Is It Time To Change Triple Crown Dates? Kentucky Derby Winner Sparks Debate

The news this week that Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty will skip the Preakness and a chance to capture the Triple Crown has some angry at the decision—and others calling for a change in the racing schedule.

On one side are those who want the high-profile Triple Crown races spaced further apart to give horses time to recover. The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, is run two weeks after the first leg, the Kentucky Derby. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, comes three weeks after the Preakness.

“The Preakness being run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, in this new day and age in racing, shows the lack of vision and leadership needed to evolve this sport,” according to a tweet from racehorse owner Mike Repole’s “Repole Stable” X feed. “If you want these horses to run for a longer period of time, and even as 4YOs, you must take the pressure off of every trainer and owner to make a mistake and run a horse back too soon.”

One the other side are those who especially value the excitement of watching a prized thoroughbred vie for one of the greatest titles in U.S. sports — a Triple Crown winner. It’s only been done 13 times, the last coming in 2018 when Bob Baffert-trained Justify won all three races. Jockey Mike Smith is pictured above after winning the final leg aboard Justify.

Excitement about the Triple Crown attracts fans and bettors who normally pay little attention to horse racing but might be inspired to show interest throughout the year with a three-race victory on the line. According to the Paulick Report, the Kentucky Derby this year attracted 17.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, “the biggest Derby audience since 1989, when 18.5 million people tuned in to see Sunday Silence win.”

Whether that viewership will be sustained without the possibility of a 2025 Triple Crown winner is questionable.

On a recent ESPN broadcast, host Tony Kornheiser said he is “very disappointed” at the decision to rest Sovereignty.

“How can you not want to run the Triple Crown?” Kornheiser asked. “You’re the only horse that can win it.”

His broadcast partner, Michael Wilbon, put an exclamation point on that disappointment. “I’m not watching the Preakness,” he said.

Some people support a compromise—a new Triple Crown racing schedule to protect horses and sustain fan interest in the sport. USA Today columnist Dan Wolken recently wrote that it is time for a new schedule.

“Is anyone in horse racing going to listen when the best trainers in the world — and the people responsible for the health and well-being of the animal — tell you over and over again that the Triple Crown is no longer viable in its current format?” he said. “Sorry, traditionalists. But it’s time for the Triple Crown to change."

Possible Preakness Contenders

Below is a tentative list of contenders that might run in the $2 million, Grade 1 Preakness this year, compiled from the Courier-Journal and other sources.

List: Horse, trainer, jockey

• Caldera, D. Wayne Lukas, Rafael Bejarano
• Clever Again, Steve Asmussen, Jose Ortiz.
• Gosger, Brendan Walsh, TBA.
• Grande, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez
• Heart of Honor, Jamie Osborne, Saffie Osborne
• Instant Replay, Brad Cox, Flavien Prat
• Journalism, Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli
• Pay Billy, Michael Gorham, Raul Mena
• River Thames, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr
• Rodriguez, Bob Baffert, Mike Smith
• Sandman, Mark Casse, TBD

2025 Preakness Schedule, TV Times

• TV: NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
• Location: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland
• Date: Saturday, May 17
• Post time: 6:50 p.m. ET (TV coverage from 2 p.m. ET)

Source: Fox Sports

2025 Triple Crown Schedule

The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown.

• The Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, May 3
• The Preakness Stakes: Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland, May 17
• The Belmont Stakes: Saratoga*, New York, June 7

*Note: This race is being held in Saratoga as work continues on a  $550 million upgrade at Belmont Park in Elmont on Long Island, just east of New York City.

Get more information on Kentucky Derby betting from Gambling.com.