The Preakness Stakes will be held at Laurel Park for the “first and only time” Saturday, while the race’s traditional Baltimore home Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations and it is a big moment for Laurel Park. It is also a “bit of a last hurrah,” as Laurel Park will cease operations as a racetrack in the next year and convert to a training facility for horses. This year Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a plan for the state’s acquisition of Laurel Park for $48.5M. Organizers 1/ST Racing decided to cap the attendance of the 2026 Preakness at 4,800, less than a tenth of the 63,000 at Pimlico in 2025. Even with a more intimate gathering planned, however, it will “be the biggest thing to happen at Laurel Park in many years” (BALTIMORE BANNER, 5/13). The state’s $48.5M acquisition was delayed earlier this week after a “legislative committee requested a cost-benefit analysis and 45-day review period” (AP, 5/13).
Laurel Park hosting this year’s event and suffering the defection of a healthy Kentucky Derby winner in Golden Tempo has “created questions about this year’s event and what the future holds” for both Pimlico and the structure of the Triple Crown that are on Maryland Jockey Club President and GM Bill Knauf’s plate. Still, Knauf sees “plenty of reasons for optimism.” The Preakness at Laurel did attract a full field of 14 3-year-olds horses. While it “may lack star power, it should be a highly competitive race and great betting race for fans” (BLOODHORSE, 5/14).
