Next Season Ideal Year to Make Triple Crown Changes

Even the most committed of traditionalists would have a hard time arguing this point: If it were ever time to make some changes to the Triple Crown, the 2027 season would be a good time to do it.

For the first time since 2023, all three races will return to their traditional homes as the plan is for the Maryland Jockey Club to return the Preakness Stakes (G1) to Pimlico Race Course next year after a one-year stop at Laurel Park this year while Pimlico is being rebuilt. Pimlico renovations will not be complete next spring, but the thought is to bring the race home while providing a sneak peek of the changes.

The Belmont Stakes (G1) will be contested for a third straight year at Saratoga Race Course this season before plans call for a return to a sparkling new facility at its Belmont Park home.

The return to Churchill Downs-Pimlico-Belmont will be a big win for the series, and while it will be nice to return to that tradition, this new start will provide an excellent opportunity for change. I would focus on tweaking the race dates to some extent to better accommodate today's training methods. There's likely no perfect solution, but an effort that sees more Derby runners continue on to the Preakness would be welcomed.

To be clear, this isn't about making anything easier toward a Triple Crown sweep. The goal would be to have more Kentucky Derby (G1) winners and top runners go on to compete in Baltimore. With the connections of three of the past five Kentucky Derby winners choosing against this path, it's pretty clear that Derby-winning horsemen are no longer just rubber-stamping a trip to Pimlico.

Perhaps some tweaks to the schedule would see more horses capable of getting back to 100%, or close to 100%, so that more horsemen again would see a trip to the Preakness as sporting while also fair to their horses.

Part of changing the race dates of the Preakness, and perhaps the Belmont, would be a way of attracting the Derby winner to the Preakness—yes—but also a way of having more of the top 3-year-olds compete in multiple legs of the series.

North American racing is still afforded one race, the Kentucky Derby (G1), that instantly creates a star with the general public each year. Beyond that, it brings some name familiarity with other top runners in the race—or even horses caught up in odd circumstances such as Great White , who currently may be the second-most well-known horse to the general public. That's the power of the Derby.

If tweaks can be made that make it more likely the Derby winner, as well as other Derby runners, return in the Preakness, it's worth pursuing. It would improve the depth of the Preakness field while also providing fans—including some more general fans—with horses they're familiar with.

Oddly, by racing standards, it wasn't that long ago that we saw a pair of Triple Crown winners in American Pharoah  in 2015 and Justify   in 2018, each trained by Bob Baffert. Those two reminded all that winning these three races in a five-week span is not an impossibility.

But things can change quickly. The recent run of Derby winners not even being entered in the Preakness seems to me a sign that the sport is no longer embracing this tradition. In fairness, just last year Journalism  offered a counterpoint to all of this with his Derby and Belmont runner-up finishes sandwiching his Preakness win.

From the Magazine: Debating Best Timing of Preakness

It can be done, but do we want to lock into a tradition of just the occasional runner or a more inclusive race-timing that allows more top horses to recuperate from the Derby and then compete?

Making changes in 2027 seems to be good timing considering the series has seen plenty of changes in recent years. We saw the 2020 COVID year Belmont Stakes go first in the series at 1 1/8 miles. It was followed by a September Derby and an October Preakness. By the way, that completely untraditional Triple Crown saw Tiz the Law  , Authentic  , and filly Swiss Skydiver  take top honors. That's a compelling trio for sure; not that I'm advocating for such dramatic changes going forward.

I would not be in favor of changing any race distances, but some changes to the calendar dates—the timing of the races—could help reinvigorate the series. I've loved everything about the Triple Crown's history. I'm also trying to think what's best for its future.