The 2025 Preakness Stakes was an exciting event, but it came at a cost for horse racing as a whole. The historic racetrack of Pimlico is set to be demolished, and the Preakness will move to Laurel Park for two years. While this investment of $400 million may bring new life to the sport in Baltimore, it’s unclear whether it will pay off without changes to the Triple Crown format.
The current structure of the Triple Crown, with separate entities managing each leg, makes it difficult to make changes that could benefit horse racing as a whole. For example, moving the Preakness earlier in the calendar would require Belmont to do the same, which isn’t feasible given their separate management. This lack of coordination means that even if the best horses compete in all three legs, rivalries and storylines often suffer.
The missed opportunity for a rivalry between Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and Journalism is a prime example. The two horses had an intense matchup in the Derby, but their rematch was cancelled due to Sovereignty’s connections deciding it wasn’t suitable. This lack of competition may be due to the constraints of the current format, which prioritizes individual winners over rivalries.
For horse racing to regain its relevance and attract new fans, it needs a more cohesive approach to the Triple Crown. This could involve changes to the format that prioritize competitions between top horses, rather than just individual winners. The sports world has changed significantly since the days of iconic rivalries like Affirmed and Alydar or Sunday Silence and Easy Goer.
Ultimately, the future of horse racing depends on its ability to tell a compelling story and create memorable moments. While the Preakness may be getting a facelift, it’s the underlying issues with the Triple Crown format that need to be addressed if the sport wants to regain its former glory.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2025/05/17/journalism-preakness-win-horse-racing-issues-triple-crown/83701945007