151st Preakness Draws 14 Horses at Laurel Park as Top 2 Derby Finishers Skip Race
Updated
Updated · NBC News · May 15
151st Preakness Draws 14 Horses at Laurel Park as Top 2 Derby Finishers Skip Race
17 articles · Updated · NBC News · May 15
Fourteen horses will run Saturday in the 151st Preakness at Laurel Park, creating one of the race’s most open fields in years after Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade both passed.
Only the second time in 40 years that the Derby’s top two have skipped the Preakness, the lineup also lacks any horse that has won a Grade 1 or Grade 2 race this year.
Laurel Park sits 20 miles south of Pimlico and is hosting the Preakness for the first time while Baltimore’s historic track undergoes a full rebuild.
The oversized field is the biggest in 15 years, with Derby third-place finisher Ocelli, Chad Brown-trained Iron Honor and Taj Mahal among the notable entrants.
With no Triple Crown bid alive and no standout favorite, the race is being framed less as a star showcase than as a deep betting contest.
As Derby winners skip the Preakness, is the Triple Crown's prestige fading for horse welfare and breeding value?
With Churchill Downs acquiring the Preakness, will TV deals or tradition decide the Triple Crown's future schedule?