I Like The Idea Of Horse Racing's New Thoroughbred Championship Series...I Just Don’t Love Leaving the Preakness Behind
"Adapt or die."
Did Billy Beane really say that, or was that just a line written for Brad Pitt in one of the Top 15 movies of the last 15 years, Moneyball? I don't know - maybe one of the 98 movie podcasts we have here at Barstool can help you with that.
But it's a good quote to start the reaction to the big news Monday that, for all intents and purposes, horse racing's Triple Crown might be dead. Or at the very least, on life support.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and Churchill Downs INC (CDI) announced a new horse racing series for three-year-olds built around the Kentucky Derby.
The inaugural 2027 Thoroughbred Championship Series is expected to include:
-Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Racetrack on May 1
-Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5
-Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs Racetrack in July (exact date TBD)
-Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in late July/early August (exact date TBD)
-Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in late August (exact date TBD)
-Championship Race at Churchill Downs Racetrack in September (exact date TBD)
From the release, "A unified points system is designed to encourage the nation’s leading three-year-olds to compete against one another more frequently. In addition to individual race purses, a $5 million prize pool will be awarded based on the final standings, which will also provide owners and trainers with meaningful financial incentives to remain active throughout the championship series."
So, a six-race series, a little mini league, designed to hopefully get the horses that everyone watches and bets on in the Kentucky Derby to keep racing against each other throughout the summer. Sounds a lot like the plan I mapped out back in April when we got a report that The Preakness Stakes would move back a week starting in 2027.
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.
So yeah, similar idea, with one big exception - what the hell happened to The Preakness?
Patrick Smith. Getty Images.This new Thoroughbred Championship Series does not include or even mention the race. Or other big three-year-old races like the Haskell or the Pennsylvania Derby. The middle jewel of the Triple Crown has been left out of this grand new plan for racing - and it's clearly by design.
CDI had a deal to buy the IP rights to the Preakness. The State of Maryland had the right of first refusal and matched the offer. So now they run the racetrack and the big race. Sure feels like CDI is trying to stick it to them by creating this new series that boxes them out. Because you can bet that if CDI had the Preakness, they would be involved.
I like the idea of this. I like new things in racing. I just wish they had found a way to work with The Preakness. You had a lot of good Derby horses already skipping the race - now you're giving them even more financial reason to do so.
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Because let's say we get the announcement that the Preakness is prepared to move back a week, and make it three weeks after the Derby. Well, with this new series, the Belmont ain't moving; they're set for five weeks after the Derby. So now you're pitting the Preakness against the Belmont - you won't really be able to run in both.
And what if, in response to what they think might be a threat to its own race, the Preakness announces that they're offering a MONSTER bonus of its own to any horses who run in their race and the Derby. Or what if they team up with Monmouth, Parx, and Gulfstream and create their own bonus race series? Or they just get their own sponsor and 3x their prize money. There's a scenario where these races all start to cannibalize each other - which would be PEAK horse racing in 2026. Or in this case, 2027.
The thing with NYRA and CDI - they're not going anywhere. There are reports that Monmouth could close if they don't get lights and more casino money. I have no clue if Maryland will do a good job running the Preakness. The owners of Gulfstream and Santa Anita keep selling off or closing their racetracks. If this is a way for NYRA and CDI to avoid getting screwed by the decisions of others, I get it. "Adapt or die." In this case, they don't want to wait around for the potential demise of other racetracks.
So I'm with Dave - I like this move. I don't love it.
The door is open for this new series to work with the Preakness, but there's also the chance this is seen as a hostile act, and they go rogue here. Shit, the TV contract for the race is being negotiated RIGHT NOW. How can this help? Who wants to pay a premium for a Triple Crown that might not be part of a new-look Triple Crown??
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Cause for now, this version of the Triple Crown officially seems cooked. You can argue that it already was, with Derby winners routinely starting to skip the middle race in Maryland.
NYRA CEO Dave O'Rourke was asked whether the Preakness Stakes, Haskell Stakes or Pennsylvania Derby had been approached as part of the new series. According to him, not yet. “This was just for now,” he said. “Now that it’s been released, those conversations will happen.” Which means they probably don't really care if those tracks or races get involved. We'll see.
Friend of Barstool Mike Repole is right - racing and its partners need to work together.
Something like this should be the next goal for racing. Give owners an incentive to keep racing and not rush horses off into retirement to chase the breeding money.
Racing is stuck in the past and is in desperate need of innovation. From the racing schedule to an outdated betting menu. So I want to applaud new ideas, and I do think this will help the sport and create more big race days and potentially on-track rivalries than fans can rally around. And they for sure will be good, full betting events. All good.
But boxing out The Preakness doesn't bode well for everyone working together. Maryland is not going to sit idly by and let their signature race get shoved aside. Their response to this new series will have a big impact on horse racing next year and beyond.
