The 151st running of the Preakness, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is this weekend. But it’s going to be a little different because of ongoing renovations at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
For the first time, the race will be run at Laurel Park.
Fritz Widaman, senior vice president of marketing for the Maryland Jockey Club, saID one thing that will be very different is the size. He said there is not enough room for the 50,000 fans that usually show up to watch the Preakness in person.
“We had to cut back on the seating here, so we only have 4,800 seats. The place will be crowded. Every seat is accounted for,” Widaman said.
Widaman said despite the smaller crowd this year, this is a marquee race where fans will still get to see quality horses competing, and the winner will still be in the record books as the 2026 Preakness champion.
“We’re one of the oldest sporting organizations in the world, starting way back in 1843. The Maryland Jockey Club (started racing) in 1870, so this is a signature race for the state of Maryland,” Widaman said.
The Preakness will run at Pimlico in 2027, even though Widaman said not all the construction will be finished.
“We’re looking at bringing this back to Baltimore and bringing back the people’s party,” he said.
All the changes at Pimlico are expected to be complete by the 2029 race, and the facility is expected to host 120 races a year.
In addition, Widaman said Pimlico intends to start hosting other events: “We’re going to bring in concerts, we’re going to bring in festivals.”
Laurel Park, meanwhile, will soon transition from a racetrack to a horse training facility.
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