How many days until Preakness Stakes?

About Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is one of the most prestigious horse races in the United States and the second leg of the American Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby and preceding the Belmont Stakes. First held in 1873, the race is traditionally contested at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, and features three-year-old Thoroughbred horses competing over a distance of 1 3/16 miles (1.91 km). The Preakness Stakes is renowned for its rich history, elite competition, and the excitement surrounding Triple Crown contenders. The race is held annually on a Saturday in the third week of May. Because the calendar changes from year to year, the exact date varies on the Gregorian calendar. If the Kentucky Derby winner also wins the Preakness Stakes, attention turns to the Belmont Stakes, where the horse has the opportunity to capture the coveted Triple Crown. Race day attracts tens of thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers. Festivities include horse racing, live entertainment, ceremonial traditions, and the presentation of the Woodlawn Vase, one of the most valuable trophies in American sports. The winning horse is draped with the traditional blanket of Black-Eyed Susans, Maryland's state flower, recreated using Viking daisies because Black-Eyed Susans are typically not in bloom at race time. A common misconception is that the Preakness Stakes is the oldest race in the Triple Crown. While it was first run in 1873, the Belmont Stakes debuted in 1867, making it the oldest of the three Triple Crown races. Today, the Preakness Stakes remains one of the most anticipated events in American horse racing and a centerpiece of the spring sporting calendar.

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