The 2026 Preakness will be run at Laurel Park.
In 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore made sure the Preakness, the middle race of Thoroughbred Horse Racing’s Triple Crown, would stay in Baltimore by signing a bill to rebuild the 155-year-old Pimlico race track. Maryland can use $400 million in state bonds to pay for the renovation. The old racetrack was to be taken over by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority but now the Maryland Stadium Authority is in charge. The Maryland Stadium Authority, which among other entities has the Baltimore Orioles’ baseball stadium and the Baltimore Ravens’ football facility, funds state sports venues upkeep and pays off the facilities debt. Maryland officials want to make sure the horse racing industry does not move to another area. There were rumors the Preakness could move to Florida. The Preakness will be held at Laurel Park in 2026 and will return to Baltimore in 2027. The 2026 Preakness will be the last hurrah for the Laurel Park track. Laurel Park will close after the 2026 calendar year.
The Preakness Stakes, Thoroughbred Racing’s second oldest Triple Crown race, started at Pimlico in 1873. The race moved to the Bronx, New York in 1890 and returned to Baltimore in 1909. In past years, on race days, it was not unusual to see 100,000 people at Pimlico. The racetrack’s clubhouse and grandstand will be demolished. A new clubhouse and event center will be built. Horse training and stable operations will be consolidated at Laurel Park. The thoroughbred industry is also getting New York State money to upgrade Belmont Park which hosts the third leg of the triple crown series. Horse racing has seen an incredible drop in popularity for a variety of reasons over the past six decades including other forms of available betting. Thoroughbred racing does attract people for one-time events like the Preakness.
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