Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race traditionally held annually on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Preakness Stakes is a Grade I race run over a distance of 1+3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs; 1.9 kilometers) on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 pounds (55 kg). It is the second jewel (or leg) of the Triple Crown, held three weeks and one day after the Kentucky Derby and two weeks before the Belmont Stakes. First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes was named by Maryland governor Oden Bowie after the colt who won the first Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico. Annual "Preakness Weekend" races include both the Saturday Preakness Stakes and a Grade II race on Friday for fillies only named the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America among equestrian events, surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby. The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes was held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, with Napoleon Solo winning the race. It was moved to Laurel Park amid Pimlico's reconstruction. The 152nd running will be held on a Sunday — May 23, 2027 — in part to accommodate that year's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes being run on the Saturday instead of the Friday.