SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Churchill Downs Incorporated and the New York Racing Association on Monday announced a six-race championship series over a span of five months that includes the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and a $5 million prize pool, set to begin next year.
The first and third legs of the Triple Crown are scheduled next year for the traditional five weeks apart between May 1 and June 5. The date of the 2027 Preakness Stakes is set to be revealed on Wednesday by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club. A spokesperson for the Maryland Jockey Club declined comment Monday on the championship series of races in Kentucky and New York.
There has been speculation about the Preakness moving back from two to three weeks after the Kentucky Derby to get more horses from the Triple Crown opener to run in the second leg. Golden Tempo became the second Derby winner in a row and third in five years not to take part.
But the Belmont Stakes staying on the first Saturday in June for next year could extend the troubles of the condensed calendar for at least one more Triple Crown season. The return of the race to Belmont Park is set for June 5, as part of a new 3-year-old championship series that includes the Derby, the Belmont and races into the summer and possibly early fall.
For at least 2027, that series does not include the 152nd rendition of the Preakness, which is set to take place back at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore following a one-time stop at Laurel Park. Full reconstruction of the new Pimlico is expected to be completed by the spring of 2028, officials have said.
This championship series includes the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville in July and the Jim Dandy and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course later in the summer. It’s scheduled to also have a championship race at Churchill Downs in September ahead of the Breeders’ Cup in the fall, which in 2027 is set to take place at Belmont Park on Long Island.
“This series is designed to showcase the sport’s best 3-year-olds across a season-long championship, elevating our biggest events and creating the next generation of fans,” NYRA president CEO David O’Rourke said in a statement.
NBC is set to broadcast the races at Churchill Downs and Fox the ones in New York.
“By connecting these premier events through one championship, we’re creating a season-long storyline that benefits the future of thoroughbred racing,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said.
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