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UKNew Horse Racing Series Excludes Preakness & Raises Triple Crown Questions
Key Highlights
- The Thoroughbred Championship Series will begin in 2027 with six races for 3-year-old horses.
- The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes are included, but the Preakness Stakes is not.
- A points system and $5 million prize pool will reward horses competing throughout the five-month season.
The future of the Preakness Stakes – and the Triple Crown – is in question after it was left out of a new six-race series debuting next year. The iconic Maryland horse racing event has more than 150 years of history and has been one of the three legs of the Triple Crown since the title was popularized in 1930.
Six-Race Series Debuts In 2027
On August 3, Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced the formation of the Thoroughbred Championship Series, a new six-race competition for the top 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The Kentucky Derby, held on the first Saturday in May 2027, will kick off the series.
The Belmont Stakes will follow five weeks later on June 5. The schedule will then continue with the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, and a September championship race at Churchill Downs. The new series is welcome news for Kentucky online casinos and sportsbooks; the Kentucky Derby alone attracts more than $200 million in betting handle.
NBC will broadcast the Churchill Downs races, while FOX will carry events held at NYRA properties. The series will use a points system and award $5 million based on the final standings, in addition to individual race purses.
Preakness Absence Creates Uncertainty
The Preakness Stakes, traditionally the middle leg of the Triple Crown, wasn’t included in the agreement. Its absence raises questions about the race’s future position between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and its relevance for bettors frequenting the online horse racing sites.
Maryland recently matched Churchill Downs’ $85 million offer for the Preakness intellectual property rights. Gov. Wes Moore described the acquisition as an effort to protect the event’s importance to Maryland and strengthen its place within the Triple Crown.
“With this final acquisition we are not only leveraging the Preakness’s iconic status and uplifting our horse racing industry, we are revitalizing the communities that directly benefit from the economic opportunities of the race,” Moore said in a statement.
However, the new championship format may have a direct impact on the importance of the Preakness moving forward. In recent years, multiple Kentucky Derby winners skipped the Preakness due to horse safety considerations and the demands of modern training schedules. There is only two weeks between the Derby and Preakness, followed by three weeks before the Belmont.
Racing Leaders Debate Triple Crown’s Future
Bob Baffert, the racehorse trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018), supported the new series but defended the traditional Triple Crown. He contends the Preakness is essential to racing’s history and indicated he would continue sending suitable horses to Baltimore while also competing in the championship series.
Horse owner Mike Repole welcomed the announcement as meaningful progress for the industry. He praised Churchill Downs and NYRA for collaborating and argued that horse racing needs innovation and significant changes to evolve.
The Preakness may continue as a major standalone event, but its exclusion from a lucrative season-long competition adds new uncertainty around the Triple Crown’s future.
