Bet & Watch the Preakness Stakes online with OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Online Wagering

The 149th running of the Preakness Stakes (Grade I), the second jewel of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 18, 2024 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

When is the Preakness Stakes?

The Preakness Stakes is on Saturday, May 18, 2024

Where is the Preakness Stakes?

The Preakness Stakes is raced at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland

When is the field drawn for the Preakness Stakes?

Post positions are scheduled to be drawn Monday, May 13 at Pimlico.

Where can I watch the Preakness Stakes?

Watch the Preakness Stakes via your OTB player account with OffTrackBetting.com or live on TV with NBC with a post time of 6:45 p.m. ET.

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1/ST, the innovative brand behind North America's most prestigious Thoroughbred horse racing, entertainment and wagering events, announces a $25 million dollar racing and incentive series connecting Preakness 149, The California Crown and the 2025 Pegasus World Cup.

Kicking off at Preakness 149, 1/ST's three premier race days will feature more than $12.5 million in elevated purses and $7.5 million in incentives for both dirt and turf participants. 1/ST is offering a $5 million bonus, in addition to the respective purses, to the owner(s) of the horse who wins the 149th Preakness Stakes (GI),

The California Crown (GI) and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (GI). For turf stars, 1/ST will award a $2.5 million bonus, added to the elevated purses, to the connections who win the Dinner Party Stakes (GIII), The California Crown John Henry Turf (GII) and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (GI).

Preakness 149 celebrations, taking place on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, will mark the inaugural races in this new series. The 149th Preakness Stakes purse will increase to $2 million, and the Dinner Party Stakes will increase to $500,000, making Preakness 149 race day the most lucrative in the event's history with a total of $3.3 million on the line. The decision to elevate the purses for the 149th Preakness Stakes and for the Dinner Party Stakes reflects 1/ST's ongoing commitment to maintaining and growing the Thoroughbred horse racing industry to usher in a new era for racing in Maryland.

On September 28, The California Crown will debut at Santa Anita Park for a reimagined opening day experience for the track's 2024 fall meet. The California Crown will replace the Awesome Again Stakes for 3-year-olds & up and will be run on 1 1/8 mile offering a $1 million dollar purse. The $750,000 California Crown John Henry Turf along with the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D. Turf Sprint (GII), taking place on Santa Anita Park's famed downhill turf course featuring American racing's only right-hand turn, will add to the excitement of what will be California's richest day of racing.

Since 2017, the Pegasus World Cup has become the premier luxury event in the sport and has set the standard for the modern Thoroughbred horse racing experience. The 2025 Pegasus World Cup, to be held on January 25 at 1/ST's Gulfstream Park, will feature the coveted $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. The live broadcast of the Pegasus World Cup - horse racing's hottest party - will feature the presentation of the potential $7.5 million in bonuses for any owner(s) who manage to achieve this remarkable feat.

In its continued effort to engage the next generation and provide game-changing opportunities for existing customers, 1/ST is putting up $5 million for a Coast-to-Coast Pick' Em Challenge sweepstakes to successfully pick the first four finishers of each race, in order, for the 149th Preakness Stakes, The California Crown and the 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational. If there is no perfect winning entry, the entry with the most overall correct selections will win a $100,000 cash prize.

"My team and I continue to believe and invest in the modernization of Thoroughbred horse racing with a commitment to the highest level of international safety standards and horse care as we continue to elevate our already industry-leading wagering, entertainment and hospitality programs. To back this up, 1/ST is adding to the legacy of the Preakness by increasing the purse, creating a new marquee race event for the majestic Santa Anita Park - The California Crown - and continuing to build on the phenomenal success of the Pegasus World Cup. We're proud to work with incredible partners who share our vision and see the future of world-class Thoroughbred racing combined with unique and elevated guest experiences," said Belinda Stronach, Chairwoman and CEO, 1/ST.

"The $25 million in racing purses and bonus incentives available for Preakness 149, California Crown and the Pegasus World Cup, including a $5 million sweepstakes for bettors and fans, shows our commitment to innovation and excellence in Thoroughbred racing," said Aidan Butler, President, 1/ST. "Providing lucrative opportunities for owners and bettors, while also delivering exceptional entertainment experiences, is our speciality!"

OffTrackBetting.com (OTB), America's premier online wagering platform for Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound racing, is proud to offer live race video and betting for the second jewel of the Triple Crown - the Preakness Stakes.

PREAKNESS STAKES 2024 SCHEDULE

5/17/2024 Black Eyed Susan $300,000 Grade 2 3YO Fillies 1 1/8 mi. Dirt

5/17/2024 Pimlico Special $250,000 Grade 3 3YO & Up 1 3/16 mi. Dirt

5/17/2024 Miss Preakness $150,000 Grade 3 3YO Fillies 6 fur. Dirt

5/17/2024 Allaire DuPont $100,000 Listed 3YO & UpFillies and Mares 1 1/8 mi. Dirt

5/17/2024 The Very One $100,000 3YO & UpFillies and Mares 5 fur. Turf

5/17/2024 Hilltop $100,000 3YO Fillies 1 mi. Turf

5/18/2024 Preakness Stakes $2,000,000 Grade 1 3YO 1 3/16 mi. Dirt

5/18/2024 Dinner Party $500,000 Grade 3 3YO & Up 1 1/8 mi. Turf

5/18/2024 Chick Lang $200,000 Grade 3 3YO 6 fur. Dirt

5/18/2024 Gallorette $100,000 Grade 3 3YO & UpFillies and Mares 1 1/16 mi. Turf

5/18/2024 MD Sprint $100,000 Grade 3 3YO & Up 6 fur. Dirt

5/18/2024 Jim McKay $100,000 Listed 3YO & Up 5 fur. Turf

5/18/2024 Sir Barton $100,000 3YO 1 1/16 mi. Dirt

5/18/2024 James Murphy $100,000 Listed 3YO 1 mi. Turf

5/18/2024 Skipat $100,000 Listed 3YO & UpFillies and Mares 6 fur. Dirt

OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Preakness Stakes OTB is a great way to bet the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Available to customers across the United States, OTB features both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing from major racing venues in the US as well as top international racing from Europe, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.

About the Preakness Stakes

Traditionally the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is held on the third Saturday each May at Baltimore, Maryland's Pimlico Race Course. Sandwiched between the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in the Triple Crown, the Preakness is contested at a distance of 1 3/16 miles, and regularly attracts a field of the best three-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in North America. A staple on Pimlico's stakes schedule since 1873, the Preakness is often a handicapping challenge for bettors as all of North America's best jockeys and trainers are in action at Pimlico that day. Other key stakes races held Preakness weekend at Pimlico include the Pimlico Special, the Dixie Stakes, the Gallorette Handicap and the Maryland Sprint Handicap.

Predating the Kentucky Derby by two years, the Preakness Stakes was first run in 1873. It got its name from then Maryland Governor Oden Bowie, who dubbed it `The Preakness' in honor of a horse of the same name that won the Dinner Party Stakes on the opening day of the Pimlico track in 1870. The race was originally a mile and a half in length, and the inaugural event saw 7 horses go to the starting gate. The first Preakness was won by My Sheba, who trounced the rest of the field by 10 lengths. That would remain the largest margin of victory in the race until 2004 when Smarty Jones won the event by 11 lengths. To date, Smarty Jones' triumph is the biggest margin of victory in Preakness history.

The Preakness race wasn't an immediate success and moved several times during its early years. In 1890, the Morris Race Course in the Bronx, New York held the race after which there was no race run for the next three years. In 1894, the Preakness was revived at the Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island and remained there for the next 15 years. In 1909 it returned to the Pimlico track in Baltimore where it has been run ever since. In 2009, the parent company of the Pimlico track, Magna Entertainment, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and moving the Preakness was once again considered. The Maryland Legislature quickly approved a plan to buy the track if Magna was unable to find a buyer so for now it looks like the Preakness will remain in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.

Just like the Kentucky Derby is preceded by the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, and the Preakness has a similar tradition with Black-Eyed Susan day. The Black-Eyed Susan was first run in 1919 as the Pimlico Oaks; but the name was changed in 1952 to pay homage to the Maryland state flower. The mile and one-eighth race for three-year-old fillies has been a Grade II event since 1976. Gates for the Black-Eyed Susan day open at 10 AM on Friday, May 17th with a full day of racing action.

Can't make it to the track? Watch and wager on the Preakness Stakes with OffTrackBetting.com. All wagers made through OffTrackBetting.com are directly commingled into track pools, so you can play all of your favorite bet types with confidence, knowing that you'll receive full track odds on all wagers made with us. And with free, high-quality video, you can watch the races online or with your mobile device. OffTrackBetting.com is US-based and legal and licensed, and we promise you superior customer service and the best online wagering experience in the industry.