Advertisement

Advertisement

Preakness

[ preek-nis ]

Trademark.
  1. a horse race for three-year-olds run annually two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md.: the second race in the Triple Crown.


Discover More

Example Sentences

The group also owns last year’s Preakness winner National Treasure, who also won this year’s Pegasus World Cup.

National Treasure, winner of last year’s Preakness, led most of the 1 1/8-mile race and led by a length entering the top of the stretch.

However, Preakness winner Seize the Grey did not come to Santa Anita, instead running in the $1-million Pennsylvania Derby last week, which he won.

The California Crown race is part of a bonus program with a $5-million bonus to any horse that won the Preakness Stakes, California Crown and Pegasus.

For now, the question is how much the final leg of the Triple Crown will be a rematch of sorts from the Derby or Preakness.

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Preakness

What is the Preakness?

The Preakness is an annual horse race at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s officially called the Preakness Stakes.

It is the second race in the three-race that also includes the races known as the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. Winning all three races in a single year is known as winning the Triple Crown.

The Preakness is limited to 14 three-year-old horses and is run on a dirt track that is 1 3/16 miles long.

When is the Preakness?

In 2024, the Preakness will be held on Saturday, May 18. In 2025, the Preakness is scheduled for Saturday, May 17.

The Preakness is traditionally held on the third Saturday in May, exactly two weeks after the Kentucky Derby.

More information and context on the Preakness

The Preakness was first held in 1873 (two years before the first Kentucky Derby), making it one of the oldest sporting events in the U.S. (though it has not been held continuously). The event is named after the first horse to win a major race at the course. Although the Preakness was first run at the Pimlico Race Course, the event was moved to different locations in the late 1800s. The race returned to Pimlico in 1909 and has been held there ever since. The word stakes in the official name Preakness Stakes was originally used to refer to a horse race in which the owners of competing horses contribute to the prize money.

Legendary racehorse Secretariat set a Preakness record of 1:53 in 1973 on the way to becoming one of the few horses to win the Triple Crown. Other notable Triple Crown winners include War Admiral and Seattle Slew.

The event is associated with a number of traditions, most notably “the painting of the colors,” which involves the team colors of the winning horse being painted on a weathervane immediately after the race.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing the Preakness?

How is the Preakness discussed in real life?

The Preakness is often discussed as being part of the three-race series that starts with the Kentucky Derby and ends with the Belmont Stakes.

Try using the Preakness!

True or False?

The Preakness has always been held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement