The Preakness Stakes will be run on a Sunday for the first time in its history, part of a sweeping new race schedule and media rights extension that Gov. Wes Moore, the Maryland Jockey Club and NBC Sports announced Wednesday at a press conference in Annapolis.
Starting with the 152nd running in 2027, the race will move eight days later on the calendar, to the fourth Sunday in May, stretching the gap between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness from two weeks to 22 days. The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, traditionally run the Friday before the Preakness, will shift to Saturday afternoon, giving Maryland a two-day racing festival that closes with the Preakness itself on Sunday. Except for a pandemic-driven exception in 2020, the Preakness has run on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Derby, every year since 1950.
Alongside the new date, NBC Sports and the Maryland Jockey Club announced a multi-year extension keeping the Preakness, Black-Eyed Susan and surrounding weekend programming on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN through 2032. NBC first began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001; the extension makes it the first network to hold media rights to a Triple Crown race for three consecutive decades, encompassing 32 editions of the race between 2001 and 2032.
A Deal Years in the Making
Wednesday’s announcement follows a monthslong effort by the state to lock down full control of the race. In June, Maryland exercised its right of first refusal to match an $85 million offer from Churchill Downs Inc. for the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan, and the state completed that purchase in late July. Officials have said no General Fund tax dollars were used; the acquisition was financed through the Maryland Economic Development Corporation using a tax-exempt bond structure backed by future race-generated revenue, including wagering, ticketing and sponsorships.
The IP purchase followed the 2024 authorization of $400 million in state bonds to rebuild Pimlico Race Course, and combined with the state’s earlier purchase of Laurel Park, brings Maryland’s total commitment to acquiring, redeveloping and operating its racing assets to more than $500 million over the past year. With Wednesday’s deal, the state now owns Pimlico, Laurel Park and the Preakness intellectual property outright, with day-to-day racing operations still run by the Maryland Jockey Club, a nonprofit established by state law.
State officials say the payoff is significant: Maryland’s thoroughbred racing industry sustains more than 28,000 jobs and generates roughly $3 billion in annual economic impact. The rebuilt Pimlico is expected to support more than 500 jobs on its own and expand from about 15 racing days a year to more than 100, becoming the year-round home of Maryland thoroughbred racing. The 2027 Preakness is set to return to that partially rebuilt facility after this year’s running was relocated to Laurel Park during construction.
What Officials Are Saying
Gov. Moore framed the announcement as a turning point for the race’s future. “The state of Maryland and Preakness are stepping into an exciting new era,” he said, adding that the new schedule and NBC deal ensure “optimal and accessible coverage for everyone from horseracing experts to casual fans.” First Lady Dawn Moore called Preakness Weekend “more than a race,” describing it as “a celebration of more than 150 years of Maryland history, Baltimore, our proud equine tradition, and the communities that make this event so special.”
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who has described himself as a product of the Park Heights neighborhood surrounding Pimlico, said the later date “underscores the race’s importance to the sport” while preserving its national profile, and framed the broader redevelopment push as an effort to hold the event “with the community, not just in the community.”
Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf said the new Saturday-Sunday format is designed to “transform the weekend for horsemen, bettors, and racing fans alike,” pointing to the state’s investments — the rebuilt Pimlico, a new training center at Laurel Park, and the completed IP purchase — as evidence of a “fresh path forward” for the race.
Business and industry leaders echoed that economic framing. Greater Baltimore Committee President and CEO Mark Anthony Thomas said the race “supports more than 28,000 jobs, strengthens tourism and hospitality” and validates the state’s decision to take ownership of “one of our state’s defining economic and cultural assets.” Maryland Commerce Secretary Harry Coker Jr. called the Preakness “one of Maryland’s most valuable economic assets and a globally recognized brand,” while Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks tied the investment to the state’s “agricultural heritage” and its farmers and breeders.
In Park Heights, the neighborhood most directly affected by the Pimlico rebuild, reaction was cautiously optimistic. Park Heights Renaissance CEO Yolanda Jiggetts said her organization’s focus remains on ensuring “the people who live and work here” benefit directly from the new investment and attention, while Del. Malcolm Ruff, who represents the district, said the state’s continued ownership of the Preakness IP “will surely speed up the day when Park Heights begins to see a share of the profits of thoroughbred horse racing.”
Not every voice was about dollars and cents. Graham Motion, a Kentucky Derby-winning trainer and board member of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, described the unique draw of bringing a Derby winner to Baltimore for the Preakness: “The energy is incredible, and it feels like the whole crowd is behind you. It’s a moment every trainer dreams of.” Equine veterinarian Kathleen Anderson, a longtime Maryland Jockey Club board member, called the moment “an equine field of dreams” for the state’s horse community.
Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Executive Director David Richardson noted a practical benefit of NBC also holding Kentucky Derby rights: with the same network broadcasting both races, he said, “NBC’s entire Derby broadcast becomes a national commercial for the Preakness,” letting storylines build from Louisville to Baltimore over the newly lengthened three-week gap.
