The Preakness Stakes

horse racing · triple crown · baltimore

Racing in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes has been held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland for over a century. It always takes place on the third Saturday in May, making it a tradition that horse racing fans look forward to every spring.

The middle jewel. The Preakness is the second race in the Triple Crown, coming three weeks after the Kentucky Derby and two weeks before the Belmont Stakes. If a horse wins all three races, it becomes a Triple Crown champion, which is incredibly rare and exciting.

Different weights. Horses that race in the Preakness have to carry different amounts of weight based on their sex. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds, while fillies (female horses) carry 121 pounds to make the race more fair.

The distance. The race covers 1 and 3/16 miles on a dirt track, which means it's a medium-length race that tests both the horse's speed and its ability to keep going strong. This distance is one of the most challenging in all of horse racing.