By US Racing Team
The distance of the Preakness Stakes (G1) is 1 3⁄16 miles (and the distance stays despite the venue change to Laurel Park), or 9 1⁄2 furlongs or 1.88 kilometers, compared to the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby (G1), which is contested two weeks before the Preakness.
It is followed by the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes (G1), three weeks later and historically contested at 1 1⁄2 miles.
This year, like for the past two years, due to the remodeling of Belmont Park the Belmont Stakes will be held upstate at Saratoga and cut back in distance to 1 ¼ miles to accommodate the limitations of the facility’s main track.
Two legs of the Triple Crown will be held away from their home locations due to massive renovations.
In 2020, due to COVID-19, the Belmont Stakes, won by Tiz the Law, was held first on June 20. The Kentucky Derby, which was contested on Sept. 5, came next and was won by Authentic, while the Preakness, won by the filly Swiss Skydiver, completed the first jumbled Triple Crown on Oct. 3.
Before 1932, the Preakness was run before the Derby 11 times and on May 12, 1917, and on May 13, 1922, the Preakness and the Derby were run on the same day. Since the Kentucky Derby is always held the first Saturday in May, the Preakness usually is never contested earlier than May 15 or later than May 21.
1 ½ miles -- 1873 to 1888; 1890
1 ¼ miles -- 1889
1 1/16 miles -- 1894 to 1900; 1908
1 mile, 70 yards -- 1901 to 1907
1 mile – 1909, 1910
1 1/8 miles -- 1911 to 1924
1 3/16 miles -- 1925 to present
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
