Preakness Pushes Back Start Date in Last-Ditch Move To Salvage Triple Crown Status

The Preakness Stakes will be run three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby next year, as the sponsors of the historic Baltimore race try to keep the event relevant amid a seismic shift in the horse racing calendar.Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced on Wednesday the 152nd Preakness will be run on May 23, at Pimlico Race Course, eight days after its traditional third Saturday in May date. The first race in the Triple Crown series ever to run on a Sunday, the hope is that the extra time between races will impact the current trend of Kentucky Derby winners skipping the Preakness.In recent years, racehorse owners have complained that the traditional two weeks is not enough time between races for the horses to recover. Two consecutive and three of the last five Derby winners have skipped the Preakness, including Golden Tempo this year. Dating back to 2022, just 13 of the 95 horses that ran in the Derby entered the Preakness with just one winner.“Our focus is to preserve the tradition of horses running back in the Preakness and to enhance participation in the Triple Crown series,” the CEO of the Maryland Jockey Club, Bill Knauf, said. “We acknowledge the great history of the traditional Triple Crown spacing between races but recognize that change must always be examined. This is common in all professional sports. Now is the time for the Preakness.”The change comes days after Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association announced a partnership on a six-race series beginning in 2027. Competing horses will earn points for each race with the top point-earner receiving a $5 million bonus at the end of the series, which runs from May to September. While the Kentucky Derby, scheduled for May 2, and the Belmont on June 5 are included in the lineup, the Preakness is not.While pushing back the Preakness sounds like it might enhance the race’s chances of attracting the Kentucky Derby winner, it allows even less rest time for horses entering the Belmont.“Moving the Preakness to the fourth weekend in May is a historic announcement,” Mr. Knauf said. “We believe the Preakness and the entire Triple Crown series are positioned for growth and great success. This extra week between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness opens the Preakness to potential participants who use modern training methods.”The Preakness was effectively forced to make a change after Churchill Downs and the New York Racing Association disclosed their new series. Leaving the Preakness out of the discussions was seen by some as retaliation for the Maryland government exercising its right of first refusal and paying $85 million to retain the property after Churchill Inc. had agreed to purchase Pimlico from the previous owner.At the time, Mr. Moore said the purchase was made toward, “preserving our state as a key power player in the Triple Crown for generations to come.”In 2024, the Maryland legislature approved $540 million for a total renovation of Pimlico, which led to the 2025 Preakness being held at nearby Laurel Park this year. It will return to Pimlico next year. Whether the Kentucky Derby winner will be entered remains a long-shot.In a post on X, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert wrote, “I welcome the Thoroughbred Series introduced by Churchill and the NYRA and I look forward to competing in the new series. But the greatest achievement in racing will always be winning the Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness States and the Belmont Stakes. The Triple Crown has sustained our sport for more than 150 years, and it will continue to do so for another 150 years or more if we appreciate and care for it. The Preakness is integral to racing’s history, present and future, and I hope nothing detracts from its significance. If I have the right horse, I’ll continue to run in Baltimore every May, as well as in the Thoroughbred Series.”

Preakness Pushes Back Start Date in Last-Ditch Move To Salvage Triple Crown Status

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