Knauf, New MJC Optimistic About Preakness Future

When news broke that Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Golden Tempo would not run in the Preakness Stakes (G1), Bill Knauf handled it about as well as you could expect from the chief executive of the new Maryland Jockey Club. "You always want to have the Derby winner. He's the star of the show. You always want him in your race," said Knauf, president and general manager of the new Maryland Jockey Club, a public-nonprofit entity that will fully take over operations of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course after one last Preakness this weekend for the 1/ST Racing version of MJC. "It's the trainer's right. You do what's right for your horse. I don't fault anyone for not coming here. Our job is to put on the best, most competitive race with the best possible atmosphere. We're not faulting anyone who doesn't come. We're celebrating whoever comes and wants to come." The 151st celebration of the Preakness is, in a word, unique. The May 16 classic will be contested at Laurel for the first time while its traditional home at Pimlico Race Course undergoes reconstruction of the grandstand and barn areas. The Preakness also suffered the defection of a healthy Kentucky Derby winner for a second straight year and third since 2022. All of which has created questions about this year's event and what the future holds for both Pimlico and the structure of the Triple Crown that are on Knauf's plate as the 2026 series comes to suburban Laurel. Still, Knauf sees plenty of reasons for optimism. "On the whole, things are going well," Knauf said. Though the Kentucky Derby winner is targeting the Belmont Stakes (G1), the Preakness at Laurel did attract a full field of 14 3-year-olds. While it may lack star power, it should be a highly competitive race and great betting race for fans. "How I look at this race is that we have 14 horses and that is tremendous. In the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, you always find a star who steps up during these races. That's what is great about the Preakness, We've seen that there are a lot of horses that weren't quite ready for the Derby or didn't get enough points to run. That doesn't mean they are inferior to the ones who made the Derby," Knauf said. "The Triple Crown is going to do nothing but grow. We had two Derby winners who did not want to come back, but we had one of the race's greatest moments with Journalism last year when we didn't have the Derby winner. I think these races breed greatness." For this year's race, 1/ST Racing capped attendance at about 5,000 because of space limitations, creating a scene closer to the 2020 Preakness in October because of the pandemic than the record crowd of 140,237 in 2017. "We wanted the largest capacity possible for the Preakness, but it is what it is and you have to provide a safe environment for your crowd. It's unfortunate but that's how many people fit into Laurel under this configuration with no infield access or a tunnel," Knauf said. "Matching all the exterior hospitality room we had at Pimlico was the biggest challenge, because of the short stretch and smaller apron here at Laurel. Plus we couldn't go on the turns or the infield." Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the redevelopment of Pimlico, which started last year, is moving along. Two barns have been constructed and a tunnel to the infield has been carved out. Knauf said the focus in 2027 will be getting the facility ready for racing first. Knauf confirmed that the 2027 Preakness will be held at Pimlico, but the new grandstand/clubhouse will not be completed by then. As a result, attendance will be limited to the infield and possibly a portion of the apron adjacent to the under-construction building. Nor will Pimlico be ready in 2027 to assume its future role as the year-round home for Maryland racing. Next year, there will be a short stay at Pimlico to coincide with the Preakness and then racing will return to Laurel for the rest of 2027. Knauf said the expectations are that Pimlico will be fully completed for the 2028 Preakness. At that time, pending state approval, Laurel will become a training center, though Knauf did not rule out the possibility of using the turf course there at times. "We acknowledge Pimlico's turf course is not as wide as Laurel's and we start turf racing in April. We get a break in July and August, which is a good break, but we like our turf courses and have a lot of racing on them. If there's availability at Laurel or even Fair Hill, we'll look at it. We are going to Fair Hill Memorial Day weekend with flat racing Sunday and steeplechasing on Monday and we'll see how that does. It's a good experiment for us." A key component in the debate over extending the time frame for the Triple Crown involves the MJC's television contract with NBC to cover the Preakness, which expires this year. Knauf said those negotiations should be concluded within a month, and whether NBC stays on board or a new network or streaming service signs on will help the MJC when it reaches out afterward with Triple Crown partners to discuss the spacing of the three classic races. In that regard, the New York Racing Association seems willing to discuss moving the Belmont Stakes back a week to create three-week spacing between each race. "It absolutely has to be looked at," Knauf said about the current five-week format. "We've had those conversations and done the analytics. The broadcast partner is a crucial component in all of that. We will do what is best for the race, the event, and the state of Maryland. An extra week would change things in terms of mindsets for (medical) treatments, some of which cannot be done within 14 days of a race. Once we get a TV partner, we'll circle back to the other tracks." The former Monmouth Park executive added that Churchill Downs Inc.'s recent $85 million purchase of the intellectual property rights to the Preakness and George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) nets CDI strictly annual financial payments for a licensing fee and a 2% share of the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan day handles, expected to come in at around $5 million a year. He said the new MJC will have complete control of the races. While Knauf said he wasn't the best person to talk to about any updates, he confirmed that Maryland lawmakers have the option in the coming weeks to match that $85 million payment to secure the intellectual property rights of the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan back from CDI. In the meantime, Laurel is being spruced up for its one—and hopefully only—date with the charisma of the Triple Crown. "I think once all the flowers and signs go up, there will be a big-race feel to it and it's cool to see Laurel have that," Knauf said. "While there have been big races here like the Washington D.C. International, it's never had a race of this magnitude, and it deserves one."