A look back at the Kentucky Derby’s history
Kentucky Derby museum curator Jessica Whitehead discusses Kentucky Derby fashion and Secretariat on the 150th running of the race.
The Preakness Stakes is the second of the Triple Crown races. This race follows the Kentucky Derby and takes place annually on the third Saturday in May. The setting for the exciting event is Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
For the 2024 Preakness Stakes, eight horses and their jockeys will fight for the title in the 1 3/16-mile race. One of the competitors, of course, will be Mystik Dan, the winner of ths year's Kentucky Derby. The horse and his jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., will be seeking a win to bring them one step closer to the Triple Crown title.
Are you attending this year's Preakness Stakes? Here's everything you need to know about the horse race.
The Preakness Stakes takes place annually on the third Saturday in May. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images | Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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- How much does it cost to enter the Preakness Stakes?
- When is the Preakness Stakes race?
- Where is the Preakness Stakes race held?
- Who holds the fastest Preakness Stakes time?
- How to bet on the Preakness Stakes?
- What is the dress code for the Preakness Stakes?
1. How much does it cost to enter the Preakness Stakes?
A ticket to the Preakness Stakes will vary depending on the year and where the seat is located.
On the low end, tickets to the race run about $80, according to SeatGeek, with the average ticket being around $170. These figures don't include additional taxes and fees.
The tickets on the higher end range from around $500 to $1,000, according to the ticketing service.
2. When is the Preakness Stakes race?
The Preakness Stakes is held annually on the third Saturday in May.
This lands the race two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes.
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This is the same day as Armed Forces Day, which pays tribute to those fighting in the U.S. military.
3. Where is the Preakness Stakes race held?
The Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
The Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore each year. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
All three Triple Crown races are held at different tracks around the U.S.
The Kentucky Derby is at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, while the Belmont Stakes is held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
4. Who holds the fastest Preakness Stakes time?
Secretariat holds the fastest Preakness Stakes time. In fact, the horse holds the record for the fastest time of all three Triple Crown races.
Secretariat won the Preakness Stakes on May 19, 1973. There was controversy surrounding his Preakness Stakes time, with the official clocker recording a slower time than several unofficial clockers. In 2012, the commission marked Secretariat's official time as 1:53 after forensic review.
On June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes, earning him the Triple Crown. He beat his competition by large margins, winning by 253 feet and 2 inches, according to Fox Sports.
5. How to bet on the Preakness Stakes?
There are different bets you can place on the Preakness Stakes, as well as different ways to organize your bets.
You can choose to make straight bets or exotic bets. Straight bets are when a wager is placed on a single outcome for a single horse. There are also win bets, where the horse must finish first; place bets, where the horse must finish first or second; and show bets, where the horse must finish within the top three.
There are also exotic bets, which are more difficult to win as they are based on multiple outcomes. Because they are theoretically harder to win, the payouts are also higher.
Many in attendance and watching at home place bets on horse races like the Preakness Stakes. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
There are exact bets, in which you select the two horses to finish first and second in order. Then there are trifecta bets, where three horses are selected to win first, second and third in exact order. Lastly, there are superfecta bets, where four horses are selected to place first, second, third and fourth, again, in the exact sequence.
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You can bet on the main horse race and others leading up to the main event in person at the kiosks at Pimlico. Here, you can place your bet and also ask the tellers any questions you may have.
You can also bet online or through mobile phone apps, if it is legal in your state.
6. What is the dress code for the Preakness Stakes?
The dress code at the Preakness Stakes is not as fancy as that of the Kentucky Derby. You can wear casual clothing to the race, but avoid cut-offs or tank tops in the dining areas.
Typically, men wear suits and women wear dresses. Extravagant hats don't feature as prominently here as they do at the Derby.
At the Preakness Stakes, there is more of an emphasis on dresses, although you can still wear a trendy hat if you so choose.