BALTIMORE — The Preakness Stakes is attempting to beef up its importance on the horse racing calendar.
The second jewel of the Triple Crown, which has seen the last two Kentucky Derby winners skip the race, will be moving its race date back a week and a day, hosting the race on the fourth Sunday in May, according to Sports Business Journal.
During a news conference on Wednesday, the Maryland Jockey Club and Gov. Wes Moore announced that the race will continue to air on NBC and Peacock through 2032, according to WBAL.
NBC began airing the Preakness in 2001. The new deal will make the network the longest-running home of the race, the television station reported.
“This extension is a testament to the strength of the relationship between the Maryland Jockey Club and NBC Sports and underscores our commitment to horse racing,” Jon Miller, NBC Sports’ president of acquisitions and partnerships, said in a statement.
BREAKING: The @PreaknessStakes will run on a Sunday for the first time ever as @NBCSports, Maryland Jockey Club @LaurelPark extend broadcast partnership through 2032 | What's new in 2027: https://t.co/J6r5bJLKJp pic.twitter.com/g2j49Me0iJ
— WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (@wbaltv11) August 5, 2026
“The Maryland Jockey Club is thrilled to continue its long-standing partnership with NBC Sports for the Preakness Stakes,” Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf said in a statement.
The Preakness has been run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby since 1950, Sports Business Journal reported.
Race officials are hoping that more horses from the Kentucky will compete in the middle race of the Triple Crown trio. Approximately 88% of Derby-running horses over the last five years have skipped the Preakness, according to the business sports outlet.
This year, Golden Tempo became the second Derby winner in a row and third in five years not to participate in the Preakness, according to The Associated Press.
The move also means that Memorial Day weekend will fall during the Preakness in four of the next six years, according to Sports Business Journal. That will allow race officials to create a bigger event feel for the race.
The new deal also allows Pimlico Race Course to shift its Black-Eyed Susan Stakes to a Saturday afternoon, Sports Business Journal reported.
The Belmont Stakes is set for June 5, 2027, as part of a new 3-year-old championship series that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont and races into the summer and possibly early fall, according to the AP.
Moore emphasized the importance of the Preakness during Wednesday’s news conference.
“Let’s be clear, there is no Triple Crown without (the) Preakness and if you want to win the Triple Crown, we will see you in Baltimore next year,” Moore said.
The 2027 Preakness -- the 152nd running of the race -- returns after a one-year hiatus at Laurel Park to Pimlico, which was undergoing renovations, the news organization reported.
Full reconstruction of the new Pimlico is expected to be completed by the spring of 2028, officials said.
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