From the Maryland Jockey Club / Dan Illman:

Preakness Week Kicks Off on Thursday

Average field size of more than 10 horses per race

LAUREL, MD—A historic week of racing at Laurel Park kicks off Thursday with a competitive nine-race program featuring five turf events and large fields, offering excellent betting opportunities.

The card drew 94 horses, averaging 10.4 entries per race. The first post time is 12 pm ET, and there are two bettor-friendly “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout. The “Value Pick 5” has a 50-cent minimum wager.

Three allowance races are among the afternoon’s highlights.

The sixth race, a $49,000 first-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on the Dahlia Turf Course, drew a large field. Colts Neck Stables’ Outrunner, who finished third in two Grade 3 races last year, drew the widest post and is the even-money favorite on Horse Racing Nation’s morning line.

Paco Lopez rides Outrunner, a 4-year-old making his 2026 debut for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. Other intriguing contenders include Lordship, who makes his turf debut for Graham Motion; the lightly raced Sun Above; and three-time winner Drilling for Gold.

The seventh race is a $49,000 first-level allowance for 3-year-olds, with an optional claiming range of $62,500 to $50,000. Run at six furlongs on dirt, the race drew a field of nine. Wonder Mist, owned by Don Alberto Stables, is a strong contender for trainer Wesley Ward, who captured Sunday’s featured race at Laurel Park with Making Daisys. Paco Lopez has the mount on Wonder Mist, who faces a solid field that includes four last-out winners and stakes-placed G Q Worthy.

The eighth race is a $49,000 first-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs. Jagger Inc.’s Paco the Taco Man has won his last three starts on fast dirt. Jamie Ness trains the speedy 5-year-old gelding, and Mychel Sanchez retains the mount. Lightly raced Surgical Precision exits a promising effort at Colonial Downs. Trainer Brittany Russell will saddle Taj Mahal in Saturday’s Grade 1, $2,000,000 Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Value players might side with Roger Roger. His trainer, Amelia Green, conditions Ivy Girl, who races in Friday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Gates open at 11 am on Thursday morning.