The Preakness Stakes will be held later than usual in 2027 as Maryland racing officials make a major change to the Triple Crown schedule.
The 152nd running of the Preakness will take place at Pimlico Race Course on Sunday, May 23, 2027. It will be held eight days later than its usual third Saturday in May position.
The change means there will be 22 days between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, rather than the traditional two-week break.
Officials hope the extra recovery time will encourage more Kentucky Derby runners, including the winner, to travel to Baltimore for the second leg of the Triple Crown.
When Is the 2027 Preakness Stakes?
The confirmed date for the 2027 Preakness Stakes is Sunday, May 23.
The main dates for the 2027 Triple Crown are:
- Kentucky Derby: Saturday, May 1
- Preakness Stakes: Sunday, May 23
- Belmont Stakes: Saturday, June 5
The Preakness will therefore be run 22 days after the Derby and only 13 days before the Belmont Stakes.
The total period between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes will remain five weeks. However, the rest period has been moved. Horses will have more time after the Derby but much less time between the Preakness and Belmont.
That could help the Preakness attract Derby runners, but it may create a fresh problem for horses attempting to compete in all three races.
Why Has the Preakness Date Changed?
The main aim is to make the race a more realistic option for horses that competed in the Kentucky Derby.
For many years, the Kentucky Derby was followed by the Preakness just two weeks later. The Belmont then came three weeks after the Preakness.
That schedule was once accepted as part of the test presented by the Triple Crown. However, leading horses now tend to race less often and receive longer breaks between major starts.
The two-week turnaround has made the Preakness less attractive to some trainers and owners. Rather than send their horse to Baltimore, they have chosen to miss the second race and wait five weeks for the Belmont.
Kentucky Derby winners Sovereignty and Golden Tempo both followed that path in 2025 and 2026. Each missed the Preakness before returning to win the Belmont Stakes. Golden Tempo became the third Derby winner in five years to miss the Preakness.
Maryland Jockey Club president Bill Knauf said the extra week would make the race more suitable for the way leading horses are trained today.
The hope is not only to attract the Derby winner, but also to bring more horses from the Derby field back for the Preakness.
Will the Change Help the Triple Crown?
The date change should increase the chance of the Kentucky Derby winner running in the Preakness.
A Derby winner arriving in Baltimore with a Triple Crown chance creates far more interest than a Preakness without the winner of the opening race.
Television audiences, ticket sales and general interest can all rise when one horse is trying to win the first two legs.
However, moving the Preakness does not give horses more time across the Triple Crown as a whole.
Instead, it changes where the shortest break falls.
A horse winning the Derby will have 22 days to prepare for the Preakness. Should it win at Pimlico, it will then have just 13 days before the Belmont.
That is one day less than the old Derby-to-Preakness turnaround.
The new schedule may therefore help Derby runners get to Baltimore, while making it harder for Preakness runners to continue to New York.
Much will depend on how trainers react. Some may feel that three weeks after the Derby is close to ideal. Others may be reluctant to run in the Belmont less than two weeks later.
A Sunday Preakness for the First Time
Another major change is the move from Saturday to Sunday.
The Preakness has long been linked with the third Saturday in May. In 2027, it will instead close the racing weekend on Sunday afternoon.
It will be the first Preakness held on a Sunday and the first Triple Crown race staged on that day of the week.
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes card will also move.
The race for three-year-old fillies was traditionally held on the Friday before the Preakness. In 2027, the Black-Eyed Susan card will take place on Saturday, May 22.
This will create a two-day program, with the Black-Eyed Susan on Saturday and the Preakness closing the meeting on Sunday.
Preakness Returns to Pimlico in 2027
The date change will come during an important year for Pimlico Race Course.
The 2026 Preakness was moved temporarily to Laurel Park while Pimlico underwent major redevelopment work. The race is due to return to its Baltimore home in 2027.
Officials will hope that the return to Pimlico, the Sunday date and the revised festival format can give the meeting fresh momentum.
The Preakness was first held in 1873 and has become one of the best-known races in the United States. Its position between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes has made it a key part of American racing history.
Preakness Left Out of New Championship Series
The announcement also follows the creation of the Thoroughbred Championship Series by Churchill Downs Incorporated and the New York Racing Association.
Starting in 2027, the six-race competition will connect major races for three-year-olds across Churchill Downs, Belmont Park and Saratoga.
The series is expected to include the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Matt Winn Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes, Travers Stakes and a championship race at Churchill Downs in September.
A unified points system will be used, with a $5 million prize pool awarded according to the final standings.
The Preakness is not included.
Its absence raised questions about the race’s place within the changing American racing calendar. Moving the date can be seen as Maryland’s response to those concerns.
The Preakness remains part of the Triple Crown, but it will now compete for leading horses at a time when other tracks are offering owners a longer series with large financial rewards.
NBC Deal Extended Through 2032
The Maryland Jockey Club has also extended its broadcast agreement with NBC Sports.
The Preakness, Black-Eyed Susan and other coverage from the weekend will continue to be shown across NBC and Peacock through 2032.
NBC has covered the Preakness since 2001, and the extended deal gives the race long-term television security during a period of major change.
Is Moving the Preakness the Right Decision?
The Preakness date change is a direct attempt to address one of the race’s biggest problems.
If the Kentucky Derby winner regularly misses the second leg, the Triple Crown story can end before the horses even arrive in Baltimore.
Giving Derby runners an extra eight days should make the Preakness more appealing. It also gives trainers more time to assess how their horses have recovered before making a decision.
The concern is that the Belmont will now come only 13 days later.
For a Derby winner attempting the Triple Crown, the full test remains just as demanding. The difference is that the toughest turnaround will now come at the end rather than the beginning.
The 2027 results will offer the first clear sign of whether the move has worked.
Should the Derby winner line up at Pimlico, Maryland officials will feel the change has achieved its main aim. Should leading horses still miss the race, the debate over the future format of the Triple Crown is likely to continue.
