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08/05 12:48 CDT Preakness shifting back to three weeks and a day after the
Kentucky Derby, to be run on a Sunday
Preakness shifting back to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby, to
be run on a Sunday
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
A big change is coming to horse racing's Triple Crown, with the Preakness
Stakes moving to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby and being run
on Sunday for the first time.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced the decision
Wednesday. No Triple Crown race has ever taken place on a Sunday in the
century-plus-old history of the series.
The shift marks a major change on the horse racing calendar, following
significant debate and speculation. Except for 2020 during the pandemic, the
Preakness has been on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky
Derby, since 1950.
"We acknowledge the great history of the traditional Triple Crown spacing
between races but recognize that change must always be examined," Maryland
Jockey Club CEO Bill Knauf said. "This is common in all professional sports.
Now is the time for the Preakness."
The aim is to get more Derby horses to participate in the second leg of the
Triple Crown. For decades, it was normalcy but has become increasingly rare in
recent years.
Two consecutive and three of the past five Derby winners have bypassed the
Preakness to aim for the final jewel, the Belmont Stakes in June. Of the 95
horses who ran in the Derby dating to 2022, just 13 have gone to the Preakness
(13.7%) with just one winner in that group.
"We are going to move it back to be able to ensure that the winner of the
Kentucky Derby will then be prepared to compete in the second leg of the Triple
Crown," Moore said at a news conference in Annapolis. "By moving the day,
you're then providing additional time and space for our horses and the people
who compete in the Derby to be able to then now compete to be able to be part
of that Triple Crown."
For at least next year, it has the chance to produce the opposite effect, with
the Belmont scheduled for June 5. Going from a three-week to a 13-day gap
between the Preakness and Belmont could force owners and trainers to choose
between them, given that modern 3-year-old thoroughbreds typically get
significantly more time off.
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in
2018 is the only trainer to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, said
in a social media post Monday that if he has the right horse from the Kentucky
Derby, he will continue to go to the Preakness annually. That was in response
to the unveiling of a new championship series of races at Churchill Downs in
Louisville, Belmont Park on Long Island and Saratoga Race Course in upstate New
York and does not --- for now --- include the Preakness.
Future changes to the schedule are always possible beyond 2027. The shift does
put the Preakness on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend beginning in 2028 and
running through '31.
"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."
The change comes with an extension of the media rights agreement with NBC
Sports through 2032. The Preakness --- as well as the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
for fillies on the third Saturday in May --- will air on NBC and Peacock for
the next six years.
NBC Sports President of Acquisitions of Partnerships Jon Miller said at the
news conference that the network as far back as 10 years ago broached the idea
of pushing the Preakness back at least a week, but previous ownership was not
interested.
"It's a success factor for everybody by moving it to the eight days later,"
Miller said. "The idea of doing it Saturday-Sunday, quite honestly, was to
create a weekend celebration and not just have it be a one-day event in the
middle of a Triple Crown series."
Moving the Preakness coincides with its return to Pimlico Race Course in
Baltimore as part of a $500 million reconstruction project, after a one-time
stop at Laurel Park. Next year, there is expected to be limited capacity, with
the full, new Pimlico scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2028.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
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