How does horse racing's new championship schedule affect the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown?

The change in scheduling for thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown that had loomed for so long finally came into focus on Wednesday for 2027. Maryland officials announced the Preakness Stakes would be run three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby instead of the usual two weeks but now just 13 days before the grueling, 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.

It followed another seismic change to the sport revealed on Monday as Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association jointly announced a six-race championship series beginning in 2027 that includes their own Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes but excludes the Preakness.

Further fine tuning could come in 2028 but, for now, owners and trainers must weigh the still difficult task of running the Triple Crown races in a five-week span against the financial gain possible in a championship series split between Louisville, Kentucky, and New York State.

“Why can’t, at some point, the Preakness become a part of this thing?” NBC Sports horse racing analyst and handicapper Ed Olczyk, a former Ranger, told Newsday on Wednesday. “To really tie it in all together, that would be the best part. You have too many smart people. I’m sure that there are legs somewhere to want and to have the ability to get the Preakness as part of this championship series.”

NYRA’s response after Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club announced the Preakness would be run on May 23 — the first time a Triple Crown race will be run on a Sunday — was to repeat the $2 million Belmont would be held on June 5. The $5 million Kentucky Derby is set for May 1.

Also part of the series, which will have a $5 million bonus pool for the top eight finishers based on collected points and a $1 million minimum purse for all six races, is the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in early July, the Jim Dandy and the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in late July and August, respectively, and a newly created championship race at Churchill Downs in September.

NBC Sports and Fox will share the broadcasting rights for the championship series.

“We are going to move [the Preakness] back to be able to ensure that the winner of the Kentucky Derby will then be prepared to compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown,” Moore said at a news conference in Annapolis on Wednesday.

“We believe the Preakness and the entire Triple Crown series are positioned for growth and great success,” Maryland Jockey Club chief executive officer Bill Knauf said.

Yet the fundamental issue of the connections not wanting to stress their horses with three Grade 1 stakes in five weeks remains.

“This is a major change,” Olczyk said. “Now, if the third jewel of the Triple Crown and NYRA does not want to move off of the timetable, all it is is you’ve gone from the two and three weeks to the three and two weeks. That’s a big ask, especially going a mile and a half. I’m sure things will be talked about. Overall, it’s very exciting on a lot of different fronts.”

The Derby winner has now skipped the Preakness two straight times and this year’s Preakness winner, Napoleon Solo, did not run in the Derby or the Belmont. The Associated Press reported only 13 of the 95 horses (13.7%) that have run in the Derby since 2022 have also run in the Preakness.

NYRA CEO and president David O’Rourke said on Monday after the joint announcement with Churchill Downs Inc. that a horse must enter four of the six races to be eligible for the title.

“I applaud Churchill Downs and NYRA for working together in the best interests of the sport and for recognizing that evolution requires innovation, real change and the courage to do things differently,” billionaire horse owner Mike Repole of Queens said via his X account. “Today is a good start for the future of racing.”

O’Rourke pushed back against the notion the new series effectively will kill the Triple Crown.

“What we're doing today is we're announcing the beginning of it,” O'Rourke said when asked why the Preakness was not included. “We want to set the foundation, but in no way does this touch the Triple Crown.”

Still, Moore likely erred when he authorized the state of Maryland to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness for $85 million. That was the same sum Churchill Downs Inc. had agreed to spend for the rights before Maryland stepped in front. There’s little doubt the Preakness would have been included in the six-race championship series if Churchill Downs Inc. held its rights.

Thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown in its 107-year history, the last being Justify in 2018.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert saddled Justify as well as the previous Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah, in 2015.

“I am in favor of any and all new ideas to grow racing and increase interest in our sport,” Baffert said on X. “But the greatest achievement in racing will always be winning the Triple Crown . . . The Triple Crown has sustained our sport for more than 150 years, and it will continue to do so for another 150 or more . . . If I have the right horse, I’ll continue to run in Baltimore every May, as well as in The Thoroughbred Series.”

Yet if change has finally come to thoroughbred racing, the basic problem seemingly remains the same.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.