(Ocelli ran 3rd in the Kentucky Derby and now will take on others in the g1 Preakness Stakes on Saturday / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Churchill Downs Media Team / Darren Rogers:

DERBY ALUMNI, CHURCHILL DOWNS CONNECTIONS SET FOR SATURDAY’S PREAKNESS

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Friday, May 15, 2026) – Kentucky Derby 152 alumni and several connections based at Churchill Downs and Trackside Louisville will take center stage Saturday in the 151st running of the $2 million Preakness Stakes (Grade I) at Laurel Park.

The 1 3/16-mile Preakness field includes three horses exiting the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago at Churchill Downs: Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate and Front Page Equestrian’s third-place finisher Ocelli; Pin Oak Stud’s sixth-place finisher Incredibolt and Calumet Farm’s 14th-place finisher Robusta.

“He bounced out of the Derby in great shape,” trainer Whit Beckman said of Ocelli. “He loves to run and we nominated for the Triple Crown, not just the Derby. He ran huge in the Derby and it’s a great opportunity to run in the Preakness with a horse that is doing well at the right time.”

Along with the Derby runners, the Preakness field also features several contenders stabled at Churchill Downs and its Trackside Louisville training center: Leland Ackerly Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia’s Chip Honcho; On Our Own Stable, Commonwealth Stable, U Racing Stables, Saints or Sinners, Titletown Racing, Jim Nichols, Edwin Barker, Daniel Rivers, John Haines and Dallas Stewart’s Corona de Oro; and Robert Zoellner’s Crupper.

Several Churchill Downs-based jockeys are also slated to ride on Saturday’s Preakness Day program at Laurel Park, including Rafael Bejarano, Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, Luis Saez and Jaime Torres.

The Preakness will go as Race 13 on Laurel Park’s 14-race card with a post time of 7:01 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 10:30 a.m.

Fans at Churchill Downs can watch and wager on the Preakness during Saturday night’s Downs After Dark program. The race will be shown on the facility’s Big Board and throughout the track between the third and fourth races on Churchill Downs’ 10-race card. First post at Churchill Downs is 6 p.m.

FRIDAY’S CARD FEATURES $92,976 CARRYOVER IN DERBY CITY 6 JACKPOT – Friday’s nine-race card at Churchill Downs features a $92,976 carryover in the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot after no winning ticket correctly identified six winners in Thursday night’s sequence.

            The Derby City 6 Jackpot has a 20-cent minimum denomination with low 15% takeout and requires bettors to have the only winning ticket to take down the jackpot. If there are multiple winning tickets, 90% of the day’s pool is paid out with 10% carrying to the next race day. If there are no winning tickets, the entire day’s pool is carried to the next race day.

Friday’s wager covers Races 4-9, beginning at 2:13 p.m. (all times Eastern):

  • Race 4 (2:13 p.m.), Mdn 120k, 2yo f, 5 F (nine entries)
  • Race 5 (2:45 p.m.), Clm 50000, 3yo f, 6 F (seven entries)
  • Race 6 (3:18 p.m.), OC 80000n2x, 3yo and up f&m, 1 3/8 M (T) (nine entries)
  • Race 7 (3:50 p.m.), Alw 12500s, 4yo and up f&m, 6 F (eight entries)
  • Race 8 (4:22 p.m.), OC 100000b, 3yo and up f&m, 1 1/16 M (seven entries)
  • Race 9 (4:55 p.m.), OC 100000n3x, 3yo and up, 1 M (T) (10 entries)

SATURDAY’S DOWNS AFTER DARK THEME IS BOURBON, BETS & BOWTIES – Saturday night’s Downs After Dark theme at Churchill Downs is Bourbon, Bets & Bowties, featuring live music from DJ Junior and country group Murphy 500 on the Paddock Terrace Stage. Meanwhile, rising country artist and American Idol alum Alex Miller will perform the national anthem.

Guests are encouraged to dress in bowties and Derby-inspired attire while enjoying specialty bourbon cocktails, themed entertainment and a simulcast of the Preakness Stakes, which will air on the Big Board and throughout the facility between Races 3-4 at approximately 7 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

DOWN THE STRETCH – Kentucky Derby 152 runners Commandment and Further Ado made their return to the Churchill Downs work tab Friday following disappointing finishes in the Derby for trainer Brad Cox. Wathnan Racing’s Commandment, seventh in the Run for the Roses, worked a half-mile in :48.80 outside stablemate Bless the Broken, while Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado, who finished 11th, breezed a solo half-mile in :48.80. Also working Friday was Speedway Stables’ 12th-place finisher Potente, who covered three furlongs in :36.40 for trainer Bob Baffert. … Lloyd Madison Farm’s homebred Twirling Claire earned a 95 Brisnet Speed Rating for her 2 ¾-length maiden special weight score Thursday evening for trainer Greg Foley. … For more information about the Churchill Downs Spring Meet and to purchase tickets, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

 

ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.