The new venue, the front-runners and one reason to bet every horse in
The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes, the “middle jewel” of the Triple Crown, will go off at 7:01 p.m. ET this Saturday. This is the first Preakness to be run at Laurel Park, while its longtime home at Pimlico Race Course undergoes major renovations.
The Preakness, which will still be run at its usual 1 3⁄16 mile distance, will return to Pimlico in 2027. However, the race will go off without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row as Golden Tempo’s trainer Cherie DeVaux elected to point him to the Belmont instead.
The $2 million race will have a full 14-horse field with mostly newcomers to the Triple Crown trail. Only Ocelli, Robusta and Incredibolt will make the two-week turnaround from the Derby.
Here are the major storylines, contenders and potential bets to make.
(Editor’s note: Field is accurate as of the time of publish.)
What’s the biggest storyline?
Golden Tempo’s defection from the Preakness has caused a new round of speculation about whether the race will eventually be moved back from its longtime date of the third Saturday in May. Moving the Preakness back would give more rest to horses that ran in the Derby and potentially entice more trainers to enter their horses in both races. However, it would require the Belmont Stakes to be delayed a week if the goal is to allow for horses to run the three races in a six-week span.
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Cherie DeVaux ‘quite overwhelmed’ to be first woman trainer to win Kentucky Derby
Cherie DeVaux reacts to being the first woman to train the winner of the Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo wins a thrilling race.
The current five-week span of the Triple Crown has been in…
