Two of the largest horse racing organizations in the country have announced a new championship series of races, which could mark the start of a new era in the sport.
Saratoga Race Course is as busy as it typically is in August — thousands of fans pack into the backyard to play the ponies, betting on stakes races.
But, behind the scenes, the structure of the horse racing’s top prize is shifting.
The Triple Crown, made up of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, is the historic backbone of the sport.
But, in recent years, it’s become less common for the Kentucky Derby winner to run in the Preakness, which is held just two weeks later.
Now, the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs Inc. have announced that 2027 will see the start of the Thoroughbred Championship Series — a set of six races over five months that includes some of the biggest races in the sport, including two run in Saratoga.
Ed Fitzgerald has been coming to Saratoga Race Course every summer for a decade.
“Yeah, of course I’m going to bet on them but it’s money," Fitzgerald said. "There’s a big pot. There are going to be competitive races. The Triple Crown, you’re right, if they left it alone I’d have no problem with it but I’m not in charge. Winning three races in five weeks is not easy but it can be done."
Fitzgerald figures since he has no control over what decisions get made regarding horse racing, it’s no use getting upset.
“This has been brewing for years, there’s always change," he said. "Nobody seems to be able to completely agree on a specific subject. The Triple Crown is a tradition so if they kept it, OK. But now, the problem is when you win the derby you have to come back in two weeks. A lot of trainers don’t want that."
For their part, the organizers of the new series have said this effort isn’t meant to replace the Triple Crown.
Long-time sports reporter Mike MacAdam, of The Daily Gazette, has been covering summer racing at Saratoga Race Course for nearly four decades.
He notes that modern horse training practices have simply evolved beyond the rigor of the tight Triple Crown schedule.
“Yes, they don’t train horses to run three times in five weeks," MacAdam said. "At the same time, traditionalists don’t want it to change because it’s supposed to be hard. I’m not kidding, I’ve been wavering back and forth on this for the last few years. It’s supposed to be hard."
Three of the past five Kentucky Derby winners have passed on running in the Preakness Stakes.
Maryland racing officials have announced that the Preakness will be pushed back in 2027 by eight days.
There are no races in Maryland included in the novel championship series.
“Since there’s no central administration or authority in this sport everybody is kind of their own little fiefdom looking out for themselves," MacAdam said. "In this case there were rumblings that Maryland was going to move the Preakness back a week just to preserve their field, getting more Derby horses. In the meantime NYRA and Churchill decided they didn’t need [Maryland] anymore, they’d make a power play and create this new thing."
The new series will begin with the Kentucky Derby in May and end in September back at Churchill Downs.
Two Saratoga Springs Races, the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes, will also be run sometime in August.
MacAdam says even with the new series, he’d be surprised to see the Preakness fall by the wayside.
“For the common fan who doesn’t really follow the sport, I think the brand name of those three races is going to be powerful enough for them to pay attention to them no matter how they’re spaced or whether the Derby and Belmont are part of this new series or not," MacAdam said. "I think these three races still have enough standalone appeal to joe blow who doesn’t follow the sport that they’ll retain some of their luster and TV ratings."
