The date for next year's Preakness could be revealed, setting the 2027 Triple Crown schedule. As reported by the Associated Press, the date for the 152nd Preakness will be announced Wednesday by Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club at a news conference in Annapolis. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The Preakness has been held on the third Saturday in May nearly every year since 1950, with the only exception being 2020 due to the pandemic. In recent years, calls to change the spacing of the Triple Crown races have grown louder, as owners and trainers increasingly skip the Preakness because the two-week turnaround is too short for modern 3-year-old thoroughbreds.
Golden Tempo became the second consecutive Derby winner and the third in five years not to participate in the Preakness, with only three horses running in both races. However, the Belmont Stakes remaining on the first Saturday in June next year could extend the condensed schedule issues for at least one more Triple Crown season. The return of the race to Belmont Park is set for June 5, as part of a new 3-year-old championship series announced Monday.
For at least 2027, that series does not include the Preakness, which is set to return to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore following a one-time stop at Laurel Park. Full reconstruction of the new Pimlico is expected to be completed by spring 2028.