Friday’s Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies is scheduled over 6 furlongs on the dirt at Laurel Park. It has been run since 1986, earning Grade 3 status in 2002 and traditionally serving as a sprint showcase on the Black-Eyed Susan Day card.
Notable past winners include champion Covfefe (2019), who set the stakes record of 1:07.70 while winning by 8 ½ lengths in a dominant performance. Recent standouts like Maple Leaf Mel (2023), Mystic Lake (2024), and Echo Sound (2025) have their names listed in the history books.
Earlier standout winners trained by the late Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas -- Lilly Capote (1995), Storm Beauty (1998), Time’s Mistress 2007) list him as tied with his protégé Todd Pletcher -- Lucky Livi (2000), R Holiday Mood (2011), and Lost Raven (2016) -- for the most winners of the race.
No owner has repeated, and retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron holds the record with four victories in the race’s early editions.
This year’s competitive field of improving and proven 3-year-old fillies offers a mix of speed, consistency, and class-risers, with no single standout dominating the morning-line picture.
There are several logical contenders based on recent form and Laurel Park affinity, however.
Little Miss Curlin (9-5), who drew the rail and will carry Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz, boasts a sparkling 5-for-6 record and has already shown she can handle different surfaces and competitive fields after a convincing return from a brief setback. The Steve Asmussen-trained daughter of Charlatan has performed strongly in Louisiana-bred company earlier; her lone loss in the open Dixie Belle Stakes two back makes her slightly questionable in this field at a short price. She is likely to benefit from an inside post and, as a stalker, could find a good position early behind the leaders before pouncing in the stretch.
Drew the No. 2 post and will be ridden by Sheldon Russell for his wife, trainer Brittany Russell. The Preservationist filly has never finished worse than third in seven career starts and has been particularly sharp at Laurel, winning three of her last four outings there while proving effective at the 6-furlong distance (unbeaten in two tries). Her consistency across varying pace scenarios, combined with a professional temperament and adaptability, positions her to stalk or sit mid-pack before delivering a strong finish.
“She’s been really consistent. She’s been really cool to have around,” Russell said. “Obviously, we had to try her a little bit longer last time [second at a mile in stakes company], and it wasn’t what she wanted, but she likes this racetrack.”
Brings the highest stakes résumé and earnings, with multiple wins and a graded placing, but also a dangerous tactical speed that lets her settle off the pace before unleashing a potent late run. The cutback to 6 furlongs should suit her perfectly after a recent rebound score at 7 furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs.
“She’s a good horse,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “I feel like she’s a come-from-behind sprinter, and I actually think 6 [furlongs] is going to be better for her than seven because she has tactical speed and she doesn’t need the lead. I think this is a good spot for her, and hopefully she can pick up a graded win. It would be nice to get a graded win on her resume.”
The McKinzie filly returns to graded company in peak form and could prove the one to beat if the pace heats up under Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Is the lightly raced wild card with explosive early speed. A decisive maiden winner at first asking, she has raw talent and gate-to-wire potential but faces a sizable class jump here.
“She is certainly a lightly raced filly. It’s a big ask,” trainer Chad Summers said. “She won at first asking at Aqueduct. She’s a filly with a load of talent that we have been very, very high on from the beginning.”
If her natural speed carries against sharper company, the Speightstown filly could wire the field or press the pace aggressively from the outset. Luis Saez picks up the mount.
Returns to familiar territory at Laurel Park, where she previously won the Xtra Heat Stakes in February. Though her most recent outing was subpar, a dismal seventh in stakes company over the synthetic at Turfway Park, her prior record suggests a bounce-back is possible in the right spot. The Maclean’s Music filly typically stalks the early pace and could find her best stride late if the early pace collapses.
Also from Joseph’s barn, broke her maiden impressively at Gulfstream Park in her last, which was her sixth start, and as a daughter of leading sire Into Mischief, brings a strong pedigree into deeper waters. She is still learning but has momentum and could improve her position mid-race while closing with interest.
A $310,000 Keeneland yearling is the pure speed type who broke her maiden in wire-to-wire fashion at Keeneland wearing a $100,000 price tag last out and will look to set or press the pace early. She faces her toughest assignment yet, and sustaining that speed against more battle-tested rivals will be the key question in the final furlong.
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.
