The Preakness Stakes will move deeper into May and be held on a Sunday for the first time in its history next year, part of an effort to strengthen the race as the stakeholders behind horse racing’s Triple Crown jockey for position in a rapidly shifting landscape.
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The 152nd Preakness will be run May 23, 2027, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, three weeks after the Kentucky Derby and eight days later than its traditional date. The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, usually held Friday, will move to Saturday, creating a two-day racing weekend that will culminate with the Preakness.
The changes, announced Wednesday by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and the Maryland Jockey Club, arrive during a turbulent week for the three races that make up the Triple Crown, the sport’s celebrated test for 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The entities that operate the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes are maneuvering to protect and strengthen their own events as the sport’s traditional calendar shifts.
Maryland last week completed an $85 million purchase of the Preakness’s intellectual property, blocking an attempted acquisition by Churchill Downs, which already owns and stages the Kentucky Derby.
Days later, Churchill and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced a new $5 million, season-long championship series built around the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes but excluding the Preakness. The move immediately raised questions about whether the sport’s most coveted crown — built around one horse winning the Derby, Preakness and Belmont — was beginning to splinter, and whether the Preakness’s long-held place as its middle jewel was under threat.
The new Preakness date could rankle racing officials in New York, who already had set the 2027 Belmont for June 5. Traditionally, the series has unfolded over five weeks, with two weeks between the Derby and Preakness, and three weeks before the Belmont. The revised calendar will give horses 22 days to recover between the May 1 Derby and the Preakness, but only 13 days to travel from Baltimore to New York and prepare for the 1½-mile Belmont, the Triple Crown’s longest and most grueling race.
Maryland officials believe the longer break after the Derby will help reverse a recent trend in which many leading horses have skipped Baltimore. Trainers increasingly have viewed the traditional 14-day turnaround as too demanding under modern training practices.
“This extra week between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness opens the Preakness to potential participants who use modern training methods,” Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf said in a statement.
Maryland officials said they believe the new alignment can strengthen both the Preakness and the Triple Crown.
“Our focus is to preserve the tradition of horses running back in the Preakness and to enhance participation in the Triple Crown races,” Knauf said. “We acknowledge the great history of the traditional Triple Crown spacing between races, but recognize that change must always be examined.”
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The schedule shift follows Maryland’s acquisition of the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan rights from 1/ST Racing. Churchill had sought to purchase them, but Maryland exercised its right of first refusal last week and matched Churchill’s $85 million offer.
The acquisition consolidated the state’s control of Maryland racing. Pimlico and Laurel Park are controlled by the Maryland Stadium Authority, while racing operations are overseen by the nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club.
Churchill and NYRA’s announcement Monday added uncertainty about the Preakness’s place in the broader sport. Their six-race Thoroughbred Championship Series will begin with the Derby, include the Belmont and Travers Stakes and conclude with a new championship race at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The series is designed to keep leading 3-year-old horses competing through the summer and fall, with points awarded across six races and a $5 million prize pool.
NYRA President and CEO David O’Rourke said Monday that the series was not intended to supplant the Triple Crown and described the initial lineup as a foundation that could eventually expand. Churchill also said it remained open to discussions with other races and organizations.
Wednesday’s announcement at the Maryland State House in Annapolis also secures the Preakness’s television future. The Maryland Jockey Club has extended its agreement with NBC Sports, which will carry the race on NBC and Peacock through 2032. The agreement also covers the Black-Eyed Susan, the long-running race for 3-year old fillies.
For Maryland, the schedule changes are part of a broader, publicly financed effort to remake the Preakness and revive thoroughbred racing in the state. Pimlico is under construction after lawmakers authorized $400 million in bonds for its redevelopment, forcing this year’s Preakness to Laurel Park. The state also approved a $48.5 million purchase of Laurel, which is expected to remain a year-round training center after racing returns to Pimlico in 2027.
Moving the Black-Eyed Susan to Saturday and the Preakness to Sunday will create two prominent weekend television windows and allow officials to market the races as a destination weekend.
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“We are going to build a championship weekend in Baltimore,” Knauf said.
