Maryland buys Preakness rights, moves 2027 race one week later

Maryland has moved the Preakness from its traditional third Saturday in May to the fourth Sunday in May starting in 2027, after the state completed an $85 million deal to acquire the race’s rights and related assets. Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced that the 152nd Preakness Stakes will be run on Sunday, May 23, 2027, at Pimlico Race Course, three weeks after the Kentucky Derby and less than two weeks before the Belmont Stakes. (governor.maryland.gov) The change comes days after Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association unveiled a new national series that did not include the Preakness. The state’s move gives Maryland direct control over the race calendar and media rights at a moment when the Triple Crown schedule is under pressure. (governor.maryland.gov) Moore said the later date is meant to give horses more recovery time after the Derby, a gap trainers have increasingly sought in recent years. NBC Sports will remain the television home of the Preakness under a new six-year agreement running through 2032. ### Why did Maryland buy the rights in the first place? Maryland finalized the purchase in late July and early August as part of a broader effort to keep the Preakness anchored in Baltimore. Reports on the deal said the state acquired the race, the Woodlawn Vase and related intellectual property from Churchill Downs. (governor.maryland.gov) Moore’s office has said the acquisition is being financed with a tax-exempt revenue bond rather than direct taxpayer appropriations. Pimlico has been central to the state’s redevelopment plans for years. The race was held at Laurel Park in 2026 while Pimlico underwent reconstruction, but officials have said the event will return to Pimlico in 2027. (wypr.org) ### Why move it to Sunday — and one week later? Moore said the new date puts the Preakness three weeks after the Derby instead of two, giving owners and trainers more time between races. That addresses a complaint that the current spacing discourages Derby runners from coming to Baltimore, especially as modern training schedules have become more conservative. (southernmarylandchronicle.com) The Sunday placement is also new. The governor’s office said the 2027 running will be the first Sunday Preakness since the race began in 1873, with late-afternoon or early-evening coverage on NBC and Peacock. (wbal.com) ### What changed with Churchill Downs and the national series? Churchill Downs Inc. and NYRA announced a six-race Thoroughbred Championship Series on August 3 that excluded the Preakness and Pimlico. The omission raised questions in Maryland about whether the state’s signature race could lose status in the national 3-year-old calendar even while remaining part of the Triple Crown. (governor.maryland.gov) Moore’s announcement the next day answered that exclusion with a new state-backed schedule and media deal. Public statements from Maryland officials and racing executives framed the date shift as a way to preserve the race’s competitiveness and national visibility outside the Churchill-NYRA series. (governor.maryland.gov) ### What does state control actually change? The Maryland Jockey Club now has the media rights agreement with NBC Sports beginning in 2027, and the state has a bigger role in setting the race’s timing and commercial direction. That means decisions that once sat mainly with private racing operators will now require coordination among the governor’s office, the Maryland Stadium Authority, racing officials and Baltimore-area public agencies. (theracingbiz.com) Baltimore will also have to prepare for the practical effects of a Sunday major event. Transportation plans, policing, tourism messaging and neighborhood operations around Pimlico will have to be aligned to a different weekend rhythm than the traditional Saturday race day. (governor.maryland.gov) Fox Baltimore reported that the calendar change has already prompted questions in Annapolis about how the new arrangement will work. ### What happens next before the 2027 race? May 23, 2027 is now the target date for the first Preakness under the new schedule, with NBC and Peacock carrying the race under the new rights agreement. Pimlico is expected to reopen for the event after reconstruction, and the Maryland Jockey Club and state officials will spend the coming months building out race week plans, sponsor arrangements and operating details for the return to Baltimore. (mdhorsemen.com) (governor.maryland.gov) (foxbaltimore.com)