We Have A Report Saying The 2027 Preakness Could Be Pushed Back As Part Of A Revamped Triple Crown Schedule And That's a Great Thing For Horse Racing

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If this report ends up being correct, there are going to be a lot of angry horse racing fans. 

I will not be one of them. 

Citing its broadcast rights heading to a new home in 2027, Sports Business Journal says The Preakness - the middle leg of horse racing's Triple Crown - will be pushed back a week. The Preakness has historically been run two weeks after the Derby. Based on this report, there would now be three weeks between the two races. From the report: 

The second leg of the Triple Crown is set to make a historic shift to one week later in May, the sources said, and interest around media rights is picking up. The race is heading into its final year with NBC Sports.

The Preakness, which started in 1873, has consistently been run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby since 1950. The Derby’s traditional spot on the first Saturday in May would remain unchanged, but the revised schedule would allow for three weeks between the races, likely meaning more Derby entrants would race at Pimlico.

The sources said whether the Belmont Stakes — traditionally run three weeks after the Preakness — would also shift a week could depend on who wins the media rights to the Preakness.

Good. 

I love the Preakness. Crab cakes and horse racing - that's what Baltimore does. Well, kinda. It's an awesome event. 

But when Derby winner and eventual horse of the year Sovereignty skipped the Preakness in 2025, TV ratings dropped almost 20%. Overall viewership fell to its lowest levels since 1995. The Preakness needs the Derby winner. More importantly, horse racing needs the Derby winner to run in the Preakness.  For better or worse, the Triple Crown is racing's biggest advertising tool. 

Trainer Bill Mott is as respected as they come in the sport. When he skipped the Preakness year ago with Sovereignty, citing the quick two-week turnaround from the Derby, it was a reality check for a race that has always (well, for the last 75 years) been run two Saturdays after the Kentucky Derby. 

“Over the years, people have realized that spacing these horses out a little bit gives you the opportunity to make them last a little longer," Mott said in skipping the Preakness in 2025. "We’re looking at a career — and you want the career to last more than five weeks."

We've had just three Triple Crown winners since 1978. Winning all three legs of the Triple Crown - The Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont - over a five-week span is hard. 

It's also outdated for racing in 2026. 

Reality check: Horses run fewer races than ever. Trainers are giving them more and more rest between races - this is probably a good thing. Modern racing has changed from the days of horses running twice a month. The Seabiscuits of the world are long gone. 

Now is the time to push the Preakness back. It doesn't guarantee the Derby winner will always run there, but it will help. And it should also allow for more horses to run back in the Preakness from the Derby, making it a tougher challenge for the Derby winner. There have been a lot of shitty Preakness fields in my lifetime. Moving the race back is good for the horse and good for the racing product. 

Doug Pensinger. Getty Images.

And yes, some of this is about the racing. But it's just as much about money. Duh. 

NBC has the Preakness now. They also have the Derby. Fox has the broadcast rights to the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. The TV rights are up for the Preakness after this year. If the Preakness wants to get the most money possible for the broadcast rights, moving the race back a week makes sense. 

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This could also impact the Belmont Stakes, run in New York. From the report: 

"Sources told me that should Fox get the Preakness, the network would endorse moving the Belmont Stakes back a week, thus giving three weeks between each race (there are currently only three between the Preakness and Belmont). Should the Preakness land elsewhere, the sources noted it would not be a foregone conclusion that NYRA would move the Belmont back a week. 

In a perfect world, the Belmont would also move back a week. But the Belmont Stakes has some leverage here. It's more prestigious than the Preakness, and the weekend of racing around the race has become a signature event for the sport. 

They're also set to open new Belmont Park (and new home of the Islanders, shoutout Borrelli's), later this fall. It would be classic horse racing if the Preakness gets moved back and the Belmont was like, "Nope, we're staying five weeks after the Derby." Disaster. 

Me? I don't think one week is enough. My plan to revamp the Triple Crown is simple: 

Derby - First Saturday in May 

Preakness - First Saturday in June 

Belmont - First Saturday in July 

Or four weeks between each race. Then I'd create a bonus structure to ensure the best horses all run in each race. I'd keep that going into the summer for races like the Haskell in New Jersey and the Travers in Saratoga. That way, racing can best showcase the major players from Derby Day later into the year. 

Tradition is sacred until it stops working. This small shift modernizes a schedule that’s been outdated for years. It's good for the horse, good for the race, and good for racing. Pass the crab cakes, and I’ll see you at the (slightly later and better-scheduled) Preakness in 2027.