Preakness Stakes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Preakness Stakes

Grade I race
"The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown" "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans"
Location	Pimlico Race Course Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Inaugurated	May 27, 1873 (152 years ago)
Race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
Race information
Distance	1+3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs)
Record	1:53.0, Secretariat (1973) more
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	3-year-old
Weight	Colt/Gelding: 126 pounds (57 kg) Filly: 121 pounds (55 kg)
Purse	US$2 million (2024) 1st: $1.2 million

The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The Preakness Stakes is a Grade I race run over a distance of 1+3⁄16 miles (9.5 furlongs; 1.9 kilometres) on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 pounds (55 kg). It is the second jewel (or leg) of the Triple Crown, held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes.

First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes was named by a former Maryland governor after the colt who won the first Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico. Annual "Preakness Weekend" races include both the Saturday Preakness Stakes and a Grade II race on Friday for fillies only named the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America among equestrian events, surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby.

The 149th running of the Preakness Stakes was held on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

History

Two years before the Kentucky Derby was run for the first time, Pimlico introduced its new stakes race for three-year-olds, the Preakness, during its first spring race meet in 1873. Then Maryland governor Oden Bowie named the then mile and one-half (2.41 km) race in honor of the colt Preakness from Milton Holbrook Sanford's Preakness Stud in Preakness, Wayne Township, New Jersey, who won the Dinner Party Stakes on the day Pimlico opened (October 25, 1870). The New Jersey name was said to have come from the Native American name Pra-qua-les ("Quail Woods") for the area. After Preakness won the Dinner Party Stakes, his jockey, Billy Hayward, untied a silk bag of gold coins that hung from a wire stretched across the track from the judges' stand. This was the supposed way that the "wire" at the finish line was introduced and how the awarding of "purse" money came to be. In reality, the term "purse", meaning prize money, had been in use for well over a century.

Sir Barton, winner in 1919

The first Preakness, held on May 27, 1873, drew seven starters. John Chamberlain's three-year-old, Survivor, collected the $2,050 winning purse by galloping home easily by 10 lengths. This was the largest margin of victory until 2004, when Smarty Jones won by 11 1/2 lengths.

In 1890, Morris Park Racecourse in the Bronx, New York hosted the Preakness Stakes. This race was run under handicap conditions, and the age restriction was lifted. The race was won by a five-year-old horse named Montague. After 1890, there was no race run for three years. For the 15 years from 1894 through 1908, the race was held at Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island, New York. In 1909 it returned to Pimlico.

Seven editions of the Preakness Stakes have been run under handicap conditions, in which more accomplished or favored horses are assigned to carry heavier weight. It was first run under these conditions in 1890 and again in the years 1910–1915. During these years, the race was known as the Preakness Handicap.

In March 2009 Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Pimlico, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy thus throwing open the possibility the Stakes could move again. On April 13, 2009, the Maryland Legislature approved a plan to buy the Stakes and the Pimlico course if Magna Entertainment cannot find a buyer.

Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races including the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders' Cup and the Kentucky Oaks. The attendance of the Preakness Stakes typically only trails the Kentucky Derby, for more information see American thoroughbred racing top attended events.

In February 2017, the Maryland Stadium Authority released the first phase of a study saying that Pimlico needed $250 million in renovations. As of May of that year, no one showed interest in financing the work. The Stronach Group, owner of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, was only interested in moving the Preakness Stakes to Laurel Park unless someone else financed work on Pimlico.

In October 2019, The Stronach Group reached an agreement in principle with the city of Baltimore and groups representing Maryland horsemen that would permanently keep the Preakness at Pimlico. As part of the agreement, Pimlico's grandstand would be demolished and replaced with a smaller structure, and temporary seating would be added to handle the attendance during Preakness week.

The Racing and Community Development Act, approved by the Maryland state legislature in May 2020, allows the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue $375 million in bonds for the renovation of both Stronach Group tracks.

The 145th running of the Preakness Stakes was held on Saturday, October 3, 2020, a delay resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak earlier in the year, and setting the year's contest four weeks after the also-delayed Kentucky Derby. It was held without spectators for health reasons because of the outbreak.

In April 2024 the Maryland General Assembly approved a bill that would consolidate Maryland thoroughbred racing at Pimlico and provide for the reconstruction of the Pimlico facility. As a result of the construction, the Preakness Stakes is expected to be moved to Laurel Park in 2026 before returning to Pimlico in 2027.

Evolution of the Triple Crown series

The Preakness is the second leg in American thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown series and almost always attracts the Kentucky Derby winner, some of the other horses that ran in the Derby, and often a few horses that did not start in the Derby. The Preakness is 1+3⁄16 miles, or 9+1⁄2 furlongs (1.88 km), compared to the Kentucky Derby, which is 1+1⁄4 miles / 10 furlongs (2 km). It is followed by the third leg, the Belmont Stakes, which is 1+1⁄2 miles / 12 furlongs (2.4 km).

Since 1932, the order of Triple Crown races has the Kentucky Derby first, followed by the Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes. Prior to 1932, the Preakness was run before the Derby eleven times. On May 12, 1917, and again on May 13, 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were run on the same day.

To date, the Preakness is run on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. Consequently, the race is run no earlier than May 15, and no later than May 21. One exception is 2020, as that race was run in early October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traditions

The weather vane at Pimlico is painted with the winner's colors (pictured: colors of 2021 winner Rombauer)

Traditionally, just after the horses for the Preakness were called to the post, the audience was invited to sing the third verse of "Maryland, My Maryland", the official state song of Maryland. For many years, the Baltimore Colts' Marching Band would lead the song from the infield; in later years, it was sung by the United States Naval Academy Glee Club. Use of the song was discontinued as of the 2020 edition of the race—the song "which celebrates the Confederacy, is considered by some to be racist.”

As soon as the Preakness winner has been declared official, a painter climbs a ladder to the top of a replica of the Old Clubhouse cupola. The colors of the victorious owner's silks are applied on the jockey and horse that are part of the weather vane atop the infield structure. The practice began in 1909 when a horse and rider weather vane sat atop the old Members' Clubhouse, which was constructed when Pimlico opened in 1870. The Victorian building was destroyed by fire in June 1966. A replica of the old building's cupola was built to stand in the Preakness winner's circle in the infield.

A blanket of yellow flowers daubed with black lacquer to recreate the appearance of a black-eyed Susan is placed around the winning horse's neck at this time, and a replica of the Woodlawn Vase is given to the winning horse's owner. Should that horse have also won the Kentucky Derby, speculation and excitement immediately begin to mount as to whether that horse will go on to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing at the Belmont Stakes in June.

Winning the race

In 1917, the first Woodlawn Vase was awarded to the Preakness winner, who was not allowed to keep it. Eventually, a half-size reproduction of the trophy was given to winners to keep permanently. The original trophy is kept at the Baltimore Museum of Art and brought to the race each year under guard, for the winner's presentation ceremony.

In 1940, it was proposed to drape the winning horse in a garland of the Maryland State flower, Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susans. This posed a problem, as the race is run nearly two months before the flowers come into bloom in late June or July. At first, yellow Viking daisies were painted to resemble black-eyed Susans. Painted flowers have been discontinued since the first decade of the current millennium and Viking Poms, a member of the chrysanthemum family, are now used. Although the Preakness is sometimes referred to as "the race for the black-eyed Susans", no black-eyed Susan is ever used.

In 1918, 26 horses entered the race, and it was run in two divisions, providing for two winners that year. Currently, the race is limited to 14 horses.

In 1948, the Preakness was televised for the first time by CBS.

The Preakness has been run at seven different distances:

• 1+1⁄2 miles (2.41 km) : 1873–1888, 1890
• 1+1⁄4 miles (2.01 km) : 1889
• 1+1⁄16 miles (1.71 km) : 1894–1900, 1908
• 1 mile 70 yards (1.67 km) : 1901–1907
• 1 mile (1.61 km) : 1909, 1910
• 1+1⁄8 miles (1.81 km) : 1911–1924
• 1+3⁄16 miles (1.91 km) : 1925–present

Purse money

At its inauguration in 1873, the Preakness carried a value of $1,000. The first major increase occurred in 1919 when the race had a $25,000 value. It climbed to $100,000 in 1946 and in 1959 was raised to $150,000. Subsequent increases occurred from 1979 to 1989, when the purse rose four times from $200,000 to $500,000, before going to $1 million in 1997. On December 12, 2013, the Maryland Jockey Club announced for the 2014 running of the Preakness, the purse would be increased from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.

InfieldFest

The race has had something of a party atmosphere in the past, especially in the infield, which is general admission.

In 2009, race attendance dropped to 77,850 after topping 100,000 for eight consecutive years. In 2010, and the Maryland Jockey Club responded with a new event called "InfieldFest" with performances by musical acts, the "Mug Club", which included an infield ticket and an unlimited-refill beer mug, and a mascot named "Kegasus", a play on keg and pegasus (though actually a centaur). The much-derided Kegasus was retired in 2013. In 2010, ticket sales had recovered to 95,760 and have since stayed high.

Aside from InfieldFest, the race is known for its fancy hats and official cocktail, the Black-eyed Susan, made with vodka, St-Germain liqueur and pineapple, lime and orange juices.

Records

Speed record:

• 1+3⁄16 miles (1.91km) – 1:53 – Secretariat (1973)

Secretariat, the 1973 winner (and ultimately Triple Crown winner) was originally credited with a running time of 1:55. Two Daily Racing Form clockers, however, had timed Secretariat's Preakness in 1:53 3⁄5, which would be a new stakes record. A hearing was held over the time discrepancy, where a video replay showed Secretariat reached the wire faster than Canonero II, the then-current record holder, but instead of giving Secretariat the record, the Maryland Jockey Club decided to split the difference and make its official time that of Pimlico's clocker, who had timed the race in 1:54 2⁄5. The matter was finally resolved in June 2012, when a meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission unanimously ruled to change Secretariat's final time to 1:53 based on testimony and analysis of the race replays. Consequently, Secretariat holds the current official record for all three Triple Crown races.

Other records at other distances:

Margin of Victory:

• 11½ lengths – Smarty Jones (2004)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 6 – Eddie Arcaro (1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1957)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 8 – Bob Baffert (1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2023)

Most wins by an owner:

• 7 – Calumet Farm (1941, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1956, 1958, 1968, 2013) (also the leading breeder with 7)

Fillies in the Preakness

Six fillies have won the Preakness:

• 2020 – Swiss Skydiver
• 2009 – Rachel Alexandra
• 1924 – Nellie Morse
• 1915 – Rhine Maiden
• 1906 – Whimsical
• 1903 – Flocarline

Winners (since 1873)

Triple Crown winners are in bold.

• Notes:

Timed to 1⁄4 second 1873 to 1899, to 1⁄5 second 1900 to 2002, to 0.01 second since 2003.

All winners have been three years old, except Montague in 1890 who was five years old.

A † designates a filly.
§ D. Wayne Lukas swept the 1995 Triple Crown with two different horses.

Sire lines

• the Darley Arabian (1700c) sire line (all branched through the Eclipse (1764) line) produced 130 Stakes winners (121 colts, 3 geldings, 6 fillies), including all winners from 1938 to present. The main branches of this sire line are:
  • the King Fergus (1775) branch (all branched through the Voltigeur (1847) line), produced 13 winners. His sire line continued primarily through his son Vedette (1854) with 12 winners, due primarily to his son Galopin (1872) with 9 winners (exclusively through St. Simon (1881), most recently Pleasant Colony in 1981).
  • the Potoooooooo (1773) branch produced 116 winners (all branched through the Waxy (1790) line), including all winners from 1982 to present. The primary branch of this sire line is through Whalebone (1807), which has produced 115 winners. In turn, the primary branch continues through Sir Hercules (1826), which has produced 97 winners (including all winners since 1984), and then the Birdcatcher (1833) branch which produced 91 winners. From Birdcatcher, the branch of The Baron (1842) has produced 85 winners (exclusively through the Stockwell (1849) line). Birdcatcher's grandson Doncaster (1870) sired Bend Or (1877), whose sire line accounts for 77 winners. The main branch of the Bend Or sire line continued through his son Bona Vista (1889) with 63 winners, nearly exclusively through the Phalaris (1913) line with 62 winners, which has dominated in the last several decades (including all winners from 1984 to present) through the following sons:
    • the Fairway (1925) branch (1 winner, most recently Bally Ache in 1960);
    • the Pharamond (1925) branch (5 winners, most recently Silver Charm in 1997);
    • the Sickle (1924) branch, which has produced all winners from 2021 to present (27 winners exclusively through Polynesian (1942) with his win in the 1945 Preakness Stakes, continued exclusively through his son Native Dancer (1950) with his win in the 1953 Preakness Stakes, continued primarily through his son Raise a Native (1961) with 23 winners, down through Mr Prospector (1970) with 20 winners (including all winners from 2021 to present) through 9 different sons: Tank’s Prospect, with his win in the 1985 Preakness Stakes, and 8 other sons through their progeny, with his son Fappiano (1977) accounting for 6 winners, (most recently Seize the Grey in 2024));
    • the Pharos (1920) branch (29 winners all branched through the Nearco (1935) line, through his sons Royal Charger (1942), Nearctic (1954), and Nasrullah (1940)). The Royal Charger branch produced 5 winners (most recently Swiss Skydiver in 2020), the Nasrullah branch produced 11 winners primarily due to his son Bold Ruler (1954) with 10 winners (most recently California Chrome in 2014), while the Nearctic branch produced 13 winners, exclusively through his son Northern Dancer (1961) with his win in the 1964 Preakness Stakes, and direct male progeny of 12 winners, most recently War of Will in 2019, with his son Storm Bird (1978) accounting for 5 winners (most recently Justify in 2018).
    • special notes:
      • an offshoot of the Whalebone (1807) branch, the Camel (1822) branch (14 winners exclusively through the Touchstone (1831) line), produced 1983 Preakness Stakes winner Deputed Testimony through his grandson Newminster's (1848) branch. Since then, each winner of the Preakness Stakes has gone through Whalebone's more frequent sire line branch of Sir Herecules (1826). The Newminster branch is the more common of the two branches derived through Camel with 8 winners. Newminster's brother Orlando (1841) produced 6 winners (exclusively through the Commando (1898) line with 6 winners), most recently Carry Back in 1961.
      • the Sir Hercules (1826) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Birdcatcher (1833), and the secondary branch of Faugh-a-Ballagh (1841) which produced 6 winners (exclusively through the Leamington (1853) line), most recently 1901 Preakness Stakes winner The Parader.
      • the Birdcatcher (1833) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of The Baron (1842), and the secondary branch of Oxford (1857) which produced 6 winners (exclusively through the Sterling (1868) line), most recently 1946 Preakness Stakes winner Assault.
      • the Bend Or (1877) branch produced two main lines: the primary branch of Bona Vista (1889), and the secondary branch of Ormonde (1883) which produced 10 winners (primarily through the Teddy (1913) line with 8 winners), most recently 1967 Preakness Stakes winner Damascus.
• the Byerley Turk (1680c) sire line produced 13 winners (10 colts, 3 geldings). The main branches of this sire (all branched through the Herod (1758) line) are:
  • the Highflyer (1774) branch produced 1 winner, most recently Montague in 1890
  • the Florizel (1768) branch produced 6 winners (all branched through the Lexington (1850) line), most recently Hindus in 1900
  • the Woodpecker (1773) branch produced 6 winners (all branched through the Buzzard (1787) line). The main branches of this sire line are:
    • the Castrel (1801) branch produced 1 winner, most recently Kalitan in 1917
    • the Selim (1802) branch produced 5 winners (all branched through the Vandal (1850) line). The main branches of this sire line are:
      • Survivor (1870), winner of the 1873 Preakness Stakes
      • the Virgil (1864) branch produced 4 winners (1882 Preakness Stakes winner Vanguard, and 3 winners branched through the Hindoo (1878) line), most recently Buskin in 1913
• the Godolphin Arabian (1724c) sire line produced 7 winners (6 colts, 1 gelding). The main branches of this sire (all branched through the Australian (1858) line) are:
  • the Attila (1871) branch produced 1 winner, most recently Tecumseh in 1885
  • the Spendthrift (1876) branch produced 6 winners (1894 Preakness Stakes winner Assignee (1891) and 5 winners branched through the Hastings (1893) line), including:
    • Don Enrique (1904), winner of the 1907 Preakness Stakes
    • the Fair Play (1905) branch produced 4 winners, most recently War Admiral in 1937

Preakness Stakes winners with male-line descendants including other Preakness Stakes winners

• Polynesian (1945 winner) – 26 winners (25 colts, 1 gelding); most recently Seize the Grey (2024)
• Native Dancer (1953 winner) – 25 winners (24 colts, 1 gelding); most recently Seize the Grey (2024)
• Northern Dancer (1964 winner) – 12 winners (11 colts, 1 filly); most recently War of Will (2019)
• Bold Ruler (1957 winner) – 7 colts; most recently California Chrome (2014)
• Seattle Slew (1977 winner) – 2 colts; most recently California Chrome (2014)
• Gallant Fox (1930 winner) – 1 colt; Omaha (1935)
• Man o' War (1920 winner) – 1 colt; War Admiral (1937)
• Bold Venture (1936 winner) – 1 colt; Assault (1946)
• Citation (1948 winner) – 1 colt; Fabius (1956)
• Secretariat (1973 winner) – 1 colt; Risen Star (1988)
• Summer Squall (1990 winner) – 1 colt; Charismatic (1999)
• Curlin (2007 winner) – 1 colt; Exaggerator (2016)

See also

In Spanish: Preakness Stakes para niños

• American thoroughbred racing top attended events
• Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
• Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing
• List of Preakness Stakes broadcasters
• Maryland Jockey Club
• Preakness Stakes top four finishers
• Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
• Triple Crown Productions
• Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing