these grounds two races back. The Rock Your World filly is capable of a sharp turn of foot on her best day, and at 30-1, she warrants at least a token exotics mention if you think John Velazquez gets her into a ground-saving trip early. She's not a win single here, but she's the kind of filly who could sneak into your trifecta at a price if the chalk gets into trouble turning for home.
Amelia Green has been doing a quiet job developing this Maxfield filly, and back-to-back black-type wins coming into a graded stakes second off a short layoff is a profile worth paying attention to. Ivy Girl is a one-run closer, a horse who needs things to set up a specific way, and on a day when the pace collapses early, she could be flying late. Victor Carrasco retains the mount, which tells you the connections are comfortable. At 15-1, she earns a spot in the trifecta and superfecta underneath.
Kenny McPeek has done a nice job turning this Maxfield three-year-old around in 2026. She broke her maiden, then stepped up and won a stakes at Oaklawn Park in her latest, and the form of that race has held up well. This is her third start of the season, which is typically when McPeek runners hit their peak. She's a confirmed stalker, comfortable sitting two to three lengths off the pace before asking Flavien Prat to make his move on the turn. The connections paid $140,000 for this filly, and they're treating her like a serious stakes horse. At 7/2, she's not an overlay, but she's a legitimate top-three finisher in any pace scenario.
The Uriah St. Lewis trainee ran a career-best figure, winning an allowance at Parx last time out, and the Vino Rosso filly showed real determination in that effort. The problem is that consistency has been an issue across her whole career, and this is a significant class hike. Mychel Sanchez picks up the mount. She's not impossible, but she's the kind of horse you use deep in a superfecta at a big number, not one you're building your ticket around.
Four-for-four in route races lifetime, including back-to-back stakes wins leading into this spot. That record deserves respect. The Steve Asmussen trainee, Aurelius Maximus, has the flexibility to either press the pace or rate just off it, giving Jose Ortiz options depending on how the first quarter unfolds. She comes in fresh with solid morning works, and the fact that Asmussen is pointing her here after consecutive stakes scores suggests the barn thinks she belongs at this level. She's the horse to beat alongside My Miss Mo.
The morning line has her at 3-1, which feels about right given her overall record. She's won or placed in every career start, and her route race form for Andrew Simoff has been consistently solid. The issue last time was that she came back looking like a filly who needed that race, one who was short and doing her best work at the wire. Second off the layoff, with Luis Saez picking up the mount, this is exactly the kind of situation where a horse improves sharply. The Gun Runner bay is live at this price and deserves serious win consideration. Trip handicappers should note she tends to get a clean run from off the pace, which sets her up well on a surface where closers have had their say.
Here's where it gets interesting. Majestic Lucia is the play I want to make at a price on this card.
Start with the maiden win at Gulfstream in late February: seven furlongs, optional maiden company, won by 8 1/4 lengths with Junior Alvarado up. Speed figures spiked. Then she stretched to two turns against entry-level allowance fillies at Tampa Bay Downs in early April and handled it beautifully, saving ground off the pace, taking kickback in stride, and grinding down a stubborn rival to win by a neck in a race that came back exceptionally well. The runner-up and the third-place finisher both came back to win their next starts against allowance competition. That validates the form.
Victor Barboza Jr. is a trainer worth watching when he ships. He's running at a 21% win rate across his last 160 starts with shippers, and this filly is training forwardly into her stakes debut. Her Brisnet Late Pace figures from the Tampa route suggest she has the raw ability to compete here, and the move from a mile to nine panels could actually benefit a filly who was still learning how to use herself going two turns. Alvarado retaking the mount after the maiden win is quite positive. When the same jockey comes back on a shipper making a class jump, it usually means someone picked up the phone and made a call.
At 12-1 on the morning line, she's the overlay in this field. She goes in the win, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta.
Peter Eurton has had this Honor A.P. filly moving in the right direction since removing the hood three races back, and she's put together two wins and a close second since that change. She's a pace presence, comfortable sitting close to the leaders and sustaining her run through the lane. Irad Ortiz Jr. keeps the mount, which is always a factor worth noting. She'll be competitive in her graded debut, and if the front-runners get into a contested pace, she's got the tactical speed to be in the right place at the top of the stretch. She's a legitimate trifecta piece and might offer some value if the market keeps drifting toward My Miss Mo.
The chalk. Saffie Joseph Jr. has pointed this Uncle Mo filly carefully through the sophomore filly division this spring, and she earned it. She ran against some of the better two-turn fillies in training when she finished second in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on debut around two turns, and that race has produced some legitimate horses this season. She drew the outside post, which is mildly concerning at nine furlongs, but Tyler Gaffalione knows how to handle a filly with ability from the outside, and he'll have her relaxed early. Even a slight improvement off the Gulfstream Park Oaks makes her very difficult to beat. The question isn't whether she belongs here. The question is whether 9-5 gives you enough return to single her on a Pick 4 or whether you spread in her spot and try to hit a bigger number.
The pace scenario here is genuinely unsettled, and that's what makes it worth analyzing carefully before you build your tickets.
Braken Poppa has early speed and could press the front end. Miss Fulton Gal on the rail will want to be involved early. A.P.'s Girl has tactical speed, and Irad won't let her fall back too far. That's potentially three horses fighting for position inside the first quarter, which could string the field out and set up a pace-pressured scenario.
If that's how it shapes up, the stalkers and closers get a significant advantage turning for home. Holly's Holiday, Jumping The Gun, and Ivy Girl all figure to be running late into a potentially fast pace. Majestic Lucia, if she gets the same ground-saving trip she found at Tampa, could be devastating late.
My Miss Mo from the outside will likely be content to settle and make one run. The horse to watch is where she is after the first turn. If Gaffalione has her cruising in a good position without using much energy, she'll be very hard to catch in the lane.
Win: Majestic Lucia (12-1)
Exacta: Majestic Lucia / My Miss Mo, Jumping The Gun, Braken Poppa
Trifecta: Majestic Lucia / My Miss Mo, Jumping The Gun, Braken Poppa / My Miss Mo, Jumping The Gun, Braken Poppa, Holly's Holiday, A.P.'s Girl
Superfecta: Spread underneath with Ivy Girl and Miss Fulton Gal as deep shots
For those constructing a Preakness Stakes betting sequence on Saturday that includes this race in a Pick 4, Majestic Lucia at 12-1 is worth using as a single if your bankroll allows the risk. If you want safety, double up with My Miss Mo, but recognize that you're giving up meaningful ticket value in the process.
Check the full Preakness contenders and Preakness entries at US Racing as the main event takes shape Saturday.
The Black-Eyed Susan is the appetizer. The 2026 Preakness Stakes goes Saturday at Laurel, and the field shapes up as one of the more genuinely competitive renewals of the middle jewel in recent memory. If you haven't locked in your Preakness Stakes odds comparison, do it before post time. Lines move on graded stakes days, and getting the right number matters.
For the full picture heading into the weekend, including trip notes, speed figure comparisons, and exotic ticket structures, the Preakness Stakes betting guide at US Racing has everything you need in one place. You can also review historical Preakness winners and Preakness results to put Saturday's contenders in the proper context.
If you're thinking about the full Triple Crown picture, US Racing also has details on the Triple Crown bonus structure worth knowing before the Belmont rolls around in June.
US Racing is running a serious new player offer right now: Get $1,000 Cash at BUSR and up to 10% Rebates on your horse racing wagers. That rebate structure is meaningful when you're playing trifectas and superfectas across a full card on a graded stakes day. Every dollar back on a losing ticket is a dollar that stays in your bankroll for the next race.
Good luck at the windows on Friday and Saturday. The Black-Eyed Susan has a live overlay on the board, the Preakness shapes up with real intrigue, and Laurel in May is still one of the great stages in American horse racing.
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.
