Key Players Surprised, Unmoved About Preakness Comments

As much as 1/ST Racing may want to change the date of the Preakness Stakes (G1), public comments made by 1/ST Racing and Gaming CEO Aidan Butler have not moved the needle with key Maryland and Triple Crown partners.

Butler has expressed a desire to move the middle jewel of the Triple Crown from its traditional spot on the calendar two weeks after the Kentucky Derby (G1) to four weeks after the Derby. Such a move also would impact the Belmont Stakes (G1), traditionally presented three weeks after the Preakness, which has been five weeks after the Derby.

In remarks reported by Thoroughbred Daily News Aug. 9, Butler said, "We have discussed it internally and believe it's in the best interests of horses and horse safety to move the race (to) four weeks after the Kentucky Derby. This would give horses more time to recover between races to be able to run in the Preakness. Horse safety is more important than tradition. NYRA is aware and considering how this would impact the Belmont. Stay tuned."

Those public remarks, at the least, caught Preakness and Triple Crown players off guard and failed to generate support. Some key players were bothered that the comments arrived at a time when the future of Maryland racing is in flux and there is uncertainty over who will be operating the state's racing venues in the years to come. That operator may or may not be 1/ST Racing (The Stronach Group).

As background, in 2020 the Maryland legislature approved a redevelopment plan for Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, which are owned by 1/ST Racing through the Maryland Jockey Club. That plan would have consolidated racing at a newly constructed facility at Laurel on a nearly year-round basis. Pimlico also would have been rebuilt as a commercial redevelopment zone and home to the Preakness. The cost was estimated at $375 million, paid for by the issuance of bonds by the Maryland Stadium Authority, which was charged with overseeing the project.

The debt service on the bonds was to come from industry funds, but the project stalled due to COVID, inflation, rising interest rates, and a major tax issue impacting the Laurel property.

As a result, the Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority came into existence June 1 to jump-start the project and provide guidance for Maryland racing for the next four years. It was charged with providing Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly by Dec. 1 a report identifying potential sites for racing and training in the state.

One possible scenario involves consolidating racing at Pimlico, rather than Laurel, and constructing a training center since Pimlico's stable area is not large enough. 

As part of the Authority's mandate and based on conversations within the state, 1/ST Racing's continued involvement as operator of the state's Thoroughbred tracks is under discussion.

With all of those factors at play, there are concerns about what effect changes to the Triple Crown could have on the redevelopment plan.

"The face of Maryland could be changed and is under study. If the redevelopment plan is to go forward, then Maryland racing is going to change," said Alan Foreman, a member of the TROA and longtime counsel for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "All of this is being done around the Preakness and having the Preakness in Baltimore. That is what is driving the entire redevelopment plan. It was due to (1/ST Racing) suggesting moving the race to Laurel and consolidate racing there while closing Pimlico." 

With the fate of both Pimlico and Laurel in such limbo, questions have been raised about the timing and appropriateness of Butler's remarks about moving the second jewel in the Triple Crown from two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont.

"No one in Maryland was consulted about those remarks, not the horsemen's group, the breeders, the state, anyone in regards to it," Foreman said. "Any movement of the Preakness could have an impact on the Preakness, Triple Crown, and redevelopment plan."

Trainer Tim Keefe, president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, was among those caught off guard by a topic that has been discussed informally by key partners for a long period of time suddenly being turned into a matter of public debate by the comments of a main participant.

"We were not contacted. I found out about it when I read it. We were not consulted," Keefe said. "I was surprised. I would have thought that with a statement like that there would be more consulting with industry leaders here in Maryland and regionally in Kentucky and New York."

Keefe called it the latest chapter in a series of frustrating negotiations with 1/ST Racing and the Maryland Jockey Club.

"It's typical of what they do. They put it out there on their own and they do what they think in their mind is in the best interests for them. It's unfortunate. I'm surprised, but I'm not surprised. It's disappointing," he said. "Sometimes I give them the benefit of the doubt and think they really put some thought into what they are doing and there's some rationale for their decision-making, but the reality a lot of the time is that there is no thought and no rationale behind their decision-making."

At NYRA, high-level sources said the remarks came as "a surprise." The comments did not sit well with NYRA, and in the two weeks since Butler's comments, NYRA officials have not discussed the matter with 1/ST Racing.

"NYRA has concerns about fundamental changes to the structure of the Triple Crown. We have no plans to move the date of the Belmont Stakes," said Pat McKenna, NYRA's vice president of communications.

Butler declined a request to offer comment on the responses from various parties.

Should NYRA stand pat with its Belmont date, it would make moving the Preakness a moot point or destroy the Triple Crown, because a two-week switch would place it one week before the Belmont.

In recent years the Preakness has had some difficulty attracting runners from the Derby to the 1 3/16-mile test. 

This year Kentucky Derby winner Mage  was the only Derby starter who moved on to Baltimore. A year ago, 80-1 Kentucky Derby victor Rich Strike  skipped the Preakness, though three runners from that race, including runner-up Epicenter  , ran in the Preakness.

Three Kentucky Derby starters in 2021 contested the Preakness, including Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first in Louisville.

The last time the top two Derby finishers staged a rematch in the Preakness was 2018, when eventual Triple Crown winner Justify   and Derby runner-up Good Magic   squared off. That same scenario played out in 2017.

Yet it's debatable how much an extra week or two would help the Preakness attract a better field. As much as the two-week timing is blamed for Kentucky Derby horses waiting for the Belmont Stakes or dropping out of the Triple Crown, a major part of defections also involves connections choosing to point to lucrative races for 3-year-olds in late spring and summer. 

"Nothing will change with a week or two difference," Keefe said.

Foreman agreed that timing is not the only reason why only a handful of Kentucky Derby starters head to Baltimore for the $1.5 million Preakness.

"This discussion is being driven in part by television concerns over ratings. As for the race, the connections of most Derby horses do not enter the Preakness and that is not going to change if the race is moved. There are too many other options today," Foreman said. "There is reluctance to move the Triple Crown into July because of concerns about attendance, conflicts with other sports, and ratings."

There is also no statistical data showing a harmful impact on Kentucky Derby starters running two weeks later in the Preakness.

The Preakness Day card typically has lower handle numbers ($100 million this year) than the Kentucky Derby ($288 million) and Belmont Stakes ($118 million) programs, but the latter two programs are stronger top to bottom as Churchill Downs offers four grade 1s and four grade 2s while Belmont Park features six grade 1s, two grade 2s, and one grade 3, compared with just one grade 1 and four grade 3s at Pimlico.

Perhaps 1/ST Racing sees opportunity there to bring in more star horses for the undercard races, eventually raising their grades. But such an effort would seemingly have to be done in concert with NYRA, which attracts top horses for Belmont undercard races such as the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Ogden Phipps (G1), and Manhattan Stakes (G1T).

The Preakness also faces challenges because of the decaying condition of the Pimlico facility, with part of the grandstand condemned and closed to the public. A combined total of 65,000 attended this year's Black-Eyed Susan Day (Friday) and Preakness Day programs, compared with a total of 182,000 for the two days in 2019.

"It has been said before, we have a lot of issues in racing right now, but adjusting the Triple Crown isn't one of them," Foreman said. "It's an extraordinary feat to win the Triple Crown in its current format and that's what makes it special. We should all tread carefully before deciding to make such a dramatic change."