The 151st Preakness Stakes is scheduled to break tradition today as a sprawling 14-horse field prepares to run at Laurel Park. With a scheduled post time of 7:01 p.m. EDT, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown is taking place away from its usual Baltimore home because the historic Pimlico Race Course is currently undergoing a full reconstruction. The temporary venue shift coincides with the largest starting gate the event has seen in 15 years, matching the 2011 entry list.
Chad Brown’s colt Iron Honor enters the afternoon as the morning-line favorite at a tepid 9-2. No Preakness favorite has entered the starting gate with odds of 9-2 or longer since at least 1940. He faces stiff competition from horses like Taj Mahal, Chip Honcho, and Incredibolt, who are all sitting at 5-1. The betting lines remain highly fractured because the undisputed top horse of the season is missing from the paddock.
Kentucky Derby champion Golden Tempo is skipping the race to focus on the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Cherie DeVaux opted to hold the horse out for extra rest, making Golden Tempo the third Derby winner in the last five years to bypass the Preakness. The grueling two-week turnaround of the Triple Crown is causing systemic shifts across the sport. The Maryland Jockey Club, which formally assumes control of the Preakness next year, is currently reviewing plans to push the race back by two or three weeks to prioritize horse welfare.
As administrators debate schedule adjustments and deal with outside distractions like recent investigations into Kentucky Derby jockeys, local competitors are eyeing a unique record. Trainer Brittany Russell and jockey Sheldon Russell are entering the undefeated Taj Mahal into today’s race. If they secure a win at their home track of Laurel Park this evening, they will become the first married trainer-jockey duo to ever win a Triple Crown event.