The 2027 date of the Preakness Stakes (G1) will be moved forward eight days from its traditional third Saturday in May, to Sunday, May 23, as a new version of the Maryland Jockey Club plots a new path forward for its most important race.
At an Aug. 5 press conference in Annapolis, Md., Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the Maryland Jockey Club, and NBC Sports announced updates to the 2027 Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
The 152nd Preakness Stakes will be run Sunday, May 23, at Pimlico Race Course, eight days after the traditional third Saturday in May date. To enhance the weeklong festivities in Baltimore, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes card, usually held Friday, Preakness Eve, will be moved to Saturday, May 22. The Preakness Stakes program, the highlight of the special racing weekend, will conclude the festival on Sunday.
That date will shift from being 14 days after the Kentucky Derby (G1) to 22 days after the season's first Triple Crown race. In 2027 the final leg of the Triple Crown, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes (G1), is scheduled just 13 days after the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.
"Moving the Preakness to the fourth weekend in May is a historic announcement," said Bill Knauf, president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. "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."
It's a big move for the new version of the Maryland Jockey Club, now a not-for-profit model, which takes over control of the Preakness from the MJC that had been controlled by The Stronach Group (1/ST Racing) as it attempts to bring back Kentucky Derby runners, especially the winner, to the Preakness.
The past two years the connections of a healthy Kentucky Derby winner have opted to skip the Preakness in favor of starting in the Belmont Stakes five weeks later. The approach paid off for both horses as Sovereignty swept those two races in 2025 and Golden Tempo completed that classic double this season.
Knauf continued, "Our focus is to preserve the tradition of horses running back in the Preakness and to enhance participation in the Triple Crown races. 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."
While next year the Preakness will fall on May 23, a weekend before Memorial Day weekend, in many years it will fall on that holiday weekend.
"We are going to build a championship weekend in Baltimore, with the Black-Eyed Susan now on Saturday. In most years, this new date falls on Memorial Day weekend, and we believe this creates tremendous excitement for our local economy and businesses," Knauf said. "Baltimore will become the place to be on Memorial Day weekends, as the spotlight of the racing world descends on Pimlico."
Earlier this week Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association announced a six-race series for 3-year-olds that will award $5 million in bonus money. That series does not include the Preakness.
READ: CDI, NYRA to Launch Championship Series for 3-Year-Olds
The Maryland Jockey Club has renewed its media rights agreement with NBC Sports for the Preakness, ensuring the race will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock through 2032. The Maryland Jockey Club, founded in 1743, is the oldest sports association in the United States.
"We have successfully secured the future of the Preakness here in the state of Maryland for decades to come; and I am delighted that the Maryland Jockey Club has renewed its media partnership with NBC and Peacock as we enter this exciting new era," Moore said. "The continuation of this relationship and the new schedule ensures optimal and accessible coverage for everyone from horse racing experts to casual fans, as our administration continues making historic investments and leveraging the iconic race as a cornerstone of Maryland's history, culture, and economy."
The ongoing partnership between NBC Sports and the Maryland Jockey Club, established in 2001, will make NBC the longest-standing broadcaster of the Preakness Stakes.
Inaugurated in 1873, the Preakness is not only one of America's great sporting events and part of the prestigious Triple Crown series of races but also an iconic cultural tradition in Maryland and among racing fans worldwide. But with the CDI and NYRA announcement of the new series, the Belmont Stakes date remaining five weeks after the Derby, and the new Preakness date arguably making the Triple Crown sweep even more difficult with just 13 days between the Preakness and Belmont stakes, it may still prove difficult to attract Derby horses to the Preakness.
Still a number of trainers talked about the excitement of starting a horse in the Preakness and the pursuit of the Triple Crown.
"Bringing the Derby winner to the Preakness is unlike anything else in racing," said trainer Graham Motion in a release. "I was lucky enough to experience it with Animal Kingdom. The energy is incredible, and it feels like the whole crowd is behind you. It's a moment every trainer dreams of."
In a Monday post on X after the CDI-NYRA announcement of the new series, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said, "The greatest achievement in racing will always be winning the Triple Crown—The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes, 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."
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
