16 Stakes, 10 Graded, Worth $3.25 Million in Purses May 14-15
146th Preakness (G1) May 15, 97th Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14
$100,000 Trainer Bonus Returns for Preakness Weekend Stakes
Races & Post Times for Black-Eyed Susan, Preakness
BALTIMORE – Stakes nominations are due Tuesday, May 4 for Preakness weekend at Pimlico Race Course, featuring 16 stakes, 10 graded, worth $3.25 million in purses May 14-15 led by the 146th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
Other graded events on Preakness Day, May 15, are the $250,000 Dinner Party (G2) and $150,000 Gallorette (G3) on turf and the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3), $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) and $100,000 UAE President Cup (G1) for Arabian horses on the main track.
Preakness eve, May 14, will be highlighted by the 97th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies. Among the supporting graded stakes are the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) and $150,000 Miss Preakness on dirt and $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) on turf.
The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series returns following a one-year hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 with four races Preakness weekend – the Pimlico Special and Allaire du Pont May 14 and the Maryland Sprint and $100,000 Runhappy Skipat May 15.
Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Sunday, May 9 for the Black-Eyed Susan Day program and Monday, May 10 for Preakness Day.
For the fifth straight year, the Maryland Jockey Club is offering bonus money totaling $100,000 to trainers who run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend. The trainer with the most points will receive $50,000, second $25,000, third $12,000, fourth $7,000, fifth $4,000 and sixth $2,000.
Points are accumulated for finishing first (10 points), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and having a starter (one) in the Skipat, Miss Preakness, Allaire du Pont, Black-Eyed Susan, Pimlico Special, Hilltop, Jim McKay Turf Sprint, Maryland Sprint, Chick Lang, Preakness, Gallorette, James W. Murphy, Dinner Party, The Very One and Sir Barton.
There will also be bonus money totaling $50,000 for trainers with the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend. The points are accumulated in similar fashion with $25,000 going to the leader, $10,000 to second, $7,000 to third, $4,000 to fourth, $2,500 to fifth and $1,000 to sixth.
Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen was the leading Preakness weekend stakes trainer in 2018 and 2019, followed by Brad Cox in 2019 and Mike Maker in 2020.
Races & Post Times for Black-Eyed Susan, Preakness
The Maryland Jockey Club will feature 14-race programs on Black-Eyed Susan Day and Preakness Day.
On Friday, May 15, first race post will be 11:30 a.m. with the Black-Eyed Susan scheduled to go off at approximately 5:44 p.m. On Saturday, May 16, the live program begins at 10:30 a.m. with the Preakness scheduled to go off at approximately 6:47 p.m.
There will be a Black-Eyed Susan-Preakness daily double offered Friday. The Preakness will be the 13th race Saturday, followed by the UAE President Cup (G1) for Arabians at 7:33 p.m.