The history of the Preakness
The Preakness Stakes actually predates the Kentucky Derby by two years. It was ran for the first time in 1873. Maryland governor Oden Bowie actually named the race after a popular colt of the day. The very first running of the Preakness was a mild affair compared to the race as we know it today; it drew only seven runners and was won by Survivor. The winning horse and connections collected just $2,050 for their efforts.
For a very brief time the Preakness Stakes was run under handicap conditions and the age restrictions were lifted. Since 1916, however, the race has been restricted to three-year old colts and fillies that all carry the same weight based on their sex.
A long-standing tradition of the Preakness Stakes are the parties that are held in the track’s infield on race day. In recent years these parties have become quite a spectacle that include concerts by notable artists, food and drink, and guest appearances by celebrities.
The Preakness and the Triple Crown
The Preakness Stakes is the second leg in America’s Triple Crown racing series, following the Kentucky Derby and before the Belmont. It is customarily held on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. The winner of the Kentucky Derby almost always shows up to compete in the Preakness. The distance of the race is 1 3/16 miles.
As the horses are led to the post the US Naval Academy Glee Club leads the crowd in singing “Maryland, My Maryland.”
EZ Horse Betting Fun Fact
Immediately after the Preakness is over and the official winner has been declared, a painter climbs to the top of the grandstand and paints the cupola in the colors of the winning owners. These colors will remain displayed until the next year’s Preakness Stakes.
Bet the Preakness at Bet America!
You can experience all the thrills of betting on the Preakness Stakes right from the comfort of your own home by registering an account with Bet America. All the same bets available at Pimlico Racecourse are offered on Preakness Day by Bet America. You can bet the guaranteed Pick 4 and Pick 6, lay down a trifecta or superfecta, or even crush a Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness double! Register your account today and get in on the action! You can check out our reviews of horse betting sites.
The Preakness’s Fresh Horse Value — Year After Year
The Preakness Stakes is arguably the Triple Crown race that most consistently rewards systematic betting preparation, primarily because the fresh horse angle — backing horses that skipped the Kentucky Derby to point specifically at the Preakness — produces above-average results with remarkable consistency across multiple decades. Derby winners arrive at Pimlico with the weight of public expectation and genuine physical demands from their Churchill Downs campaign; horses that bypassed the Derby arrive fresh, specifically prepared, and available at prices that underestimate their competitive chances.
The historical record of Preakness winners who skipped the Derby is extensive and well-documented, yet the market continues to underprice fresh horses year after year because the public’s emotional investment in backing the Derby winner overpowers analytical considerations of fitness and freshness. This persistent mispricing — driven by the narrative power of Triple Crown history rather than by probability assessments — is exactly the kind of systematic market inefficiency that prepared bettors can exploit reliably. Identifying which horses in each year’s Preakness field skipped the Derby and why — whether their connections believed they were better suited to Pimlico’s conditions, or specifically targeted the Preakness distance, or avoided the Derby field — provides the context for assessing which fresh horses deserve backing and at what prices. For comprehensive Preakness analysis, our articles on Preakness Stakes betting guide and the importance of Preakness participation cover the race in detail.
Preakness Stakes Winners Since 2000 with $2 payoffs:
- 2012: I’ll Have Another $8.40
- 2011: Shackleford $27.20
- 2010: Lookin At Lucky $6.80
- 2009: Rachel Alexandra $5.60
- 2008: Big Brown $2.40
- 2007: Curlin $8.80
- 2006: Bernardini $27.80
- 2005: Afleet Alex $8.60
- 2004: Smarty Jones $3.40
- 2003: Funny Cide $5.80
- 2002: War Emblem $7.60
- 2001: Point Given $6.60
- 2000: Red Bullet $14.40
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