Preparations for the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes are underway at Laurel Park, where the middle jewel of the Triple Crown will be staged outside its traditional home for the first time. Crews are getting the track and barns ready for an expected full field of 14 horses ahead of next weekend’s race.
Mike Rogers said all eyes will be on Laurel next weekend, and he called the turnout exciting. One horse already on site is Ocelli, who arrived at Laurel Park this week after finishing third in the Kentucky Derby.
The Derby winner will not run in the Preakness because connections decided the turnaround was too quick, a loss Rogers called “a gut punch.” Even so, interest has not faded. Rogers said the horse angle has drawn more attention than in past years, and he added that a full field of 14 horses is expected Saturday.
The move to Laurel is tied to renovations at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, the longtime Preakness home. Unlike Pimlico, Laurel has no infield; a lake occupies that space, and spectators will be limited to the grandstand and apron areas. Attendance has been capped at about 4,800, far below the crowds exceeding 100,000 that Pimlico traditionally drew.
The shift is expected to be temporary, with organizers planning for the Preakness to return to Pimlico next year after the work is completed. Rogers said horses and horse racing are deep in Maryland’s roots, and he added that the Preakness has been around for 151 years and is not going anywhere.
