Preakness Stakes Has New Date Scheduled
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on both team sports and those which are more individual in nature. We’ve seen sports paused, others delayed and in the case of the XFL, an entire league fold up and blow away as a result. In the past week, we saw UFC, the German Bundesliga and, on Sunday, NASCAR come back to the airwaves. We’ve seen the KBO and the CPBL bring baseball to television, even if we don’t know the majority of the players or the teams that are playing.
In horse racing, there are no races bigger than the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes draw a ton of fan interest, not to mention a truckload of betting to the handles of sportsbooks. As it stands, two-thirds of the Triple Crown has been postponed thanks to the coronavirus. The Kentucky Derby was slated to go on May 2 before being postponed. Churchill Downs reopened on Saturday, May 16 with 11 races on the board, with those contests televised on Fox Sports. There are no fans in attendance but it’s a nice return to action for those who are fans of betting on the ponies. The Preakness Stakes was slated to go Saturday from Pimlico Race Course in Maryland but it was postponed back on April 3 in an effort to avoid complications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, we know when the normal first two legs of the Triple Crown will take place. It was already announced that the Kentucky Derby will return to Churchill Downs on Saturday, September 5. With that being the first full Saturday of college football, one has to wonder how it will draw as far as TV ratings go should it end up going head to head with games on the gridiron. Normally, there is a two-week break in between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but, as has been the norm with sports this year, won’t be the case.
According to an announcement made by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Saturday, there is a date for the Preakness Stakes to be run. The new date for the Preakness Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, four weeks after the Kentucky Derby. In his statement, Hogan had the following to say about the event:
“Under normal circumstances, I would be standing at Pimlico … presenting the Woodlawn Trophy to the winner of the 145th Preakness Stakes. But as we all know these are not ordinary circumstances. However, I am proud to make this announcement on behalf of the state, the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland’s historic racing industry that Preakness 145 will be held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on Oct. 3.”
At this stage, it is unclear if the Preakness will end up being the middle jewel of the Triple Crown as usual or not. While both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness were postponed and rescheduled, currently the Belmont Stakes has not been moved. It is still slated to go on June 6 at the moment. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has said that horse racing can resume in the state on June 1 without fans. New York Racing Association president Dave O’Rourke was happy about that decision but said that there isn’t a clear race schedule in place as of yet, so the Belmont could be rescheduled.
“NYRA has developed a comprehensive safety plan that builds on our experience of operating training safely and responsibly during the pandemic and includes extensive protocols to keep our community safe. With this safety plan in place, NYRA will announce race dates and a corresponding stakes schedule for the 2020 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park in the very near future."
At this point, we’ll wait and see if Belmont runs as scheduled next month. At least we know now when the Preakness is going to go and know that it’s coming after the Kentucky Derby, which is how it should be in the end. That’s something that people can point at as something normal in this crazy year for sports.